Abstract: A protective device for an end portion of an underwire for a garment including a cushion tip having a proximal portion and a distal portion. The proximal portion has “an internal cavity extending over a portion of the length of the proximal portion and is dimensioned to receive the end of an underwire of similar cross-section. The distal end of the cushion tip extends from the proximal portion a distance beyond the cavity length and includes at least one portion of relatively reduced bending strength formed by reducing the cross-sectional area by way of a groove or grooves, or the like. The at least one groove provides a flexible region between the proximal and distal portions. The portion of relatively reduced bending strength can be provided by other known means such as molding the protective device with different materials of relatively different strengths.

Abstract: A clamping device connects two, axially harmonically oscillating components which oscillate, as a result of their respective plane surfaces impacting each other with a frequency ? in the form of a stationary longitudinal wave with a distance A between two nodes K. The clamping device includes an axially extending springy gripping yoke having two clamping elements. The two clamping elements are located at opposite ends of the gripping yoke. The two clamping elements are spaced apart from each other by a distance corresponding to the distance A between the two nodes K of the longitudinal wave.

Abstract: An automatic balancing device for a rotatable system includes a track (18) arranged about a rotational axis (H) of the rotatable system and having two surfaces (22a, 22b) inclined toward each other in a direction of a centrifugal force acting (F) acting on at least one balancing body (20) which is received in a cross-section formed by the two inclined surfaces (22a, 22b) and limited by an elastic locking element (24) arranged therebetween for displacing the at least one balancing body (20) away from the inclined surfaces (22a, 22b) in a direction opposite the direction of the centrifugal force (F) and for pressing the at least one balancing body (20) against an inner boundary of the track (18) for locking the balancing body (20) when a rotational speed of the system is below a predetermined threshold.