US 12,454,990 B2
Gas spring
Francesco Bordin, Romano d'Ezzelino (IT); Massimo Fiorese, Romano d'Ezzelino (IT); and Mattia Todesco, Romano d'Ezzelino (IT)
Assigned to SPECIAL SPRINGS S.R.L., Romano d'Ezzelino (IT)
Filed by SPECIAL SPRINGS S.R.L., Romano d'Ezzelino (IT)
Filed on Apr. 6, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/714,343.
Claims priority of application No. 102021000008588 (IT), filed on Apr. 7, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0325770 A1, Oct. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. F16F 9/02 (2006.01); B21D 24/02 (2006.01); F16F 9/32 (2006.01); F16F 9/43 (2006.01); F16K 17/40 (2006.01)
CPC F16F 9/0281 (2013.01) [B21D 24/02 (2013.01); F16F 9/0218 (2013.01); F16F 9/3242 (2013.01); F16F 9/435 (2013.01); F16K 13/04 (2013.01); F16F 2222/126 (2013.01); F16F 2228/001 (2013.01); F16F 2230/0023 (2013.01); F16F 2230/06 (2013.01); F16F 2230/24 (2013.01); F16F 2232/08 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A gas spring (1) comprising: a cup-shaped body (2); a movable piston (3) which is inserted in axially slidable manner in the cup-shaped body (2) and is coupled to the cup-shaped body (2) in a fluid-tight manner, so as to delimit a variable-volume closed chamber (4) adapted to contain a pressurized gas; and a safety plug (8) provided with a shank (12) which extends in pass-through manner in a bottom wall (10) of the cup-shaped body (2), and protrudes cantilevered within the cup-shaped body (2) so that its distal end can be reached/struck by the movable piston (3) in the case of overtravel;
the gas spring (1) being characterized in that the shank (12) of the safety plug (8) has, inside itself, a gas discharge duct (14) which is divided into a first longitudinal segment (14a) and a second longitudinal segment (14b) by means of a breakable septum (15) that isolates/divides said longitudinal segments (14a, 14b) one from the other in a fluid-tight manner; wherein the second longitudinal segment (14b) of the gas discharge duct (14) ends at the distal end of said shank (12) so as to communicate directly with the closed chamber (4); and wherein the length of the second longitudinal segment (14b) of discharge duct (14) is shorter than that of the first longitudinal segment (14a), so that the breakable septum (15) is located close to or inside said closed chamber (4),
wherein the breakable septum (15) is adapted to automatically break, fracture, or detach while free from contact of any structural component when the pressure difference between the two faces of the septum exceeds a predetermined limit value, and
wherein the breakable septum (15) cracks, partially detaches or entirely breaks at least in part from a deformation at the distal end of the shank (12) when the movable piston (3), in the case of overtravel, impacts the distal end of the shank (12) without direct contact with the breakable septum (15).