Shock absorbers are devices that absorb the impact of jolts and vibrations in a vehicle. Most cars have one shock absorber present for each of the tires. They work together to minimize the overall car’s movement and ensure that the tires stay in contact with the road all the time which is important for the brakes to work well and for you to be able to steer the car properly.
Shock absorbers slow down the intensity of the vibration by transforming kinetic energy of your suspension movement into heat energy which then dissipates into the air through the process of heat exchange. That’s the physics of it.
But design wise, every shock absorber has a piston inside it that move inside a tube full of oil. When the piston moves, the oil gets pumped into the little holes inside the piston. This controls the amount of resistance and regulates the level of suspension movement.
Types of shock absorbers
Based on your vehicle type and suspension designs, the shock absorbers that it uses will be different: Here are the most basic type of shock absorbers:
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Twin tube type- This type of shock absorber contains two cylindrical tubes-the inner tube is called the “pressure tube,” and the outer tube is called the “reserve tube.” The piston moves up and down in the inner tube. The outer tube acts as a reserve for the hydraulic fluid. The base valve controls the movement of fluid between the cylinders, and also provides some damping force. The valves located in the piston are responsible for most of the damping.
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Twin-tube gas charged-It’s similar to a twin-tube type in design but the reserve tube contains a low-pressure nitrogen gas which is added to replace oxygen. This causes a reduction in foaming liquid seeping out of the assembly.
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Position sensitive damping-The design of this is similar to twin-tube shock. It contains two cylindrical tube and also the nitrogen gas. It has grooves inside the pressure tube which aids the piston to move freely. This design makes for an accurate level of suspension damping based on the surface type the vehicle is travelling on.
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Acceleration sensitive damping-This shock absorber responds to individual bumps on the road while improving the quality of the overall ride. It uses a modified compression valve design, which is essentially a closed loop system design that opens a bypass to allow fluid to flow around the valve. The value automatically adjusts to the condition of the road.
Frequently Asked Questions
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