Energy absorber
AssigneeKeyguard Limited
InventorJulian Renton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An energy absorber comprises a helically coiled stores of at least partially yielding material that is drawn over a roller, or two rollers on perpendicular rotational axes, and securely fixed to a base that is attached to fragile structure such as a roof so that when an external force of sufficient size is applied to the roller or rollers through a connecting attachment eye the coil together with roller or rollers moves away from the attachment to the base whilst the coiled material is deployed over the roller or rollers. The absorber may be housed in a casing that is fixed to the base such that the strength of the fixing to the base is sufficient to withstand a pre-determined load after which the fixing fails and the housing moves with the coiled store providing protection for both the coiled store and fragile structure.
Claims20
An energy absorber comprising means for attaching the energy absorber to a supporting structure, means for attaching the energy absorber to a load element and orienting means responsive to a first predetermined tensile load applied to the means for attaching to a load element to change the orientation of the energy absorber towards the direction of an applied load, and further comprising a store of plastically deformable material and deployment means responsive to a second predetermined tensile load greater than the first effective to deploy said plastically deformable material in a controlled manner whereby said material is permanently plastically deformed during said deployment, thereby absorbing energy.
An energy absorber as claimed in any preceding claim, and further comprising a casing around the store of plastically deformable material.
An energy absorber as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the store of plastically deformable material is a length of yielding material formed in a coil.
An energy absorber as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the energy absorber increases in length as the plastically deformable material is deployed.
An energy absorber comprising means for attaching the energy absorber to a supporting structure, means for securing the energy absorber to a load element, a substantially cylindrical casing, and a store of plastically deformable material and deployment means contained within the casing, the plastically deformable material and deployment means being responsive to a second predetermined tensile load to deploy said plastically deformable material in a controlled manner whereby said material is permanently plastically deformed during said deployment, thereby absorbing energy, and further comprising orientation means including said casing responsive to a first predetermined tensile load lower than the second to change the orientation of the energy absorber by rotation about a lower rim of the casing towards the direction of an applied load.
A fall arrest system incorporating an energy absorber according to any preceding claim.
An energy absorber substantially as shown in or as described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 and 8a to 9 of the accompanying drawings.
An energy absorber substantially as shown in or as described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.
An energy absorber substantially as shown in or as described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14b of the accompanying drawings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.