Adjustable Length Rod-End Assembly Having An Integral Secondary Locking Feature

An adjustable length rod-end assembly comprising:

• an end connector extending along a central longitudinal axis and a male-threaded shaft;
• a connecting rod extending along the central longitudinal axis, the connecting rod including a female-threaded shaft having a head defining a face and a first engagement feature, wherein the male-threaded shaft of the end connector threadedly engages the female-threaded shaft of the connecting rod to define a precise overall length of the adjustable length rod-end assembly along the central longitudinal axis;
• and
• a lock nut assembly engaging both the end connector and the connecting rod and configured to fix the precise overall length of the adjustable length rod-end assembly along the central longitudinal axis, the lock nut assembly comprising a primary locking feature and a secondary locking feature and including a thrust nut and a locking ring, the thrust nut being fixedly connected to the connecting rod and the locking ring being rotatably fixed relative to the connecting rod;
• wherein the thrust nut comprises a body having an internal wall and a detent interface, the thrust nut being rotationally fixed relative to the connecting rod through the first engagement feature and the end connector by a second engagement feature, the first engagement feature and the second engagement feature forming the primary locking feature of the adjustable length rod-end assembly;
• wherein the second engagement feature includes a tab of the thrust nut projecting radially into a central opening of the thrust nut, the tab being configured to engage with a slot that extends along the male-threaded shaft of the end connector to rotationally fix the thrust nut relative to the end connector;
• wherein the detent interface comprises an outer cylindrical wall in which are included a plurality of concave-shaped detents that are equally spaced about a circumference of the outer cylindrical wall, wherein adjacent detents are separated from one another by discrete sections of the outer cylindrical wall;
• wherein the locking ring comprises a locking ring body including a ring-like portion having a central opening and a plurality of resilient beam fingers;
• wherein the plurality of resilient beam fingers are arranged and equally spaced about a circumference of the body, wherein each of the plurality of resilient beam fingers extends in a first direction from the body in a cantilevered manner from a proximal end to a distal end, wherein each of the plurality of resilient beam fingers extends generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis;
• and
• wherein the distal end of each of the plurality of resilient beam fingers mechanically interacts with the detent interface to inhibit rotation of the thrust nut to provide the secondary locking feature of the adjustable length rod-end assembly.