DAMPER

A damper is a device that deadens, restrains, or depresses.

Damper may refer to:

Dashpot, a type of hydraulic or mechanical damper,
Shock absorber (British or technical use: damper), a mechanical device designed to dissipate kinetic
energy

A dashpot is a mechanical device, a damper which resists motion via viscous friction. The resulting
force is proportional to the velocity, but acts in the opposite direction, slowing the motion and
absorbing energy. It is commonly used in conjunction with a spring (which acts to resist
displacement). The process and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) symbol for a dashpot is

Types

Two common types of dashpots exist - linear and rotary. Linear dashpots are generally specified by
stroke (amount of linear displacement) and damping coefficient (force per velocity). Rotary dashpots
will have damping coefficients in torque per angular velocity.

A less common type of dashpot is an eddy current damper, which uses a large magnet inside a tube
constructed of a non-magnetic but conducting material (such as aluminium or copper). Like a
common viscous damper, the eddy current damper produces a resistive force proportional to
velocity.

Dashpots frequently use a one-way mechanical bypass to permit fast unrestricted motion in one
direction and slow motion using the dashpot in the opposite direction. This permits, for example, a
door to be opened quickly without added resistance, but then to close slowly using the dashpot. For
hydraulic dashpots this unrestricted motion is accomplished using a one-way check-valve that allows
fluid to bypass the dashpot fluid constriction. Non-hydraulic dashpots may use a ratcheting gear to
permit free motion in one direction.

Dashpot in a Zenith-Stromberg carburettor

A magnetorheological damper or magnetorheological shock absorber is a damper filled with
magnetorheological fluid, which is controlled by a magnetic field, usually using an electromagnet.
This allows the damping characteristics of the shock absorber to be continuously controlled by
varying the power of the electromagnet. This type of shock absorber has several applications, most
notably in semi-active vehicle suspensions which may adapt to road conditions, as they are
monitored through sensors in the vehicle, and in prosthetic limbs.

Applications

A dashpot is a common component in a door closer to prevent it from slamming shut. A spring
applies force to close the door and the dashpot, implemented by requiring fluid to flow through a
narrow channel between reservoirs (often with a size adjustable by a screw), slows down the motion
of the door.

Consumer electronics often use dashpots where it is undesirable for a media access door or control
panel to suddenly pop open when the door latch is released. The dashpot slows the sudden
movement down into a steady and gentle movement until the access door has opened all the way
under spring tension.
Dashpots are commonly used in dampers and shock absorbers. The hydraulic cylinder in an
automobile shock absorber is a dashpot. They are also used on carburettors, where the return of the
throttle lever is cushioned right before the throttle fully closes and then is allowed to fully close
slowly to reduce emissions of sudden deceleration (compared to deceleration without a dashpot)

Relays can be made to have a long delay by utilizing a piston filled with fluid that is allowed to
escape slowly.

Viscoelasticity

Dashpots are used to form models of materials that exhibit viscoelastic behaviour, such as muscle
tissue. Maxwell and Kelvin-Voigt models of viscoelasticity use springs and dashpots in series and
parallel circuits respectively. Models containing dashpots add a viscous, time dependent, element to
the behaviour of solids allowing complex behaviours like creep and stress relaxation to be modelled.