Patent ID: 6422360
Filing Date: 2002-07-23
Classification: F16F

Abstract:
A suspension damper comprising a housing filled with damping fluid, a piston slidable in said housing and dividing the housing into a compression chamber and an extension chamber, a piston rod extending from said piston through said extension chamber, said piston defining first and second passages extending therethrough to communicate damping fluid between said chambers, a valve assembly in each of said first and second passages, a movable member movable within said piston and movable between a closed position preventing communication through one of said passages and an open position preventing communication through said one passage to thereby vary the damping of the suspension damper, and an actuator for moving said movable member between said positions, said actuator including a deformable magnetostrictive element deforming in responsive to an applied magnetic field, said movable member moving between said positions in response to the deformation of said element, and a coil for applying a magnetic field to said magnetostrictive element.