Patent ID: 7849983

Claim:
A controllable suspension system for controlling the relative motion between a first body and a second body, said controllable suspension system comprised of a strut, said strut including a magnetorheological fluid damper, said magnetorheological fluid damper including, a longitudinal damper tubular housing having a longitudinally extending axis, said longitudinal damper tubular housing having an inner wall for containing a magnetorheological fluid within said tubular housing, a damper piston, said damper piston comprised of a piston head movable within the damper tubular housing along a longitudinal length of said tubular housing, with said damper piston head providing a first upper variable volume magnetorheological fluid chamber and a second lower variable volume magnetorheological fluid chamber, said damper piston head having a fluid flow gap between the first upper variable volume magnetorheological fluid chamber and the second lower variable volume magnetorheological fluid chamber with a piston head fluid flow interface length HL, said damper piston having a longitudinal piston rod for supporting said piston head within said longitudinal damper tubular housing, said piston supported within said longitudinal damper tubular housing with a piston rod bearing assembly disposed between said longitudinal damper tubular housing and said longitudinal piston rod, said piston rod bearing assembly having a piston rod bearing seal interface length BL, wherein contact between said piston head and said damper tubular housing inner wall is inhibited and said magnetorheological fluid damper includes a volume compensator, said volume compensator proximate said piston rod bearing assembly.