SHOCK ABSORBERS

A mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.

The shock absorber’s function is to absorb or dissipate energy. When designing or choosing a shock absorber, one design consideration is where the power will go. In most dashpots, energy is converted to heat inside the viscous fluid. The hydraulic fluid heats up in hydraulic cylinders, while in air cylinders, the hot air is usually exhausted to the atmosphere. In other dashpots, such as electromagnetic, the dissipated energy can be stored and used later. In general terms, shock absorbers help cushion vehicles on uneven roads.

Shock absorbers are an essential part of automobile and motorcycle suspensions, aircraft landing gear, and the support for many industrial machines. Large shock absorbers have also been used in structural engineering to reduce structures’ susceptibility to earthquake damage and resonance. A transverse-mounted shock absorber, called a yaw damper, helps keep railcars from swaying excessively from side to side and is crucial in passenger railroads, commuter rail, and rapid transit systems because they prevent railcars from damaging station platforms. The success of passive damping technologies in suppressing vibration is demonstrated by its market size – around U.S $4.5 billion.

In a vehicle, shock absorbers reduce the effect of traveling over rough ground, leading to improved ride quality and an increase in comfort. While shock absorbers serve the purpose of limiting excessive suspension movement, their sole intended purpose is to dampen spring oscillations. Shock absorbers use oil valving and gasses to absorb excess energy from the springs. Spring rates are chosen by the manufacturer based on the vehicle’s weight- loaded and unloaded.

Some people use shocks to modify spring rates, but this is not correct. Along with hysteresis in the tire itself, they dampen stored energy in the unsprung motion weight up and down. Effective wheel bounce damping may require tuning shocks to an optimal resistance. Spring-based shock absorbers commonly use coil springs or leaf springs, though torsion bars are also used in torsional shocks. However, ideal springs alone are not considered shock absorbers, as springs only store and do not dissipate or absorb energy. Vehicles typically employ both hydraulic shock absorbers and springs or torsion bars. In this combination, “shock absorber” refers specifically to the hydraulic piston absorbing and dissipating vibration.