Strut construction

• US 5,366,313 A
• Filed: 05/12/1993
• Issued: 11/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MarathonNorco Aerospace, Inc. (Transdigm Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Norco, Inc. (Idaho) (Transdigm Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: LaBarre, Berger A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, P. Austin
• Assistant Examiner(s): PUKNYS, ERIK
• Application Number:
  US08/059,569
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 403/108, 403/107, 403/106, 403/4, 403/321, 403/322, 403/325, 403/327, 403/328, 248/407, 248/408, 285/23, 285/81, 285/315, 285/316
• US Class Current: 403/108
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 17/30 of extensible, e.g. telescopic, construction flexible members E05C17/36 ; locking of telescopic systems in general F16B7/10; lockable telescopic gas springs F16F9/0254
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 21/165 with balls or rollers for connections of rods or tubes engaged telescopically F16B7/1409
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32459 Retainer extends through aligned recesses
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/592 Ball detent

Abstract

A strut construction having outer and inner telescoping strut members capable of relative extending and collapsing movements. The outer strut member has a socket for a locking piece which is captive but moveable therein. A release member is captive and slidable on the strut construction between locking and release positions. The release member has spaced-apart shallow and deep internal pockets for respectively receiving, depending on its locking or releasing position, portions of the captive locking piece in the outer strut member. The inner strut member has a shoulder which provides shallow and deep pockets to respectively receive other portions of the captive locking piece. The captive locking piece, socket of the outer strut member, and the shoulder restrict movement of the release member and restrict full telescoping collapsing movement of the strut members when the release member is in its locking position wherein portions of the locking piece occupy the shallow pockets of the release member and shoulder, and alternatively enable full telescoping collapsing movement of the strut members to be effected when the release member is in its releasing position and portions of the locking piece occupy the deep pocket of the release member.

Claims

1. A strut comprising, in combination:

a) outer and inner strut members being capable of extending or collapsing movements, the outer strut member having a socket,

b) a locking piece captive and moveable in the socket, and

c) a release member movable on the strut between locking and releasing positions, said release member having means to provide a shallow pocket and a deep pocket for respectively receiving, depending on its locking or releasing position, a portion of said locking piece,

d) said inner strut member having a shallow pocket and a deep pocket to respectively receive another portion of said locking piece,

e) said locking piece, socket of the outer strut member, and shallow pocket of the inner strut member restricting movement of the release member and restricting collapsing movement of the strut members when the release member is in its locking position wherein portions of the locking piece occupy the shallow pockets of both the release member and inner strut member, and alternatively enabling full collapsing movement of the strut members to be effected when the release member is in its releasing position and portions of the locking piece occupy the deep pocket of the release member,

f) said pockets of the inner strut member enabling a limited relative movement of the strut members to be had for the purpose of freeing the locking piece for movement into the deep pocket of the inner strut member so as to enable the release member to be shifted from its locking position to its releasing position for permitting collapse of the strut.

2. A strut construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a) said limited relative movement of the strut members is in an extending direction.

3. A strut construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a) said limited relative movement of the strut members is in a collapsing direction.

4. A strut construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a) the outer strut member has a plurality of sockets and locking pieces respectively moveable in and held captive in said sockets.

5. A strut construction as set forth in claim 1, and further including:

a) a fitting on the inner strut member, said fitting having the shallow and deep pockets of the inner strut member.

6. A strut construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a) spring means are provided, biasing said release member to its locking position.

7. A strut construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a) the release member has annular internal grooves constituting the said shallow and deep pockets thereof.

8. A strut construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a) the inner strut member has exterior annular grooves constituting the said shallow and deep pockets thereof.

9. A strut construction as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

a) the release member has annular internal grooves constituting the said shallow and deep pockets thereof,

b) said inner strut member having exterior annular grooves constituting the said shallow and deep pockets thereof.

10. A strut construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a) the outer and inner strut members have cooperable stop means limiting the relative movement of the members to extended position.

11. A strut construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a) the release member and the outer strut member have cooperable sealing means adjacent the ends of the release member, preventing ingress of foreign matter to the release member.

14. A strut construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a) said locking piece comprises an arcuate locking dog received in the said socket.

15. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

a) the socket of the outer strut member is elongate in a circumferential direction,

b) said locking piece comprising an arcuate locking dog carried in said elongate socket.

16. The invention as set forth in claim 15, wherein:

a) the outer strut member has two additional sockets, each being elongate in a circumferential direction, each of said additional sockets being circumferentially spaced from said first-mentioned socket, and

b) additional arcuate locking dogs respectively carried in said additional sockets.

17. The invention as set forth in claim 15, wherein:

a) the opposite ends of the elongate socket are rounded, and

b) the opposite ends of the locking dog are rounded and received respectively in the rounded ends of the elongate socket.

18. The invention as set forth in claim 15, wherein:

a) the arcuate locking dog has a generally concave face and a generally convex face,

b) said concave face having a bevel along one edge.

19. The invention as set forth in claim 18, wherein:

a) the concave face has a bevel along the opposite edge.

20. The invention as set forth in claim 15, wherein:

a) the arcuate locking dog has a generally concave face and a generally convex face,

b) said convex face having a bevel along one edge.

21. The invention as set forth in claim 20, wherein:

a) the arcuate locking dog has a generally concave face and a generally convex face,

b) said convex face having a bevel along the opposite edge.

22. The invention as set forth in claim 20, wherein:

a) the shallow pocket of the inner strut member includes a substantially conical surface configuration,

b) the bevel of the convex face of the arcuate locking dog having a configuration which is complementary to that of the conical surface, so as to distribute load from the locking dog and thus avoid high pressure contact points between the locking dog and the inner strut member, which might otherwise tend to dent the inner strut member.

23. The invention as set forth in claim 15, wherein:

a) said release member has an internal shoulder between said shallow and deep internal pockets thereof,

b) said shoulder forming one wall of the shallow pocket of the release member, and said shoulder normally extending radially inside the outermost surface of the locking dog when the release member is disposed in its locking position.

24. The invention as set forth in claim 15, wherein:

a) said release member has an internal shoulder between the shallow and deep internal pockets thereof,

b) said shoulder forming one wall of the deep pocket, and said one wall having a tapered configuration to facilitate by-pass of the locking dog by the release member when the latter moves from its release position to its locking position.

25. The invention as set forth in claim 1, and further including:

a) means keying the release member against turning with respect to the outer strut member while enabling limited relative sliding movement therebetween.

26. The invention as set forth in claim 25, wherein:

a) said keying means comprises a pin-and-slot connection between said release member and said outer strut member.

12. A strut construction comprising, in combination:

a) first and second strut members capable of relative movement between extended and collapsed positions, said first strut member having a socket and having a locking piece which is held captive in and which is moveable in the socket,

b) a release member held captive and slidable on the strut construction between locking and release positions, said release member having a projecting shoulder adjacent to the socket, and

c) camming shoulder means on said second strut member, normally holding said locking piece in a position in said socket so as to block the projecting shoulder of said release member and prevent releasing movement of the release member when the strut members are in extended position and under load, said camming shoulder means releasing said locking piece for unblocking movement of said locking piece in said socket in response to relative movement of said strut members in a direction in opposition to the load thereon, thereby to unblock the projecting shoulder of the release member and enable releasing movement thereof.

13. The invention as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

a) said locking piece blocks the shoulder of said release member in the manner of a locking bolt.