Abstract: Apparatus for damping vibrations of a structure such as the air frame of a helicopter wherein a spring system (1), which has an elastic wall structure forming a tube-shaped hollow body supports a weighted vibrating object (23). At least one region of the wall structure is constructed to be elastically deformable in its plane, with a spring stiffness, tuned to the frequency of the vibration to be damped. The wall structure is formed by several planar spring elements (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d), each of which can be elastically deformed in its plane by an arrangement of longitudinal strips (110a, 110b, 111a, 111b) and connecting cross pieces (120a, 120b, 121a, 121b). A battery of the helicopter can be used as the vibrating weight (23). The vibration damper containing the battery is installed at a location on the helicopter where clear structural vibrations occur in two directions perpendicular to each other and wherein the vibration damper is tuned to the vibrations frequencies in both directions.

Abstract: A mass damper for a dynamically excited part including a housing connected in a vibration-free manner with the part and a spring-mass system that can vibrate in the direction of the excitation of the part. The spring-mass system comprises a leaf-spring arrangement tensioned firmly to the housing on one side and provided on the other side at the free spring end with an inertial mass. Resonance adjustment is performed in a structurally simple and problem-free manner, solely by control interventions on the housing side and without mass shifts in the spring-mass system. The inertial mass is permanently connected with the free end of the leaf spring, and, in the vicinity of the tensioning point or at a distance from the point, a variably adjustable leaf-spring support for adjusting the resonant frequency is provided with variable tensioning geometry or internal stiffness.

Abstract: In the case of a rail wheel having a wheel disk made of plastic and a tire made of metal, these are connected with one another by way of a metallic intermediate ring onto which the tire is shrunk. In this case, the wheel disk has a conical cross-sectional profile on its circumference and the intermediate ring, which is form-locking therewith, is axially divided into two partial rings with a correspondingly partially conical interior surface. The partial rings are in a mutual force-locking connection and are glued to the wheel disk. This ensures a double safety connection between the intermediate ring and the wheel disk.

Abstract: In order to attain a cost-effective manufacturing, suitable for large-scale production, in the case of a rail wheel, and, at the same time, a high degree of structural strength, whereby the wheel disk, which rigidly joins the wheel hub (4) with the wheel tire in a fibrous composite type of construction, is made of two external fibrous composite surface layers and a characteristically light inner core, which transmits shearing force, arranged between them, the inner core is composed, according to the invention, of ring segment-shaped, foam plastic-filled fibrous composite hollow cases (22), each consisting of web portions (28), running radially between the wheel hub and the wheel tire, arranged perpendicularly to the surface layers, with an intersecting fibrous orientation, slanted at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the sections, as well as profile side walls (30), formed in one piece, on the longitudinal edges of the web portions, with a continuous fibrous structure, each evenly bonded with the inne

Abstract: A coil-shaped body is used to transmit torque between shafts spaced axially apart and with the shaft axes disposed angularly to one another. Such an arrangement is used in a bent steering column for a safety steering mechanism. The coil-shaped body is formed by winding a plastics material impregnated fiber strand around an axially extending mandrel so that the layers of the strand are in crossing relation. The crossing superposed layers form lattice bars between the crossover points of the body. The lattice rods have a radial dimension greater than the length of the strands. The angle of the lattice rods relative to the axis of the coil-shaped body is greater than 55.degree..

Abstract: A crash protection structural component is constructed as a hollow sleeve pe body which is open at its ends. The hollow body is made of at least one strand of fiber compound material formed into a netting. The netting is constructed for an irreversible stepwise take-up of energy in response to a shock load or impact, whereby the strand layers delaminate at the strand intersections or junctions of the netting as the strand layers are taking up shearing loads in response to a compression load which is applied to the component in the direction of its longitudinal axis.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tubular member, especially for safety steering columns for motor vehicles, made of wound fiber-reinforced materials. The winding angle of the fibers or fiber belts amounts to essentially .+-.45.degree. relative to the tube's longitudinal axis. For taking up high torsional moments and simultaneously low compressive and buckling or bending loads, the tubular member (1) has an expanded outwardly bulging section (3) extending around the entire circumference of the tubular member. This bulging section is preferably a double conical outward bulge. The fibers (2) cross each other at an angle of essentially 90.degree. even in the region of the outwardly bulging section (3), which means that the winding angle of essentially .+-.45.degree. to the tube's longitudinal axis is maintained in the region of the outwardly bulging section (3).

Abstract: A connecting rod has a closed bearing at one end for connecting, for exam, a piston bolt to the rod. At the other end the rod has a divided bearing for connecting, for example, a crankpin to the rod. The rod is made of fiber reinforced synthetic materials. The divided bearing is enclosed by an inner and an outer bearing bail and by the free ends of a fiber reinforced loop which surrounds the closed bearing. At the divided bearing end the rod components are interlocked in a dovetail manner. The loop is an open loop and the free ends of the loop legs extend substantially in parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

Abstract: A safety steering column assembly for automobiles, arranged to shorten under the effect of a predetermined force exerted during an impact accident, includes a steering column with a safety sleeve forming a part of the column. The safety sleeve is a grid tube made up of wound laterally spaced grid strands. Each grid strand consists of a plurality of plastics material impregnated fiber strands. The grid strands are located outwardly from and are wound angularly of and around the steering column axis. Adjacent grid strands having the same angular orientation relative to the axis are spaced laterally apart. Further, the grid strands are disposed in crossing relationship.

Abstract: A connecting rod for an engine includes a ring-shaped first bearing shell r a crankshaft and a ring-shaped second bearing shell for a piston pin. The bearing shells are spaced apart within the same plane with their axes disposed in parallel relation so that an open space is provided between their facing surfaces. A plurality of belt strands are wrapped around the surfaces of both bearing shells with adjacent strands disposed in spaced relation. Flat plates are positioned between adjacent strands and extend between the bearing shells. Thrust pieces are located between the plates and contact the plates and the facing surfaces of the bearing shells. The belt strands, plates and thrust pieces are formed of fiber-reinforced plastics material.

Abstract: Windings of fiber compound materials are produced on a core in multicourses hereby the fiber arrangement may change from course to course. For this purpose a plurality of fiber coil carriers are arranged in sequence one after the other as viewed in the direction of core advancement. The fiber coil carriers are arranged coaxially relative to the core. The coils of fibers are supported by the fiber coil carriers. The r.p.m. of each fiber coil carrier is adjustable independently of the r.p.m. of any other coil carrier. Each r.p.m. is adjusted to be inversely proportional to the desired pitch of the fibers in the respective winding course. The direction of rotation of each coil carrier is also selectable independently of the rotational direction of any other coil carrier.