A nonlinear mechanical element including a buckling column and hard stops. In one embodiment when the nonlinear mechanical element is subjected to an increasing compressive load, the buckling column buckles at a critical load, resulting in reduced stiffness past the critical load. One or more lateral hard stops may be provided adjacent to the buckling column to prevent the buckling deformation from exceeding a certain extent, and axial hard stops may be provided to shift the load path away from the buckling column when a certain amount of compressive displacement has been reached.

A torsional damper for a torque transmission device, comprising: a first element (1) and a second element (2) rotationally movable with respect to one another; and a first damping means and a second damping means, each damping means comprising: an elastically deformable blade (9) having a fastening portion (12) and an elastic portion (13), an abutment element carried by the other of the first and second elements and configured, for an angular deflection between the first and second elements with respect to an inactive angular position, to apply a flexural load onto the blade,
the elastic portion of the blade of the first damping means proceeds circumferentially beyond the fastening portion of the blade of the second damping means.

A two-dimensional passive energy absorber device has an integral body with a first face and a second face separated by an edge height H. The body includes a platform, a rigid frame surrounding the platform, and a plurality of symmetrical flexible folded beams. The platform and the frame have the same profile shape is arranged to concentrically align, and each of the symmetrical folded beams connects between a frame edge and a platform edge that is not parallel to the frame edge.

A micro-engine including a rotation structure, the rotation structure including a head portion, a rear portion, and a deformable portion connecting both portions. The deformable portion is deformable in elongation or compression along a main axis and includes a spring element displaying a free end. The free end of the spring element includes at least an abutment member. The deformable portion further includes a wheel-platform which displays a first and a second face, being configured to cooperate with the free end of the spring element in order to transform a back-and-forth movement of the at least one spring element into a rotational movement of the wheel-platform.

This device includes a propulsion element including at least one portion deformable in elongation/contraction according to a main axis (X.sub.2) connecting a front portion and a rear portion. At least two guide elements adapted to generate, under the effect of an energy supply, a rotation of the propulsion element respectively about a first axis of rotation and about a second axis of rotation transverse to each other and to the main axis (X.sub.2) of the propulsion element. A control unit configured to actuate a rotation of the propulsion element about at least one axis transverse to the main axis (X.sub.2) in a coordinated manner with a deformation of the deformable element of the propulsion element in elongation/contraction according the main axis (X.sub.2).

Collapsible discs move towards or away from each other in embodiments of the disclosed technology by changing the angle of flanges which connect the two discs together. The flanges connect to each respective disc by way of one a fixed connection to one disc and a slidable connection to the other. The flanges slide into portals in the bottom disc and then extend along and into a hollow space therein the bottom disc. The flanges have a tip or multiple tips which is/are wider than a rest of an elongated length thereof which frictionally holds the flanges, and therefore, the discs in places until the discs are rotated causing the flanges to be pulled out from or pushed into the portals. This, in turn, causes the discs to move closer together or become further apart in embodiments of the disclosed technology.

A dispensing pump includes a polymer compression spring assembly, base vents and a flow baffle. The dispensing pump includes a pump base, and a dispensing head having a piston stem. The polymer compression spring assembly includes a slotted tubular spring element and first and second loading cones received at opposing ends of the slotted tubular spring element. The venting ports allow air to escape when capping the container after filling and the flow baffle reduces or prevents the product from being pulled into the pump accumulator before residual air (headspace) has been evacuated from the container during the initial priming strokes.

A spring for a check valve which can be used in particular in controllable vibration dampers, said spring comprising a flat main body with a first surface, a second surface and a centre point, and two or more spring arms, which cooperate resiliently with the main body and in the unloaded state protrude from the first surface or the second surface, the spring arms forming a free end and having a longitudinal axis that runs through the free end and tangentially to a circle about the centre point of the main body. The invention further relates to a check valve having a spring of this kind. In addition, the invention relates to a controllable vibration damper which comprises such a check valve, and to a motor vehicle having a controllable vibration damper of this kind.

The flexure mount system is disclosed that can accommodate thermal expansion. The flexure mount can include a base, a first flexure mount coupled to the base, a second flexure mount coupled to the base, and a supported structure coupled to the first and second flexure mounts along an axis. The first flexure mount can have a first radial flexure. The second flexure mount can have a second radial flexure and an axial flexure. The first and second radial flexures can be operable to provide radial compliance relative to the axis and the axial flexure can be operable to provide axial compliance parallel to the axis, such that the first flexure mount is radially compliant, and the second flexure mount is radially and axially compliant.

The flexure mount system is disclosed that can accommodate thermal expansion. The flexure mount can include a base, a first flexure mount coupled to the base, a second flexure mount coupled to the base, and a supported structure coupled to the first and second flexure mounts along an axis. The first flexure mount can have a first radial flexure. The second flexure mount can have a second radial flexure and an axial flexure. The first and second radial flexures can be operable to provide radial compliance relative to the axis and the axial flexure can be operable to provide axial compliance parallel to the axis, such that the first flexure mount is radially compliant, and the second flexure mount is radially and axially compliant.