A flat form spring, in particular a disc spring or corrugated spring, includes a spring body made of a low-alloy steel which has a carbon content of more than 0.35% by weight and at most 0.75% by weight. The steel contains between 0.3 wt. % and 0.9 wt. % manganese (Mn) as an alloying element. The steel also contains chromium (Cr) as an alloying element with a weight proportion of between 0.3 wt. % and 1.5 wt. %. The steel further contains between 0.1% and 0.6% by weight of molybdenum (Mo) as an alloying element. In addition, the steel contains more than 0.4 wt. % and up to 8 wt. % nickel (Ni) as an alloying element. A flatform spring made in this way has an improved strength compared to conventional flatform springs without a loss of toughness compared to a spring made of conventional spring steels.

The present invention relates to a shock absorbing device incorporating a plurality of wavy shaped elements made of a superelastic material arranged in a crossing pattern, wherein pairs of crests or troughs of said wavy shaped elements made of a superelastic material are restrained to each other in a locking manner by way of connecting elements.

A support assembly for a load-bearing unit, a gas turbine engine including the support assembly, and a method of operation of the support assembly are provided. The support assembly includes a support element, a damper, and a variable stiffness member. The support element supports the load-bearing unit. The damper supports the support element and is configured to provide dampening of the load-bearing unit. The variable stiffness member is positioned between the damper and the load-bearing unit. The variable stiffness member is configured to provide a serial dampening of the load-bearing unit with the damper. The variable stiffness member includes a shape memory alloy.

A device for applying an axial force includes a longitudinal axis with a first compression surface located at a first end of the longitudinal axis and a second compression surface located at a second end of the longitudinal axis. A plurality of resilient members is positioned between the first compression surface and the second compression surface. A first resilient member is oriented with a first end proximate the first compression surface and a second end proximate the second compression surface. A second resilient member is oriented with a first end proximate the first compression surface and a second end proximate the second compression surface. The device has a compressed state and an expanded state where the first compression surface and second compression surface move in a direction of the longitudinal axis between the compressed state and the expanded state.

Provided is a shock reducing tape spring hinge including fixing members fixed to at least two objects, respectively, a thin shell type tape spring having both end portions that are fastened to the fixing members, respectively, and a shell-shaped damping plate aligned with the tape spring, the damping plate having both end portions that are fastened to the fixing members, respectively. The damping plate and the tape spring may be configured to connect the at least two objects being spaced through the fixing members, and the damping plate may be configured to reduce a deployment shock occurring when the tape spring is deployed.

A multi-performance hysteretic rheological device. The invention concerns a mechanical device capable of providing restoring forces with non-linear hysteresis loops whose shapes can be adjusted depending on the specifications required by the application. The forces exerted on rigid sliding blocks on smooth bars are for example produced by the wire ropes composed of steel and shape-memory material wires. The device according to the invention can be used in very different applications including: vibration damper, hysteretic insulator, energy absorber, shock absorber, applications in which a specific rheological body with force-displacement characteristics of hysteretic type is required.

A cooling system includes a coolant source to cool down components of a processing chamber and a return line for the coolant coupled between the processing chamber and the coolant source. The return line has a valve, which includes a flow compartment having a first inlet and an outlet that support a default flow rate of the coolant, the flow compartment also having a second inlet. The valve has a plunger with a tip to variably open and close the second inlet to vary a flow rate of the coolant from the default flow rate. The valve has a shape memory alloy (SMA) spring positioned on the plunger between a side of the valve and the tip, the SMA spring attached to the tip to variably withdraw the tip from the second inlet in response to a rise in temperature of the coolant above a threshold temperature value.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a deployable solar panel mounted on a movable body configured to be movable, the deployable solar panel including: a solar panel mounted on an outer portion of the movable body and configured to convert light energy into electrical energy; and a yoke having a reinforcing part stacked on at least one surface of a base to connect the movable body and the solar panel and configured to attenuate vibration transmitted to the solar panel.

The present invention relates to a shock absorbing device incorporating a plurality of wavy shaped elements made of a superelastic material arranged in a crossing pattern, wherein pairs of crests or troughs of said wavy shaped elements made of a superelastic material are restrained to each other in a locking manner by way of connecting elements.

A shock-absorbing devices comprising a plurality of slender metallic structures having a slenderness ratio equal to or higher than 10 is described. Systems and/or components using such devices are also described.