Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Other

Ford Motor Company Limited

William McMurray Stewart

John Matthew Ginder

Larry Dean Elie

Mark Edward Nichols

Colin Jeffrey Young

Michael James Lynch

Thomas E Bartos

Joseph Steven Mark

Benjamin J Saltsman

William A Parker

A method of determining seal failure is implemented in a ball joint including a stud having a ball embedded in grease within a sealed socket assembly. A dielectric characteristic of the grease is measured to determined if the sealed socket assembly has failed based upon a substantial variation of the measured dielectric characteristic from a predetermined value.

Method and apparatus for determining seal failure in a ball joint

Method of stabilizing valve lift-off movement in an automotive hydraulic shock absorber having compression and expansion chambers filled with a hydraulic shock-absorber fluid is diclosed. The chamber are divided by a valve body which has one or more orifices that have fluid flow therethrough controlled by a spring biased valve that lifts off from the valve body when the fluid pressure differential between chambers is above a predetermined amount. The steps of the method comprise (a) stationing the spring biased valve with respect to the orifices so that the fluid forcing the valve to lift off and overcome the spring bias will exit from the orifices in a manner that creates a velocity gradient in the expansion chamber resulting in pressure differences that disturb a smooth lift-off of the valves; and (b) modifying the hydraulic shock absorber fluid to form a mixture containing fumed amorphous silica whereby the fluid mixture will possess a viscosity inversely proportional to the velocity of the fluid mixture regions, the mixture will achieve the needed hydraulic attenuation.

Method of stabilizing valve lift-off in hydraulic shock absorbers

A method allows the rapid evaluation of physical properties of chassis elastomeric devices in a motor vehicle. A parametric controller (26) provides a parametric state signal to a elastomer control module (24), which in turn generates an appropriate electrical current signal which is communicated to a variable elastomeric device (22) which includes a magnetorheological elastomer having iron particles embedded therein and a coil operatively associated therewith. When the coil is energized by electrical current signal provided from the elastomer control module (24), a magnetic field is generated which provides predetermined variability in the physical properties of the elastomeric device (22), allowing the rapid evaluation of vehicle performance for given physical properties of the elastomeric device (22).

Method for allowing rapid evaluation of chassis elastomeric devices in

A variable stiffness suspension bushing (18) that is useful in a suspension of a motor vehicle to reduce brake shudder includes a shaft or rod (40) connected to a suspension member (12), an inner cylinder (42) fixedly connected to the shaft or rod (40), and an outer cylinder (44) fixedly connected to a chassis member (16). A magnetorheological (MR) elastomer (48), having iron particles embedded therein, is interposed between the inner (42) and outer (44) cylinders, and a coil (54) is disposed about the inner cylinder (42). When the coil (54) is energized by electrical current provided from a suspension control module (20), a variable magnetic field is generated so as to influence the magnetorheological (MR) elastomer (48) whereby variable stiffness values of the elastomer (48) are obtained to provide the bushing (18) with variable stiffness characteristics in order to eliminate compromises heretofore necessary when using single, fixed rate bushings.

Method and apparatus for reducing brake shudder

An automotive shock absorber including a working cylinder, an outer cylinder mounted coaxially about the working cylinder, a piston rod attached to a piston slidably carried within the working cylinder, and a rod guide engaged with the outer cylinder for locating the piston rod coaxiallyl with the working and outer cylinders includes a unitary striker plate for maintaining engagement of the rod guide with the outer cylinder, wherein the striker plate comprises an annular ring formed from the outer cylinder and extending radially inwardly from the outer periphery of the outer cylinder with the annular ring having a U-shaped cross section oriented such that the legs of the U-shaped section lie generally perpendicular to the axis of the outer cylinder.

Automotive shock absorber with unitary striker plate and closure cap

An interchangeable mouthpiece bit for use with horses or the like includes a pair of spaced apart shank members adapted at one end thereof for connection to a structure for attachment to a horse's head and adapted at the other end thereof for connection to reins. A mouthpiece is attached to an intermediate portion of each of the shank members for insertion into the mouth of a horse. A connection for selectively detaching and re-attaching the mouthpiece to the shank members is provided so that one pair of shank members can be used with a plurality of different mouthpieces. The mouthpiece connection includes a post attached at one end thereof to an intermediate portion of each of the shank members. A post receiving member is connected to the ends of the mouthpiece for being slideable onto the post and extending around the post far enough to allow only slideable movement between the post and the post receiving member when the post receiving member is disposed on the post. A locking structure is attached to an intermediate portion of the shank members for selectively preventing slideable movement between the post and the post receiving member.

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Livonia, MI, United States of America

William McMurray Stewart