The ATLAS gas springs consists of a steel cylinder containing gas under pressure and
a stem which slides in and out of the actual cylinder.
When the gas is compressed by the retraction of the stem,
it produces a thrust in return, acting like a spring.
Compared to traditional mechanical springs, whether coil,
Belveville washers or rubber,
the gas spring has an almost flat force curve,
even for very long strokes.
It is therefore used wherever a thrust is required that is in proportion to the weight
to be lifted or moved, or to counter-balance the lifting of movable, heavy equipment.
OPERATION
In its simplest version the gas spring consists of a cylindrical body (C) and a ground rod (S)
called stem, on the end of which a piston (P) is anchored, which accomplishes cycles in and
out of the body (C) through a sealed guide(G). The body contains nitrogen gas under pressure (N).
When the stem enters the cylinder, the gas passes from below the piston (B) to the upper part (A)
through channels made in the actual piston.
By varying the cross section of the channels, the gas flow may
be adjusted, thereby slowing down the stem sliding speed to a certain extent.
