Influence of Shock Absorber Construction on Production Parameters of Its Prototype Solutions

This article describes the conducted examinations of five different prototype shock absorbers. The differences resulted from deliberate modifications to their components. The tests were divided into five series of measurements, each involving testing five identical shock absorber designs. The authors assessed the repeatability and process capability of the production process for each shock absorber design. The study also aimed to identify factors that could lead to undesirable variations in the shock absorber’s dynamic parameters, such as damping force, the shape of the force–displacement characteristic, differences in the system’s response during compression and rebound, and the variability of the response depending on the piston’s speed. The results were then analyzed by using various research methods, among which the most important is the SPC (Statistical Process Control) method. Furthermore, statistical results, such as Cp, Cpk, stability graphs, and process repeatability, are presented.