Other

California Institute of Technology

Hi-shear Technology Corporation

Richard G Webster

Annette K Nasif

Christopher J Voorhees

Kobie T Boykins

Paul Karlmann

Kevin Burke

Joseph Vacchione

Lawrence Lee

Brian Harrington

Richard A Rainen

Jason Suchman

Michael P Thelen

Lori Shiraishi

Joseph P Melko

Randel Lindemann

John Cardone

James Stone

Satish Krishnan

Keith Novak

Jerry E O'Quinn

Mary E Reaves

Mars exploration rover athena

A separable threaded fastener tightened to hold two objects together with an axial preload on the fastener. Fastener structure minimizes mechanical shock loads on contiguous structures when elements of the fastener are abruptly separated from one another to release the objects. A stator and a rotor having ramp surfaces provide for relief of the axial preload at the time of separation thereby reducing mechanical shock on contiguous structures.

Reduced shock separation fastener

A retaining mechanism for an externally threaded part or element which can release without exerting a shock load to the structure which it assembles. The retaining mechanism has a spring biased shiftable ring which retains three threaded nut segments by peripheral surface contact on aligned external cylindrical surfaces of the segmented nut. The retained threaded nut segments maintain threaded engagement with a threaded part to form an assembly. The threaded segments are distanced from the assembled structure by a column of Titanium-Nickel shape memory alloy (SMA) material that has been pre-worked to an increased length at a temperature below its transition temperature from face-centered to body-centered structure so that the column will shrink in length upon the application of heat. A heating element is incorporated within or about the SMA column. Preload induced in the assembled threaded part and the assembled structure is relieved by heating of the SMA column which allows the SMA material shrink to its original length thus relieving the preload of the assembled part and structure. The relief of preload in turn allows the spring-biased load retainer ring to move out of engagement with the threaded nut segments. The assembled structure may thereafter gently separate when abrupt separable forces are exerted.

No-shock separation mechanism

Growing community of inventors

Long Beach, CA, United States of America

Richard G Webster