Driv Automotive Inc.

Jonas Henderickx

Kenny Berwaerts

A method of charging a bellows accumulator for a vehicle suspension system comprises providing an outer shell with an accumulator port and a gas charging port, and inserting a bellows assembly within the outer shell. The bellows assembly includes an annular bellows wall at least partially defining a gas chamber of variable volume. The bellows assembly is axially extendable between a retracted position and a fully extended position. The gas chamber is arranged in fluid communication with the gas charging port. An accumulation chamber is provided between the outer shell and the bellows assembly and is in fluid communication with the accumulator port. The method further includes evacuating the accumulation chamber when the bellows assembly is not at the fully extended position to obtain a pressure within the accumulation chamber less than atmospheric pressure and supplying pressurized gas to the gas charging port.

Method of charging a bellows accumulator

A shock absorber for a vehicle includes a pressure tube containing a hydraulic fluid. The shock absorber further includes a piston rod extending within the pressure tube along a longitudinal axis, and including a piston end disposed within the pressure tube. The piston rod includes a rod chamber defined within the piston rod and extending along the longitudinal axis from an upper chamber end distal to the piston end to a lower chamber end proximal to the piston end. The piston rod further includes at least one first opening disposed proximal to the lower chamber end. The shock absorber further includes a first piston assembly, an auxiliary housing, and a damper assembly including a sleeve received within the rod chamber.

Shock absorber

A method of forming a dirt shield on a shock absorber includes positioning a mold over a portion of the shock absorber, heat shrinking a sleeve onto the mold, and removing the mold from the portion of the shock absorber such that the sleeve after heat shrinking remains on the shock absorber and forms the dirt shield. The shock absorber includes a piston rod, a mount rigidly attached to the piston rod, and a bushing secured to the mount. Prior to heat shrinking the sleeve, the sleeve slides over the bushing, and after heat shrinking the sleeve the bushing has an outer dimension greater than an inner dimension of the dirt shield. Also, a plurality of sleeves having the same inner dimension is used to form a plurality of dirt shields having different inner dimensions.

Growing community of inventors

Beringen, Belgium

Jonas Henderickx