The cylinder of a gas spring (the ‘thick’ part of the gas spring) is filled with nitrogen gas. The nitrogen gas is forced in under high pressure. The higher this pressure, the greater the force with which the piston rod (the ‘thin’ part of the gas spring) wants to slide out of the cylinder. In order to ensure that no nitrogen gas escapes, while the piston rod retracts and extends, the piston rod slides through a seal which encloses the piston rod tightly at the end of the cylinder. As well as the nitrogen gas there is also a small amount of oil in the cylinder. The oil provides extra cushioning as the piston rod reaches its outermost position (fully extended). The oil has an additional purpose, which is to seal and lubricate, so that the piston rod can slide in and out with less friction.
What is the right way to install gas springs?
Gas springs should always be installed with the piston rod downward, and tension springs with the piston rod upward. If gas springs are installed incorrectly, the seal is not perfectly lubricated, which increases the risk of the stick-slip effect, which in turn means that the gas spring has higher wear and is more likely to fail. In addition, a gas spring which is installed the wrong way round has no end position damping.
Installation other way around is also possible by using a gas spring with grease chamber, but here too there is no end position damping of the gas spring. Contact us for more detailed information or find details about this in our Technical Regulation.
