A rotary damper has a housing and a damper shaft rotatable in the housing. A damper volume contains magnetorheological fluid for influencing the damping of a damper shaft rotation relative to the housing. A partition wall on the shaft and a partition wall formed on the housing divide the damper volume into two variable chambers. A gap is formed between the partition unit of the housing and the damper shaft, and a gap is formed between the partition unit on the damper shaft and the housing. The magnetic field source includes a controllable electric coil for influencing the strength of the magnetic field and thus the strength of damping. A substantial part of the magnetic field of the magnetic field source passes through at least two of the gaps and influences the two gap sections in dependence on the strength of the magnetic field.

A chassis component has a rotary damper with a housing, a damper shaft rotatably accommodated thereat, a displacing device in the housing, and a magnetic field source. The displacing device has a damper volume with magnetorheological fluid to influence the damping of the rotary motion of the damper shaft relative to the housing. The damper volume is divided into variable chambers by a partition wall connected with the housing and a partition wall connected with the damper shaft. Radial and axial gaps are formed between the partition walls, the damper shaft and the housing. The magnetic field source has a controllable electric coil for influencing the strength of the magnetic field and thus the strength of damping. A substantial part of the magnetic field of the magnetic field source passes through the gaps and influences the gap sections in dependence on the strength of the magnetic field.

In a suspension system in which the oil chambers of two dampers are connected, the responsiveness of the dampers can be adjusted. A suspension system has a left damper, a right damper, and an intermediate unit. A case of the intermediate unit has an intermediate oil chamber connected to an oil chamber of the left damper and the oil chamber of the right damper and an intermediate gas chamber. The intermediate oil chamber and the intermediate gas chamber are partitioned by a diaphragm. The intermediate unit has a capacity adjustment mechanism including a movable portion of which the position can be changed. The capacity adjustment mechanism adjusts the capacity of the intermediate gas chamber by changing the position of the movable portion.

Provided is a gas strut, including: an outer working space arranged radially to the stroke axis between the working cylinder and the equalizing cylinder, the outer working space being connected to the inner working space in a gas-conducting manner; an equalizing piston enclosing the working cylinder radially to the stroke axis, the equalizing piston) being mounted displaceably along the stroke axis, delimiting the outer working space on one side transversely to the stroke axis and being subjected to a pressure of the working medium and a pressure of the equalizing medium so as to increase the volume of the outer working space; and a restoring medium arranged in a restoring space radially to the stroke axis between the working cylinder and the equalizing cylinder, the equalizing piston being subjected to a pressure of the restoring medium so as to decrease the volume of the outer working space.

A damper assembly includes a tubular member including a sidewall and a shoulder. The damper assembly includes a rod and a piston coupled to the rod. A secondary piston has a second contact surface, an opposing second surface, an inner cylindrical face defining a central aperture that receives the rod, and an outer cylindrical face. The opposing second surface includes one or more surface grooves, extending between the inner cylindrical face and the outer cylindrical face along the opposing second surface, and one or more bypass orifices disposed about the body member. The bypass orifices extend along the inner cylindrical face between the second contact surface and the opposing second surface. The secondary piston defines a channel extending between the inner cylindrical face and an outer periphery of the body member. The channel and bypass orifices form a fluid flow path when the piston contacts the secondary piston.

Provided is a shock absorber capable of improving the dimensional quality and ensuring the sealing performance of a seal ring. The shock absorber includes a cylinder, an outer tube, an intermediate tube, and a discharge passage defined between the intermediate tube and the cylinder, a reservoir defined between the intermediate tube and the outer tube. The intermediate tube includes, on its inner circumferential surface, a groove having a concave shape in cross section to be capable of accommodating a seal ring that closes the discharge passage. A relationship of θ1<θ2 is satisfied, where θ1 represents an angle formed between one side surface, out of both side surfaces of the groove of the intermediate tube, that is located on an axial end side of the intermediate tube, and a plane orthogonal to an axial direction of the intermediate tube, and θ2 represents an angle formed between the other side surface that is located on an axial center side of the intermediate tube and the plane.

A damper includes a pressure-sensitive damping control circuit that selectively permits fluid flow from a first chamber to a second chamber. A piston varies a volume of the first chamber. A blow-off piston is movable between a closed position, wherein fluid flow through the control circuit is substantially prevented, and an open position, wherein fluid flow through the control circuit is permitted. The damper also includes a first source of pressure. A fluid pressure created by compression of the damper applies an opening force to the blow-off piston moving the blow-off piston in a direction toward the open position against a resistance force provided by the first source of pressure. The resistance force exceeds the opening force until the pressure created by forces tending to insert the piston rod into the first fluid chamber exceeds the pressure in the first source of pressure by a predetermined amount.

A prosthesis device has a rotary damper and a displacing device with a magnetorheological fluid in a damper volume of a housing. Two partition units divide the damper volume into two or more variable chambers. The partition units include a partition wall connected with the housing and a partition wall connected with a damper shaft. Radial gaps are formed in the radial direction between the partition wall on the housing and the damper shaft, and between the partition wall on the damper shaft and the housing. An axial gap is formed in the axial direction between the partition unit the damper shaft and the housing. The magnetic field of the magnetic field source passes through at least two of the gaps.

Electrorheological fluid is loaded in a shock absorber (1) as hydraulic fluid (2). The shock absorber (1) controls a generated damping force by causing a potential difference to be generated in an electrode passage (19) and controlling a viscosity of the electrorheological fluid passing through this electrode passage (19). A plurality of partition walls (20) is provided between an inner cylinder (3) and an electrode cylinder (18). By being configured in this manner, the shock absorber (1) forms a plurality of helical flow passages (21) between the inner cylinder (3) and the electrode cylinder (18). In this case, an inclination angle of each of the partition walls (20) is not constant, and each of the partition walls (20) includes a sharply inclined portion (20A) inclined at a large angle on at least an entrance side of an extension-side flow passage (21).

A hydraulic shock-absorber comprises an outer cylindrical tube, an inner cylindrical tube defining with the outer cylindrical tube an annular chamber, a main piston slidably mounted in the inner cylindrical tube and dividing the inner volume of the inner cylindrical tube into an extension chamber and a compression chamber, both containing an incompressible damping fluid, a valve assembly mounted on a bottom wall of the inner cylindrical tube and comprising a first compression valve and a first intake valve, a cup-shaped body mounted in the inner cylindrical tube, inside the compression chamber, and an auxiliary piston rigidly connected to the main piston and configured to slide in the cup-shaped body at least during a final section of the compression phase of the shock-absorber. The shock-absorber further comprises a second compression valve configured as a non-return valve allowing the flow of the damping fluid only in the direction from a working chamber of the cup-shaped body towards a lower portion of the compression chamber.