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US 4,063,787 AGranted
Cylindrical, flexible bearings
AssigneeThiokol Corporation
InventorsGordon J. Bakken, Richard A. Anderson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeThiokol Corporation
InventorsGordon J. Bakken, Richard A. Anderson
Estimating the term…
Flexible bearings of the type constructed of alternate, clyindrical layers of rigid material, or shims, and elastomer bonded together are made substantially free of internal, tensile stresses by making the walls of the shims wedge-shaped and by alternating the thin and thick ends of adjacent shims. As the elastomer cures and cools during manufacture of the bearing, it typically shrinks in volume, causing residual tensile stresses in prior-art cylindrical bearings. However, this shrinkage causes the shims of the present invention to move together axially, thus relieving the stress. If there is an odd number of shims, there is no axial displacement of the inner mounting ring of the bearing relative to the outer mounting ring, as a result of elastomer shrinkage. Alternatively, all shims may be initially held out of alignment, so that shrinkage of the elastomer will pull them into alignment.
An annular, flexible bearing, comprising:
In a cylindrical, flexible bearing having concentric, annular, rigid shims spaced apart radially and a cured elastomer filling the spaces between the shims and bonded thereto, wherein the interior and exterior surfaces of each shim are opposing, conical surfaces, so that the walls thereof are wedge-shaped, having a thick end and a thin end, and wherein the thick and thin ends of adjacent shims are alternated, and wherein the elastomer shrinks in volume during its cure and cooling cycle, thereby drawing the shims together axially, the method of producing such a bearing wherein all of the shims are axially aligned with one another, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.