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Abstract

A vibration damping device is mounted between two spaced portions of a vehicle for absorbing road forces exerted on the vehicle. A cylindrical housing forms an internal piston chamber and is connected at one end to one portion of the vehicle, with an outer end of the rod of a piston which is slidably mounted within the piston chamber, being connected to another portion of the vehicle. A fluid transfer duct is formed between the housing and piston and provides communication between fluid subchambers formed on opposite sides of the piston within the piston chamber. An electrode is attached to either the housing or piston for applying a voltage across the duct to affect the rheological response of an electrorheological (ER) fluid flowing therethrough to provide a controllable mechanism to modify the damping force characteristics of the device. Each end of the piston rod is slidably supported by a slide bushing assembly which is mounted within an end of the housing. The slide bushing assemblies are separated from the ER fluid contained in the fluid chamber by elastomeric seals to reduce bushing wear and deterioration of the ER fluid.

First Claim