Shock Absorbers & Dampers

Shock absorbers are basically oil pumps. A piston is attached to the end of the piston rod and works against hydraulic fluid in the pressure tube. As the suspension travels up and down, the hydraulic fluid is forced through tiny holes, called orifices, inside the piston. However, these orifices let only a small amount of fluid through the piston. This slows down the piston, which in turn slows down spring and suspension movement.

All modern shock absorbers are velocity sensitive hydraulic damping devices – meaning the faster the suspension moves, the more resistance the shock absorber provides.
Because of this feature, shock absorbers adjust to road conditions. As a result, shock absorbers reduce the rate of:

• Bounce
• Roll or sway
• Brake dive and Acceleration squat

Shock absorbers work on the principle of fluid displacement on both the compression and extension cycle. A typical car or light truck will have more resistance during its extension cycle then its compression cycle. The compression cycle controls the motion of a vehicle's unsprung weight, while extension controls the heavier sprung weight.

FUNCTIONS OF DAMPER 

The main function of the shock absorber is to absorb the shocks and damp them as soon as possible so that a smooth ride can be obtained.

Some other important functions of shock absorber are• It limits vehicle body movement• It stabilizes our ride as discussed above• It stabilizes vehicle tires which are disturbed due to sudden shock, hence it is very important for safety purpose also
 It also minimizes tire and body wear of the automobile and hence reduces overall maintenance cost
It may sound a simple job but this is the main thing on which the comfort level of your ride depends.

HOW IT WORKS?

To understand the shock absorber, it is very important to understand its working.

First of all, we should know that there are generally two types of shock absorbers one is hydraulic and another one is pneumatic. However, working of both the types of shock absorbers is same.

A shock absorber is generally coupled with a spring, which convert sudden shock waves into oscillatory motion. This oscillatory motion gives us instant relief from the shock but, nobody can have his or her whole ride with these oscillations.