摘要 |
A shock absorber incorporates a double adjustable valve using a single needle having both a tapered end portion and extended cylindrical portion. The needle is used in a shock that has a correspondingly configured radial rebound orifice and a plurality of compression orifices. With two separate and independent adjustments of the single needle, both rebound and compression characteristics can be tuned. The tapered needle formed in the end of the needle body can simply be raised and lowered in the rebound orifice to adjust rebound stiffness. Similarly, a plurality of radially extending shutter faces and fluid channels or grooves are formed in the extended cylindrical portion of the needle. The shutter faces and fluid channels are configured to cooperate with the plurality of compression orifices throughout the entire range that the needle body can be raised or lowered when adjusting rebound characteristics. The shutter faces and fluid channels are spaced apart around the circumference of the extended cylindrical portion of the needle body, and align with the compression orifices in varying combinations to open none, one, some, or all of the compression orifices when the needle body is rotated. When one of the fluid channels is aligned with one of the compression orifices, the orifice is placed in fluid communication with both upper and lower fluid chambers of the shock. The result is a simple, cost effective, reliable, double-adjustable shock absorber.
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