Continuous force and impact generator

A unidirectional force generator comprising:

• a main frame,
• two carriages supported for movement relative to said main frame along paths extending parallel to a given reference axis, movement in one direction parallel to said reference axis being taken as forward motion and movement in the opposite direction parallel to said reference axis being taken as rearward motion,
• two centrifugal force generating devices associated with each of said carriages and each constructed and arranged so as to produce a centrifugal force which repetitively alternates between forward and rearward directions parallel to said reference axis, said two centrifugal force generating devices being substantially 180.degree. out of phase with each other so that as one produces a forwardly directed centrifugal force the other produces a rearwardly directed centrifugal force,
• means for connecting said two centrifugal force generating devices associated with each carriage to that carriage in such a way that each device is moveable relative to the carriage along a path generally parallel to said reference axis and so that said two devices are constrained to move in unison substantially 180.degree. out of phase with each other so that as one moves forwardly relative to the carriage the other moves rearwardly relative to the carriage,
• control means for controlling the movement of the two centrifugal force generating devices of each carriage relative to said main frame so as to operate in either a free mode or a power mode, said control means in said free mode permitting the two centrifugal force generating devices of the associated carriage to move unrestrictedly relative to said main frame so that no force is imposed on said carriage tending to move it in either direction along its path of travel relative to said frame, and said control means in said power mode each time a forwardly directed centrifugal force appears at either one of said devices restricting the forward movement of that device relative to said frame so that when a forwardly directed centrifugal force appears the one of said devices creating said force will exert a forwardly directed force on said main frame with the other one of said centrifugal force generating devices and the carriage itself moving rearwardly relative to said main frame,
• means interconnecting said two carriages for movement in unison so that when one of said carriages moves rearwardly relative to said main frame the other moves forwardly, and
• means for regulating said control means of both of said carriages so that its centrifugal force generating devices of one carriage will remain in said free mode and the centrifugal force generating devices of the other of said carriages will remain in said power mode until said other carriage reaches a rearward limit position relative to said frame and so that when said other carriage reaches said rearward limit the operational modes of the centrifugal force generating devices of said two carriages are reversed.