The Aerospace Corporation

Robert W Postma

Robert B Pan

Brian T Hamada

Louis K Herman

A slider washer bearing in a bolted interface assembly allows relative differential thermal expansion and contraction motion between a component plate fastened to a base plate by a bolt, without inducing large strains and stresses upon the plates or the bolt. The slider washer bearing, thereby, functions as a thin spacer between the component and base plates, enabling high preload tightening of the bolted assembly while also enabling relative uni-directional alternating motion of the plates. The slider washer includes at least one mating groove arranged unidirectionally and extending horizontally between the top and bottom flexure plates. The grooves provide a guide for relative alternating back and forth unidirectional motion while the full strength of the bolt remains available to support the component plate without allowing high friction shear forces.

Corrugated slider washer bearing

A clip flexure slider washer bearing in a bolted interface assembly allows differential thermal expansion and contraction between a component mounting plate or flange fastened to a base plate by a bolt. The bearing functions as a thin lubricated spacer between the component plate and the base plate, allowing the bolted assembly to be tightened to a high preload while enabling relative sliding motion without inducing large strains and stresses in the plates or the bolt. The slider washer portions of the bearing are sandwiched between the two horizontal parallel portions of the metal clip flexure. A side portion of the clip flexure bent as a right angle to the horizontal portions and extending vertically from one edge constrains the relative sliding motion of the component and base plate to unidirectional alternating back and forth translation, thus preventing lateral motion. The full strength of the bolt remains available to support the component plate without inducing excessive friction shear forces, thus enabling differential sliding motion during thermal cycles where the component expands and contracts relative to the base plate.

Clip flexure slider washer bearing

A linear roller washer bearing in a bolt interface assembly allows relative differential thermal expansion and contraction motion between a component plate and a base plate fastened together by a bolt without inducing large strains and stresses upon the bolt. The roller washer bearing functions as a thin spacer between the component and base plates enabling high preload tightening of the bolted assembly while enabling relative bidirectional motion of the plates. The roller washer bearing is a multiple roller assembly with thin rollers arranged unidirectionally and horizontally in parallel between the top and bottom washer plates. The rollers roll back and forth to enable relative back and forth alternating unidirectional motion of the component and base plates while the full strength of the bolt remains available to the support the component plate without creating high friction shear forces.

Roller washer bearing and method

A linear flexure washer bearing in a bolt interface assembly allows relative differential thermal expansion and contraction motion between a component plate and a base plate fastened together by a bolt without inducing large strains and stresses upon the bolt. The flexure washer bearing functions as a thin spacer between the component and base plates enabling high preload tightening of the bolted assembly while enabling relative bidirectional motion of the plates. The flexure washer is a multiple blade flexure assembly with thin flexure blades arranged unidirectionally between the top and bottom flexure plates. The elastic flexures bend to enable relative alternating unidirectional motion while the full strength of the bolt remains available to the support the component plate without creating high friction shear forces.

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Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Robert W Postma