A linear actuator comprising a housing with first and second ends, and defining a central cavity extending axially therethrough; a tube having first and second portions, the first portion arranged to slide within the central cavity of the housing, and the second portion extending outwardly from the second end of the housing; a first elongated rotatable screw positioned axially within the central cavity and coaxial with the rube; a first nut mounted about the first elongated rotatable screw and configured to move axially as the first elongated rotatable screw rotates; a second elongated rotatable screw positioned axially within the central cavity; a second nut mounted about the second elongated rotatable screw and configured to move axially within the central cavity as the second elongated rotatable screw rotates; and a spring positioned around the second elongated rotatable screw between the second nut and the second end of the housing.

A torque adjustment mechanism is provided for use with a torsion spring. The torsion spring is a coil spring having a plurality of helical coils that define a hollow core. A torque adjuster is positioned in the interior of the hollow core of the coil spring. The torque adjuster has a circular collar on one end and a securing flange on the other end. The circular collar is designed to fit into the hollow core of the coil spring. A clamp is positioned over the exterior of the coil spring in alignment with the circular collar. The clamp secures the coil spring to circular. The position of the collar in the spring defines the number of the coils that are active and establishes the level torque provided by the torsion spring.

In exemplary embodiments, a caged spring assembly is provided that includes a first end cap, a second end cap, a helical spring, and a locking post. The second end cap is opposite the first end cap. The helical spring extends between the first and second end caps. The locking post is disposed inside the helical spring between the first and second end caps. The locking post allows limited compression of the helical spring and prevents extension of the helical spring beyond a set point.

A vibration isolation system includes multiple isolators between an inner object and an outer housing that surrounds the object. In one example the inner object may be a rack or container that holds electronics, such as printed circuit boards, and the outer housing may be a housing for a missile, such as a supersonic or hypersonic missile. The isolators have flexures to attenuate vibrations, isolating the inner object at least in part from vibrations encountered by the outer housing. The flexures may be oriented in different directions for different isolators to change the resonant frequency of the system for a given axis. In addition the isolators are able to compensate for differences in expansion between the inner object and the outer housing. The isolators may also include multi-part isolators that have spring-loaded wedge elements used to expand the isolators in one or more radial directions.

A pedal force simulator device includes: a pressure piston actuatable by a brake pedal and axially moveably mounted in a housing; and at least two disk spring stacks connected in series, each disk spring stack having at least two disk springs, at least two of the disk spring stacks having different spring constants, and the disk spring stacks being situated in the housing between an end face of the pressure piston and an axial stop of the housing. At least one of the disk spring stacks includes an axial receiving recess, in which a spring element, which can be elastically deformed by the pressure piston, is situated, one end of the spring element being supported on the pressure piston and the other end being supported on one of the disk spring stacks.

A damping apparatus can be self-centering and include one or more pre-compressed and preloaded mechanical springs. A solar tracking apparatus can include a solar panel mounted on a rotating shaft, and a self-centering damping apparatus operatively connected to the rotating shaft to compensate for torque created when the solar panel is rotated at an angle to horizontal. A steering assembly for a zero-turn riding lawn mower can include a pair of steering levers and a self-centering damping apparatus operatively connected to the steering levers.

A suspension system for a vehicle and method for operating the same includes a shock absorber housing having a longitudinal axis, a spring disposed around the shock absorber housing, a retainer collar disposed around the shock absorber housing and an actuator engaged to the retainer collar. The actuator moves at least a portion of the retainer collar to move the spring in a direction corresponding the longitudinal axis. A switch generates a ride height position signal. A controller is coupled to the actuator and the switch. The controller controls a position of the actuator in response to the ride height position signal.

A damping valve arrangement of a vibration damper for a motor vehicle includes a damping valve body having a longitudinal axis A and a throughflow passage is covered by at least one valve disk, a spring arrangement has at least a first substantially disk-shaped spring element; and a force transmission disk arranged between the valve disk and the first spring element so as to be axially displaceable coaxial to the damping valve body. The force transmission disk has a first surface facing the first spring element and comprising a first contact ring with a first diameter, which first contact ring is axially elevated above the first surface, and a second surface opposite the first surface, which second surface faces the valve disk and comprises a second contact ring with a second diameter, which second contact ring is axially elevated above the second surface.

A suspension system for a vehicle and method for operating the same includes a shock absorber housing having a longitudinal axis, a spring disposed around the shock absorber housing and a retainer collar disposed around the shock absorber housing. An actuator coupled to the retainer housing moves at least a portion of the retainer housing to move the spring in a direction corresponding the longitudinal axis.

A centrifugal pendulum device for use in a drive train of a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine includes at least one support flange rotatable about an axis of rotation to which pendulum masses are mounted thereon in a circumferential direction via a bifilar pendulum suspension. The pendulum masses are configured to perform a relative movement with respect to the support flange when a rotational irregularity occurs in the drivetrain under effects of centrifugal force in conjunction with cylindrical rollers which are guided in roller tracks of the support flange. The pendulum masses run in opposite directions to one another and thereby absorb vibrations. The support flange includes roller tracks which are open in a direction of the axis of rotation and all the cylindrical rollers are acted upon by force by a prestressing element radially in the direction of the roller tracks.