A spiral timepiece spring with a two-phase structure, made of a niobium and titanium alloy, and method for manufacturing this spring, including producing a binary alloy containing niobium and titanium, with niobium: the remainder to 100%; titanium between 45.0% and 48.0% by mass of the total, traces of components among O, H, C, Fe, Ta, N, Ni, Si, Cu, Al, of between 0 and 1600 ppm by mass of the total individually, and less than 0.3% by mass combined; applying deformations alternated with heat treatments until a two-phase microstructure is obtained including a solid solution of niobium with -phase titanium and a solid solution of niobium with -phase titanium, the -phase titanium content being greater than 10% by volume, with an elastic limit higher than 1000 MPa, and a modulus of elasticity higher than 60 GPa and less than 80 GPa; wire drawing to obtain wire able to be calendered; calendering or winding.

An energy absorbing beam comprises a top plate and a bottom plate, a plurality of upper pillars extending from the top plate toward the bottom plate, a plurality of lower pillars extending from the bottom plate toward the top plate, and a first beam extending laterally between the top plate and the bottom plate and attached to the upper and lower pillars, wherein energy from an impact onto the top or bottom plate is transferred through the upper and lower pillars and absorbed by the first beam.

A laundry treating apparatus is provided. The laundry treating apparatus includes a cabinet, a drum accommodated in the cabinet, and a dynamic absorber provided to absorb oscillation of the cabinet. The dynamic absorber includes a first moving mass movably provided on the support plate to absorb oscillation transmitted to the cabinet and a second moving mass movably provided on the support plate to absorb oscillation transmitted to the cabinet. Each of the first and second moving masses includes a single mass made of a metal material or a mass in which a plurality of thin metal plates are coupled to overlap each other, and the first moving mass has a mass greater than that of the second moving mass.

There is provided a method of manufacturing a torsion spring, comprising providing a section of sheet metal, and forming the torsion spring from the section of sheet metal.

An impact absorbing barrier for attachment to a surface includes an elongate member including a first elongate section configured to rest on the surface, the first elongate section including a number of through holes disposed along its length, and a second elongate section extending from the first elongate section in a direction substantially away from the surface. The impact absorbing barrier also includes a number of impact absorbing fastening mechanisms, each including a fastener configured to extend through a corresponding through hole of the first elongate section and into the surface.

The vertical vibration isolation system of the present invention includes a bearing base, a guide rail assembly and a plurality of buckling elements. The bearing base has an upper platform that can move along a vertical direction. The guide rail assembly surrounds the bearing base and has a plurality of arc-shaped sliding channels. The top portion of each buckling element can move with the upper platform, while the bottom portion of each buckling element is slidably connected to the corresponding arc-shaped sliding channel. The vertical displacement of the upper platform would cause different degrees of buckling of the buckling elements and also induces sliding motion of the bottom portion of the buckling elements along the arc-shaped sliding channels. Accordingly, the vertical vibration isolation system can provide nonlinear restoring force by buckling and sliding mechanisms so as to exhibit vertical vibration isolation effect.

A braking device, a braking system for an elevator, and an elevator system. The braking device comprises a braking unit and an actuating unit arranged to cause the braking unit to be in a braking state to provide a braking force to a mating external component, or in a non-braking state to stop providing the braking force to the external component, and the braking device further comprises a vibration isolating member with non-linear rigidity, for providing an effect of damping and vibration isolation between the actuating unit and the braking unit at least in the non-braking state.

A coupling device including two support members; a joint connecting the two support members and allowing relative rotation between the support members about at least one rotational axis; and at least one damping element connecting the two support members in parallel with the joint; wherein the at least one damping element is configured to deform plastically by a relative rotation between the support members about the at least one rotational axis. A support structure for supporting a mass, a method for adjusting the stiffness of a coupling device and a method for providing stiffness to a coupling device are also provided.

A lamina emergent torsional (LET) joint that includes an integrated membrane to reduce, or eliminate, certain unwanted motions and/or displacements associated with the operation of the LET joint is disclosed. The membrane-integrated LET joint (i.e., M-LET) can be used as a hinge for a lamina emergent mechanism and/or as a surrogate fold for an origami application to ensure accurate and repeatable transitions from a planar (i.e., lamina) state to a non-planar (i.e., lamina-emergent) state, and vice versa.

The vertical vibration isolation system of the present invention includes a bearing base, a guide rail assembly and a plurality of buckling elements. The bearing base has an upper platform that can move along a vertical direction. The guide rail assembly surrounds the bearing base and has a plurality of arc-shaped sliding channels. The top portion of each buckling element can move with the upper platform, while the bottom portion of each buckling element is slidably connected to the corresponding arc-shaped sliding channel. The vertical displacement of the upper platform would cause different degrees of buckling of the buckling elements and also induces sliding motion of the bottom portion of the buckling elements along the arc-shaped sliding channels. Accordingly, the vertical vibration isolation system can provide nonlinear restoring force by buckling and sliding mechanisms so as to exhibit vertical vibration isolation effect.