Citroën shock absorber nomenclature sheet (ref. E.401.9xx) — 22 October 1952

A Citroën technical drawing detailing in cross-section the parts of a shock absorber (bell side spring, cylinder), with a dimensioned table of E.401.9xx references, validated by Dascotte on 22 October 1952.

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Understanding this document

In this document

This is a Citroën technical sheet dedicated to a shock absorber, presented as a cross-sectional drawing (exploded view) accompanied by a reference table p. 12.

The diagram

The drawing distinguishes two zones explicitly named "Côté Cloche" (Bell Side) (on the left, with a coil spring) and "côté cylindre" (cylinder side) (on the right) p. 12. Numerous handwritten reference lines connect points on the drawing to the numbered references in the table.

Nomenclature of parts

The table lists a series of references starting with E.401, with their dimensions (diameters, number of holes, grooves, coils). Some examples noted:

Reference	Characteristics	Page
E.401.922.b	φ14 φ20 φ27.5	p. 12
E.401.349.b	mean φ 19, 3 coils φ1	p. 12
E.401.353.b	φ14-0.1 φ22+0.1 φ24-0.850, c=0.476, mention "A. Martin"	p. 12
E.401.914.b	12 holes φ2, φ19-12 h φ2 φ10.8	p. 12
E.401.916.b	6 holes φ2 φ10.8	p. 12
E.401.354.b	4 grooves / 2 grooves / 1 groove	p. 12
E.401.913.b	"Modification of E.401.354.b"	p. 12
E.401.911.b	φ5+0.1 φ15.8+0.1 e=1/10	p. 12
E.401.912.b	φ5+0.1 φ9 φ15.8+0.1	p. 12
E.401.398.c	663 e, int. φ 9.5, H=6.2	p. 12
E.401.356.b	φ5.75 φ9 φ12, nut φ5	p. 12

One line of the table also mentions an "R ext. φ, wire φ, no. of useful coils" and a "Spring tension", suggesting a characterization of the main spring p. 12.

Validation box

The box at the bottom of the page bears the handwritten mention "Dascotte" with the date "22.10.52" in the NAME/DATE/VISA column p. 12. The box also provides fields for "LAUNCHED BY NOTE N°", "REPLACES N° OF" and "STOPPED AT MODIFICATION", but these are not filled in the provided transcription.

Context

Classic spring shock absorbers (like the one described here, with coils and cylinder) fall under conventional mechanical suspension technology, which Citroën used before and in parallel with the development of the hydropneumatic suspension. This sheet is dated 22 October 1952, which is after the first hydropneumatic suspension plans of 17 February 1944 and the first 2 CV tests (May-July 1946), but before the presentation of the DS on 6 October 1955: it clearly testifies to this period of coexistence, within the Citroën design office itself, between classic mechanical suspensions still in production and the hydropneumatic system then under development.

The "E.401.xxx.b/c" reference system corresponds, generally in the automotive industry of the time, to an internal codification of spare parts and their successive variants or modifications.

Archivist's perspective

This sheet belongs to standard technical documentation rather than exploratory research: it resembles a nomenclature sheet intended for manufacturing or inspection, with precise dimensions and official validation by someone named Dascotte on 22.10.52 p. 12.

This document documents a classic shock absorber component, contemporary with the development of Magès' work on hydropneumatics — having joined the Citroën design office as early as 1939-1940, Magès necessarily encountered the current production of classic suspension parts there; its presence in the collection could be explained by a reference or technical comparison link, without the document itself allowing this to be confirmed.

It can be compared with other items in the collection concerning suspension, such as the handwritten note on the inspection of suspension bells recovered from a customer vehicle or the P55 suspension calculation note, which testify to the coexistence, in the Magès archives, of traditional mechanical solutions and innovative hydropneumatic systems.