gas struts - how to reduce pressure
Submitted: Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at 21:51
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Spade Newsom
Folks,
Recently aquired a pair of gas struts designed for a commodore bonnet. Was planning to use for a
home made tool box lid.
They are far too strong and need to reduce the pressure by at least half maybe more. They could carry approx 50 kg each and 15 kg would be more than enough. I believe if you de-gas too far it buggers up the seals etc.
Any suggestions or experience here?
Spade
Reply By: Lone Wolf - Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at 22:03
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at 22:03
You can't change the pressure....... simple.
All you can do, which WILL WORK, is to experiment with the two fulcrum points. Remember, it doesn't have to collapse fully, ever......
I use these buggers all the time in my work, and sometimes, we have to just wing it.
Wolfie
AnswerID:
110717
Follow Up By: Spade Newsom - Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at 22:40
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at 22:40
Wolfie thanks,
I'm affraid my tool box lid might take someones head off if I try to put these in. The kids will use it as a spring board for jumping in the river.
I will pull out my year 12 physics books and try to work out some applied leverage weight conversions to work out exactly where to put them. (Either that or I could just wing it)
Spade
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Reply By: old-plodder - Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 08:06
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 08:06
As per last post.
Design different sorts of things and I use gas struts.
Always match the strut to the application.
Don't know about degassing, sounds a dangerous operation to me. These things have a far bit of pressure in them.
Also, I am not going to go down the road about commondore bonnets and how heavy (or light) they are.
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110757
Reply By: jospod - Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 09:37
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 09:37
Spade,
I used to run the first strut regassing company in NZ in 1994.
When dealing with gas struts one should know that they contain up to 200bar or 3000PSI of high pressure nitrogen (inert-won't make it corrode inside). The pressure depends on the required extending force but also on the shaft diameter.
The only way to make it suit your application is to release the pressure from the strut (I used to drill a tiny hole into it - carefull- safety glasses), weld it up, measure the weight of the lid at the proposed strut connection point and regas the strut according to the weight. All in all it might be easier to ring a strut regassing man and offer a swap of a very common Holden Commodore strut for something you need. I used to do that all the time. Struts are now very cheap and a custom gassed set shouldn't cost much taking the trade-in into account.
You need to work out what the extended length should be (open lid), if the compressed strut lets you close the lid and the weight (force: 10N = 1kg).
A simple sketch will reveal what you should ask to strut man to supply you with.
regards,
Jo
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