Hydrostatically actuated workholding apparatus with high expansion and recovery sleeve
AssigneeHydra-Lock Corporation
InventorWilliam M. Andre
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A workholding apparatus includes a body, and a workholding sleeve composed of metal and carried by the body. A fluid chamber receives a fluid between the body and the workholding sleeve. Under fluid pressure, the sleeve is radially displaceable and recoverable to a high degree. For example, the sleeve is radially displaceable to at least one percent in diameter with runout within about 0.03% of its diameter, and after release of fluid pressure repeatably recovers to within about 0.01% of its original relaxed diameter. In another example, when displaced under fluid pressure, the sleeve experiences substantially complete and repeatable strain recovery of at least about 2% of its overall cross-sectional area. Preferably, the sleeve is composed of Nitinol.
Claims9
A workholding apparatus comprising:
- a body;
- a nonpolymeric, circumferentially continuous, workholding sleeve composed of metal and carried by the body so as to engage a surface of a workpiece and radially displaceable under fluid pressure at least one percent in diameter and having runout within 0.03% of its diameter and is recoverable to within 0.01% of its original relaxed diameter after being displaced by said fluid pressure;
- and
- a fluid chamber for receiving a fluid between the body and the workholding sleeve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.