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US 2010/0284637 A1Published application
Compact non-contact mechanical coupling, damping and/or load bearing device
AssigneeSmartin Technologies LLC
InventorMartin Sentmanat
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Some embodiments relate to a compact noncontact mechanical coupling, damping, and/or load bearing device comprising an internal load bearing member and an external load bearing member mated in an interdigitated relation while maintaining a gap therebetween. Some embodiments include a means for maintaining the gap between the internal and external load bearing members including, without limitation, hydrostatic means, hydrodynamic means, electrorheological fluids, magnetorheological fluids, electric fields, and/or magnetic fields.
Claims20
A compact non-contact load bearing device, comprising:
- an internal load bearing member having a plurality of digits joined by a linking portion, the linking portion defining a space between adjacent digits, the space having a predetermined thickness and shape;
- at least one external load bearing member having a plurality of digits joined by a linking portion, the linking portion defining a cavity between adjacent digits, said cavity adapted to receive a digit of the internal load bearing member such that the internal load bearing member mates with the external load bearing member in an interdigitated relation while leaving a gap between interdigitated surfaces of the internal load bearing member and the external load bearing member;
- and
- a means for maintaining the gap.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.