Patent ID: 7740127

Claim:
A method of dampening vibration of a scraper blade of a bulk material handling accessory with respect to a conveyor belt, said method comprising the steps of: providing a damper having a piston and a housing including a fluid chamber, said piston including a piston head located within said fluid chamber and a shaft extending outwardly from said housing and adapted to be coupled to the scraper blade, said piston head separating said fluid chamber into first and second sub-chambers located on respective sides of said piston head, said piston head forming one or more fluid passages extending between said first and second sub-chambers such that fluid within said fluid chamber may flow between said first and second sub-chambers through said fluid passages in response to movement of said piston head within said fluid chamber and with respect to said housing, said fluid having a viscosity; changing said viscosity of said fluid in said fluid chamber to modify the damping characteristics of said damper in response to changes in the operating conditions of the scraper blade.