[martin417]

Originally Posted by squirrel

I think the laws of nature (or perhaps our definitions of mechanical things) would prevent using a cylinder as a shock absorber. I'm assuming the intent is to seal one end of the cylinder, and use it as a gas spring.

A shock absorber (in the normal automotive use of the term) is a damper, not a spring.

So you can't use a cylinder as a shock absorber unless you fill it with a liquid and have that liquid go through an orifice from one side of the piston, to the other.

I like Brandon's answer better though

I don't see the question that way. They specifically said that the cylinder would not be hooked up, I take that to mean that the ports are open, or have adjustable flow fittings (which are legal) that are themselves open to the atmosphere. Therefore, you cannot trap air in the cylinder, and no rule prohibits it. And it would definitely provide damping because it IS filled with a fluid (air). Damping is defined as a resistance to movement that is proportional to the speed of that movement.