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High pressure fluid-driven tension actuators and method for constructing them

  • US 4,751,869 A
  • Filed: 07/12/1985
  • Issued: 06/21/1988
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1985
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A high pressure, fluid-driven tension actuator, axially contractible upon inflation by pressurized fluid to convert fluid pressure energy into linear contraction displacement comprising:

  • a resilient, flexible, elastomeric hollow bladder having a wall circumferentially continuous about an axis defining an internal fluid chamber for receiving pressurized fluid and having a pair of axially extending tubular end sections extending from said bladder at opposite ends of said axis and at least one end portal in one of said end sections in fluid communication with said fluid chamber for feeding pressurized fluid into and out of said fluid chamber,said bladder having an enlarged generally spherical central section and said end sections being of reduced diameter compared with said enlarged central section,a bladder-reinforcing, tubular knitted fabric sleeve,said tubular knitted fabric sleeve being knitted of a continuous strand in a plain knit pattern having two tubular end portions and an enlarged central portion of generally spherical configuration of larger diameter than said end portions,said central portion of said sleeve being progressively more loosely knitted from each tubular end portion toward an equatorial mid-region of said central portion,said tubular knitted fabric sleeve encompassing and conforming to said bladder for providing an outer limit to transverse expansion of said bladder upon inflation by pressurized fluid,bonding means bonding said sleeve to said bladder, andfirst and second coupling means secured at opposite end locations in fluid tight relationship to said respective end portions of said sleeve and respective end sections of said bladder for attaching said tension actuator at its opposite ends to apparatus to be driven and for coupling said end portal to a source of pressurized fluid.

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