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structure and function. A shock absorber is basically an oil pump placed between the frame of the car and the wheels. The upper mount of the shock connects to the frame , while the lower mount connects to the axle, near the wheel . In a twintube design, one of the most mon types of shock absorbers, the upper mount is connected to a piston rod, which in turn is connected to a piston, which in turn sits in a tube filled with hydraulic fluid. The inner tube is known as the pressure tube, and the outer tube is known as the reserve tube. The reserve tube stores excess hydraulic fluid. 3 When the car wheel encounters a bump in the road and causes the spring to coil and uncoil, the energy of the spring is transferred to the shock absorber through the upper mount, down through the piston rod and into the piston. Orifices perforate the piston and allow fluid to leak through as the piston moves up and down in the pressure tube. Because the orifices are relatively tiny, only a small amount of fluid, under great pressure, passes through. This slows down the piston, which in turn slows down the spring. Shock absorbers work in two cycles the pression cycle and the extension cycle. The pression cycle occurs as the piston moves downward, pressing the hydraulic fluid in the chamber below the piston. The extension cycle occurs as the piston moves toward the top of the pressure tube, pressing the fluid in the chamber above the piston. A typical car or light truck will have more resistance during its extension cycle than its pression cycle. All modern shock absorbers are velocitysensitive the faster the suspension moves, the more resistance the shock absorber provides. This enables shocks to adjust to road conditions and to control all of the unwanted motions that can occur in a moving vehicle, including bounce, sway, brake dive and acceleration squat. Dampers: Struts and Antisway Bars Another mon dampening structure is the strut basically a shock absorber mounted inside a coil spring. Struts perform two jobs: They provide a dampening function like shock absorbers, and they provide structural support for the vehicle suspension. That means struts deliver a bit more than shock absorbers, which don39。s springing systems are based on one of four basic designs: ? Coil springs This is the most mon type of spring and is, in essence, a heavyduty torsion bar coiled around an axis. Coil springs press and expand to absorb the motion of the wheels. ? Leaf springs This type of spring consists of several layers of metal (called leaves) bound together to act as a single unit. Leaf springs were first used on horsedrawn carriages and were found on most American automobiles until 1985. They are still used today on most trucks and heavyduty vehicles. ? Torsion bars Torsion bars use the twisting properties of a steel bar to provide coilspringlike performance. This is how they work: One end of a bar is anchored to the vehicle frame. The other end is attached to a wishbone, which acts