Technology Gas Shock Absorbers Gas shock absorbers represent an advance over traditional shocks. At high speeds, the flow of oil in the cylinder can cause a foam of oil and air to form. This limits the optimum throughput of the flow in the valves. The addition of nitrogen under pressure limits this phenomenon and increases efficiency. There are two types of gas shock absorbers:
1. High pressure single tube shock absorbers. Gas shock absorbers operate on the same basic principle of movement of the piston in an oil filled tube but they contain, at one end, a small quantity of nitrogen under high pressure (25 bars). The gas is prevented from mixing with the oil by a floating piston. When the piston rod passes into the body and displaces oil, the oil compresses the nitrogen even further. The volume of gas changes, playing the same role as an equalization tube. The permanent pressure exerted on the oil by the gas guarantees an instantaneous response and quieter piston valve operation. At the same time, this constant pressure eliminates cavitation and foaming which could momentarily degrade the effectiveness of the shock absorber. 2. Low Pressure gas twin-tube shock absorbers The Monroe Original twin-tube Gas-Technology design retains the classical twin-tube while adding, at the top of the reserve tube, nitrogen under relatively low pressure 2,5-5 bars instead of the 25-30 bars used in high pressure shock absorbers. The Monroe Original low-pressure design presents two main innovations:
The low pressure shock absorber design has enabled Monroe to solve certain problems associated with the MacPerson system.These shock absobers produce a very comfortable ride and very precise steering. |
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