Automakers do amazing things with the parts inside a shock absorber. Active and adjustable valving, external bypasses, and other features that let trucks like the F-150 Raptor fly while the Mustang GTD stays glued to the pavement. But the body of the shock is always the same old tech, or at least, it was. CarBuzz has just found a patent from Ford that could change all of that.
This could make shocks perform better while also being stronger and lighter.
An Absorber With Shocking Flexibility
A shock absorber can be an extremely complex part, and that’s before you include the actual shock absorbing part. The external case needs to be strong, light, and have support for features like active damper wiring and controls, external fluid reservoirs on models like the F-150 Raptor, pressure bypasses, and more. Despite all that, they’re normally made of a low-tech material. Usually simple sheet metal formed into a tube.
Ford’s new patent is for a plan to turn the outside of the shock into an exoskeleton. One that can change the performance of the shock without changing the internals, and that can support all the extra features that special models might require. For example, the exoskeleton could come with fins. Those fins could help cool the shock, allowing the same shock used in a truck that prioritized on-road ride to be instantly more capable off-road.
The patent suggests that the exoskeleton could be used to make the shock stronger, reducing deflection in high-performance pavement or off-road trims while adding minimal weight. The exoskeleton could be made from metal, polymers, or even carbon fiber with the shape of the lattice altered for the right balance of strength, ride, and weight.
Some of the claims are even wilder than that. Imagine memory-metal shocks that could retract their fins when the shock is cold and extend them when it’s at operating temperature to improve the ride early in a cold weather drive.
How Would It Work?
Ford Shock PatentFord
Ford’s engineers say the shock exoskeleton could make it easy to add external reservoirs for off-road shocks, fit bypass valves for landing jumps, and active control valves for adjustable damping. Crucially, it claims that most of the internals of the shock or strut would remain the same. It’s almost a modular design.
In the patent, Ford says that the goal is to “alter the performance characteristics of a component shared across different trims and models of vehicles to change vehicle performance without increasing the manufacturing complexity of the vehicle.” To be able to quickly and easily change the performance of the shock without really changing the shock.
That could make it cheaper for Ford to offer performance handling models. It could also make it easier for you to find the right replacement down the road or even to upgrade your lower-spec model to a higher-performing one.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Close-up of 2024 Ford Bronco Raptor shock and springFord
Right now, Ford is big on building more interesting vehicles. More precisely, the CEO has said, “we’re getting out of the boring car business.” Making more fun models means more variants, and that means the need for more shocks. This could streamline that need, letting Ford offer more variants without correspondingly higher price tags.
Patent filings do not guarantee the use of such technology in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as confirmation of production intent.
Source: US Patent & Trademark Office
