Other

The Reaction Washer Company, LLC

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

John D Davis

Johannes Peter Schneeberger

Frederick P Hohnstadt

Richard D Janke

Herbert R Butterfield

Kyle M Smith

Timothy D Roberts

Daniel Duane Davis

Lawrence Duane Davis

Mine Tasci

David A Ruiz

James C Tebbe

Donald E Martini

A socket assembly may include a fastener socket and a contact member. The contact member may extend through a window formed in the fastener socket in a first direction to engage a fastener head and lock the socket assembly to the fastener head in a locked position. The contact member may also retract at least partially into the window in a second direction to disengage the contact member from the fastener head and unlock the socket assembly from the fastener head in an unlocked position. A threaded actuator may be rotated to transform the socket assembly between the locked position and the unlocked position. The contact member may comprise a tang having first and second tang projections configured to engage first and second surfaces of the fastener head and lock the socket assembly to the fastener head.

Socket devices and methods of use

Engaging washers such as reaction washers and backup washers can include novel advantageous features. For example, an engaging washer can include an inner row of teeth and an outer row of teeth, where the teeth in the inner row can slope in a first circumferential direction to primarily engage a flange during bolt tightening, and the teeth in the outer row can slope in a second circumferential direction to primarily engage during bolt loosening. The engaging washers may also include an arched design to allow gradual increasing of contact surface areas as a clamping force in the washer gradually increases. Additionally, a reaction washer can include stepped castles for engaging a reaction socket. The castles may also include sloped or curved engaging surfaces that can provide decreased contact surface area and may also inhibit outward biasing of reaction fingers that are engaging the castles.

Engaging washers

Accurate reaction socket access within an outer washer diameter is provided via a number of tool access castles extending from a stepped bushing and serration top, which in turn provides low friction during initial tightening and securing after final loading of a nut/bolt. Bottom serration slipping during initial tightening and thread locking during initial loosening are eliminated by the reaction washer stacked on top and in contact with a support washer via helical ramps and ramp mates. During initial tightening or loosening, the ramp mates slide up or down the helical ramps whereby an axial load on the nut/bolt is ramped up or down prior to screwing it on the main thread. A clamp ring or ramp indenters may secure the two washers. An interposition washer may extend the axial reaction range of the washer stack. Direct tension indicators may be combined with the ramp indenters.

Multifunction reaction washer and stack accessed by slim reaction socket

Drive plates of a hydraulic torque wrench cartridge are thickened for extended surface contact with three pawls and a direct contact with the piston rod. The drive plates are held together and are additionally stiffened by dowel pins and shoulder screws. Snap pins are axially slide able and spring loaded connecting the piston rod with the drive plates in an easily disengage able fashion. Three pawls are arrayed in a pitch adjusted with respect to the ratchet teeth pitch in correspondence with an elastic deformation of the drive plates for a balanced force transfer across them. The pawl-tooth interfaces are also in an outward opening angle preventing them from snapping free under load.

Compact hydraulic torque wrench cartridge

Centrally mounted in a strain decoupling fashion on a hydraulic torque wrench is a hose connect swivel. A base ring of the swivel features a first fluid transmitting joint that is fluid transmitting connected with axial studs extending from the base ring into mating holes in the torque wrench housing. The base ring is radially spaced apart and surrounding a central housing portion of the torque wrench. The radial spacing provides for a strain and deformation decoupling of the base ring from the torque wrench housing such that leakage in the fluid first transmitting joint is prevented. A second fluid transmitting joint provides together with the perpendicular first fluid transmitting joint for a three dimensional orienting of the hose connect terminal around the torque wrench housing while providing access to the piston side peripheral end of the torque wrench housing for an eventual reaction arm.

Hydraulic torque wrench with central strain decoupled global hose connect swivel

A road surface scanning device and method for scanning a section of road in order to acquire road surface data, which in turn can be used to create a mathematical model of the road. In one embodiment, the road surface scanning device includes a frame, a carriage movably mounted to the frame, a scanner movably mounted to the carriage, and a pair of electric actuators that can move the scanner across the road surface. Information from adjacent scanner passes are electronically stitched together and, in a similar manner, information from adjacent surface segments are electronically joined to form a mathematical model of the road. Various techniques can then be used to process the road surface data and prepare it for use by other software applications.

Scanning device and method for analyzing a road surface

A ground anchor load testing system includes a ground anchoring unit having a bare upper drill shaft portion along and around which a reaction anchor with its hollow shaft is temporary installed. During test loading of the installed ground anchoring unit, a test loading head is coupled with both concentric flanging ends of the ground anchoring unit and the temporarily installed reaction anchor. The test loading head exerts via a first coupling the push test load on the first flanging end of the ground anchoring unit while withholding itself via a second coupling on the second flanging end of the reaction anchor. A measurement device may be positioned on the ground adjacent the test load head. Eventual axial displacement of the ground anchoring unit under test load may be externally recognized by the measurement device via an axial displacement indicator in axial connection with the first coupling.

Ground anchor load testing system and method

A support device is provided for the preferred application of buckling opposing support of an I-joist having an erroneously cut hole in its web portion. The support device may have an approximate U-shape with two substantially parallel bridging structures combined by a structure that combines the bridging structures and provides an alignment reference with the chords. In the case where an erroneously cut hole is identified, the support device may be laterally attached to the I-joist such that both bridging structures flank the erroneously cut hole. Once the bridging structures are attached to the web, the bridging structures define with the remainder of the web a buckling opposing interface. The support structure is preferably monolithically fabricated from sheet metal and scaled in conjunction with dimensional standards of commercially available I-joists.

Buckling opposing support for I-joist

A laser marking device includes a fixture for temporarily attaching the device in an initial cutout of a number of serial cutouts to be fabricated in adjacent assembled I-joists. Combined with the fixture is an angle gage that provides angular positioning of a marking laser. The angle gage is configured to hold the laser with its beam coinciding with the marking origin of the initial cutout, which in case of circular cutout may be the reference center at which the pilot drill of the hole saw is centered at the begin of the cutout operation. The marker laser may be horizontally and/or vertically oriented together with an eventual alignment laser and an eventual target marker temporarily affixed on the I-joist where a final reference point is determined for an axial orientation of the cutouts across the I-joists.

Laser marking device for serial I-joist cutouts

An arbor system includes an arbor, a clamp body of a power tool, a tightening feature and an optional snap feature. The arbor has a flanging feature, a thread and a number of circumferentially arranged driving pins. The clamp body is sandwiched between the arbor and tightening feature in a pressed contact with the flanging feature defining a releasable fix that is fully form fitting. Operational tilt and load torque are transmitted without affecting the tight-screwed interlocking between thread and tightening feature. A snap feature, in the form of a spring pin or a spring tongue of a sandwiched washer, may secure the tightening feature against inadvertent unscrewing. The snap feature and snap serrations may be configured as a ratchet such that the snap feature needs only be actuated during unscrewing of the tightening feature.

Quick release arbor

A hole saw for cutting standardized holes in the web portion of an I-joist features a light weight three spoke body having a rim with continuous circumference and three inserted cutting blades fixed in an offset to the circumference, which is dimensioned in accordance to standard web heights.

I-joist hole cutting apparatus

A method for designing load cells of articles, such as for example vehicle components. A computer model utilizes vehicle components as flexible members that are built and loaded mathematically such that the output can be used to determine the best location to lay the strain gages on the article based upon their corresponding Wheatstone bridge output. A suitable Finite Element Model (FEM) of the component to be instrumented is provided. This model is then loaded with the same loads the component will see in practice. Each load is independently applied to the model and the results from each load are saved. The Finite Element Analysis results needed by the present invention are the maximum and minimum principal strains and principal strain angle for each valid finite element in the model. These results along with the strain gage properties and some user preferences provide input data for assessing every usable combination of elements in the FEM for sensitivity to primary loads and cross-talk of off-axis loads. The element combinations are then listed in order of decreasing sensitivity within a user specified cross-talk tolerance, and displayed to the user. The gages are laid and the load cell is completed and calibrated.

Method for designing a load cell

This invention relates to a pivotable protective pick-up truck tailgate liner assembly which when opened forms a tailgate seat-back rest. When closed it serves as a protective tailgate liner. Means are provided to utilize the tailgate in the horizontal position as a seat, and the tailgate liner invention as the seat back rest. Additionally, means are provided to utilize the existing vehicle body side tailgate latch brackets to lock said liner assembly into a seat back position. This invention is comprised of a rigid plastic base panel and a larger liner panel which are pivotably attached to each other. The base panel is securely attached to the tailgate surface, while snap fit connectors selectively attach and detach said larger liner panel to the tailgate. A sliding striker mechanism provides a means to fix said larger liner panel into the existing vehicle body side tailgate latch brackets to form a tailgate seat back-rest. To use the device as a seat back-rest, one simply opens the tailgate to its horizontal position, releases the liner snap fit attachments, extends the strikers, rotates the larger liner panel open, and inserts said strikers into the existing vehicle tailgate latch brackets.

Pick-up truck tailgate liner and seat back

An improved flue cleaner is provided having a scraper and an adjustable fulcrum assembly mounted on opposite sides of the end portion of an elongated rod. The fulcrum assembly includes a roller rotatably mounted on one end of a pivotable beam and is fixed in place by a bracket which is connected to the beam and to the rod in an adjustable fashion.

Growing community of inventors

Las Vegas, NV, United States of America

John D Davis