Analysis of Damping Characteristics of a Hydraulic Shock Absorber

In the present study, a hydraulic shock absorber is proposed. Since the damper is mainly used in suspension energy recovery system, the damping characteristics of the damper under no-load state are studied in this paper. Structural design is conducted so that the unidirectional flow of the oil drives the hydraulic motor to generate electricity. Meanwhile, an asymmetrical extension/compression damping force is obtained. A mathematical model of the shock absorber is established, and the main characteristics of the inherent damping force are obtained. Based on the established model, effects of the accumulator volume, accumulator preinflation pressure, hydraulic motor displacement, check valve inner diameter, and spring stiffness, hydraulic line length and inner diameter on the indicator characteristics are analyzed. Moreover, a series of experiments are conducted on the designed damper to evaluate the characteristics of the inherent damping force and analyze the effect of the accumulator volume and preinflation pressure on the damping characteristics.