The B. F. Goodrich Company

Other

James H Kramer

Roy L Orndorff, Jr

James M Stephens

Charles W Coker

Vincent T Presutto

Daniel S Lynch

An energy absorbing motor vehicle barrier includes a collapsible energy absorption assembly which is stored in a vault in the ground. Upon deployment, the energy absorption apparatus is lifted out of its vault, where it thereby expands and deploys. The energy absorption apparatus includes four stages of pairs of elastomeric torsion springs configured into scissors arrangements, with each stage having a progressively higher effective spring rate, to thereby decelerate a vehicle which strikes the apparatus.

Energy absorbing impact barrier

An impact pad, having a first outer layer of ultra-high molecular weight material, an intermediate layer of elastomeric material and a third base layer of rigid material, is mounted on a support base of the hull of a ship for absorbing impact forces. The base layer has a channel member secured thereto to facilitate the attachment to the support base of the hull of a ship and provide rigidity to the pad. Fasteners extending through the channel member and the base layer are used to fasten such pad to the support base. A plurality of bores in the base layer and elastomeric intermediate layer facilitates the impact loading and impact forces on the outer layer.

Fender protective structures

A rubber plastic composite cylinder that has a cylindrical hollow elastomeric body bonded internally to a shaft and its external surface bonded to a cylindrical sleeve of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene which includes the bonding as by vulcanization two outer shells of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene to the elastomeric cylinder to place the elastomeric cylinder in compression. Such composite cylinder may be spaced along a shaft or utilized effectively as a coaxial shear spring or as conveyor rollers.

Rubber-plastic composite

A troughing conveyor support assembly for an endless conveyor belt having a pair of laterally spaced rigid supports wherein each support is fastened to the outer shell of a torsion spring. Each torsion spring has an inner shaft member that is connected to one end of a pivotable arm member. The arm member has its other end connected to a rod, the laterally spaced rods pivotally support the respective ends of a flexible tensile backing member which in turn has a strip of low friction material secured thereto for support the bottom surface of a conveyor belt.

Conveyor support

A composite (10) which presents a layer (20) of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene as the wear resistant surface. The polyethylene layer (20) is secured to a metallic backing plate (12) by virtue of an elastomeric layer (13) that is interposed between the metallic backing plate (12) and the polyethylene layer (20) and is bonded to each without the polyethylene and the metallic backing plate being otherwise bonded to each other. This configuration provides a means by which to mount a wear resistant polyethylene layer from a metallic backing plate and at the same time accommodate the difference between the disparate coefficients of expansion of polyethylene and metal. The composite (10) can be readily formed by placing a layer of uncured elastomer (13) on the prepared surface (11) of a metallic backing plate (12), spreading an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene powder (15) over the uncured elastomer and heating the thus assembled components, preferably under pressure, to cure the elastomer and melt the polyethylene powder. When cooled, and the melted powder (15) coalesces into polyethylene layer (20), the resulting wear resistant composite can be formed by conventional cold working processes into desired configurations.

Method of making a wear resistant composites

A floating impact absorbing device for use in docking two adjacent vessels wherein at least two laterally spaced supports journal the ends of a pair of shafts for movement in a common plane. Torsion springs are journaled on the shafts and each torsion spring has oppositely extending levers that resist their rotation. Impact pads located on opposite sides of the common plane are connected to adjacent levers to provide a reactive force on vessels acting on such impact pads.

Impact absorbing device

A bearing assembly for use on a rudder shaft of a vessel or boat wherein the shaft has a thin cylindrical rubber sleeve that encompasses it. The outer peripheral surface of the rubber sleeve is bonded to a fiberglass ring which is bonded to an elongated annular rubber member which is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of a teflon ring which is turn is bonded to the inner peripheral surface of a fiberglass sleeve. The latter sleeve in turn is bonded to the inner periphery of the upper end of a housing that is attached to the hull of a vessel. The lower portion of the rudder shaft has secured to it an annular rubber bearing that is in frictional sliding contact with a teflon ring that is secured to the inner peripheral surface of the lower end of the housing.

Composite rudder seal

A bearing assembly for use on a rudder shaft of a vessel or boat wherein the shaft has a thin cylindrical rubber sleeve that encompasses it. The outer peripheral surface of the rubber sleeve is bonded to a fiberglass ring which is bonded to an elongated annular rubber member which is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of a teflon ring which in turn is bonded to the inner peripheral surface of a fiberglass sleeve. The latter sleeve in turn is bonded to the inner periphery of the upper end of a housing that is attached to the hull of a vessel. The lower portion of the rudder shaft has secured to it an annular rubber bearing that is in frictional sliding contact with a teflon ring that is secured to the inner peripheral surface of the lower end of the housing.

A bearing assembly for supporting a drive shaft, having a housing with a central bore in which is mounted a shell with a plurality of circumferential spaced staves defining water courses therebetween. Each of the staves have an outer layer made of an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene material and an inner layer made of an elastomeric material. The inner layer is grooved to receive a thin layer of low friction material such that surface of the low friction material is below the plane of the inner layer.

Bearing assembly

The method of making a non-metallic bearing assembly by bonding a first layer of uncured rubber that is wrapped on a mandrel to a fiberglass layer whose outer wrappings are impregnated with epoxy resin. The fiberglass outer layer is cured first to form a rigid outer plastic shell and then the uncured rubber is vulcanized to give an inner rubber sleeve whose inner periphery has polygonal contour which is the cross sectional configuration of the mandrel. An inner layer of fiberglass, cement impregnated, interconnects the fiberglass outer plastic shell to the inner rubber sleeve.

Method of making a bearing assembly

An impact pad for use in absorbing impact forces wherein the pad is composed of a first outer layer of an ultra-high molecular weight material, an intermediate layer of elastomeric material bonded to the first layer, a third or base layer of ultra-high molecular weight material wherein the base and the elastomeric layers have a plurality of laterally and longitudinally spaced bores to provide the resiliency to the impact forces on the outer layer.

The article and method of manufacturing of a bearing assembly wherein the assembly has an inner cylindrical elastomeric sleeve reinforced with at least one ply of a fiber reinforced rubber adhered thereto, a flange with a hub of reduced diameter is mounted and secured onto one end of such sleeve. A fiber reinforced outer rigid plastic shell overlies and is secured to the hub and the rubber fiber reinforced sleeve.

Method for fabricating an elastomeric bearing assembly

A method of making a novel bearing assembly for supporting a drive shaft, having a housing with a central bore in which is mounted a shell with a polygonal shaped opening which receives a plurality of circumferential spaced staves presenting a plurality of flat planar surface that tangentially contact a drive shaft. The staves have a outer layer made of an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene material and an inner layer made of an elastomeric material. The outer layer is received by or may have a projection that is received by a corresponding recess in the shell which is made from a fiberglass material impregnated with an epoxy-resin.

Growing community of inventors

Akron, OH, United States of America

James H Kramer