Abstract: Force limitation in retractors is needed to avoid injury to an occupant from the seat belt itself particularly at high crash impact loads. The invention provides a seat belt retractor comprising a spool including force limiting means for allowing further payout of the seat belt webbing after the spool has locked, under the influence of an occupant's forward momentum in the crash condition.

Abstract: A retractor for a vehicle restraint system has a locking mechanism comprising an additional inertia member (7) which decouples from the webbing spool when a predetemined acceleration or deceleration force is exceeded, due to the pretensioning operation taking place, and operates a locking pawl (3) to prevent further movement of the spool. The locking pawl (3) is then positively held in the locking condition using a spring catch (9) integral with the inertia member (7), or it can be spring biased in the locking condition using a spring displacing the inertia member (7) against the locking pawl (3) once shear pins (8) have been destroyed. This prevents webbing payout in a multiple crash situation, and provides a positive indication that the pretensioner has fired.

Abstract: A handle assembly for operating a valve of the type having a valve body and a pivotally mounted actuating spindle extending from the valve body has a mounting means to secure the assembly to the spindle, a handle portion connected to the mounting means and a pivotally mounted locking member. The locking member is pivotable, either by camming surfaces on the handle portion and the locking member or by a key, between a first, locked position in which it engages with a portion of the valve body, and a second, unlocked position in which it is free from the valve body and enables the valve spindle to be rotated by the handle portion.The locking member is provided with a number of apertures which can be aligned with corresponding apertures in the mounting means and the handle portion when the locking member is in its locked position. The apertures are shaped to receive tamper-sensitive tape or wire or the shackle of a padlock, to indicate or prevent unauthorized use of the valve.

Abstract: A manlid for a tubular pressure vessel has a one-piece pressed stainless steel skin having an upwardly facing undulating annular groove and a downwardly-facing tapered annular seal groove. The lid assembly is provided with an inner reinforcing member located in the upwardly facing annular groove and an outer, annular peripheral reinforcing member located across the inner reinforcing member and having one arm in abutment with the exterior surface of the seal groove. The inner and outer reinforcing members are formed into a number of angularly-spaced lugs for receipt of conventional threaded swing bolts for securing the manlid in position. The provision of an inner reinforcing member between the pressed skin and the outer reinforcing member allows a pressed skin from a lower pressure-rated manlid to be used in a higher pressure-rated design.

Abstract: The web-locker retractor has a pair of identical clamping wedges having teeth which are shaped to penetrate the material of a seat belt in order to displace the fibres of the material and engage therewith. Upon an engagement with the belt, the teeth interfit with those of one wedge fitting between those of the other. The teeth are arranged in arrays one of which is an offset mirror image of the other. The teeth of the two arrays are inclined oppositely to the direction of belt protection. Posts and sockets on the wedges co-operate to restrain the wedges to move perpendicularly to the belt plane, against a biasing spring. Upon locking, the web locker does not deflect the belt and therefore does not have to overcome a component of the tensile load on the belt. A retractor of light construction is therefore possible.