Abstract: The shock absorbing jack of the invention includes essentially a rod in which a sliding piston defines an extension chamber and which itself slides in a body by means of a piston defining a retraction chamber, the body including a throttling device and, on the side opposite the rod, two high and low pressure gas chambers, these chambers being separated by a membrane bearing, at rest, on a support with hemispherical perforated bottom.

Abstract: The invention relates to a combined bearing device for a rotorcraft rotor or a rotor equipped with such a bearing device. In the rotor, each blade is held on the hub by a flexible arm surrounded without contact by a rigid stub sleeve by a combined bearing device including a cylindrical plain angle of attach bearing, a spherical ball joint with visco-elastic element for resiliently returning the blade under flapping and drag conditions, and with an integrated damper for damping the angular oscillations of the blade under drag conditions, of the hydraulic rotation damper type with vanes for laminating the hydraulic fluid and compensation chambers for the expansion of this latter, the hydraulic damper being integrated in the spherical thrust bearing and its compensation chambers belonging to a hydraulic automatic play take-up device for the plain bearing.

Abstract: A rotary damper comprises a stator and a rotor which are co-axial, circular and cylindrical, two extreme faces substantialy transversal to the axis of the stator and rotor and disposed respectively on either side of the stator and rotor, a main chamber filled with a fluid, defined between the extreme faces and the stator and the rotor, blades disposed on the stator and rotor and dividing the main chamber is a plurality of volumes, the blades laminating the flow of fluid through the different volumes of the main chamber, and an auxiliary chamber which communicates with the main chamber. The auxiliary chamber is at least partly formed by a diaphragm which is elastically deformable and which is designed to compensate for the volume variations of the fluid as a function of its temperature, and to bring in, if necessary, a twisting stiffness in parallel to the damping function. The rotary damper finds application for example in vehicle suspensions.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for connecting an element to the end of a tube of composite material, wherein, at least at said end, said tube presents an annular cross-section of which the outer and inner contours are each constituted by a circular line or with interference of shapes, for example polygonal, and said element comprises a recess defined between two spaced apart coaxial prismatic or cylindrical walls, the annular section of said recess corresponding to that of said end so that the latter may be fitted in said element with interposition of an intercalated sleeve made of high-resistance fibers impregnated with resin or polymerizable elastomer. The invention is more particularly applicable to the production of torque tubes or power transmission shafts made of composite material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a suspension system for a set of vehicle wheels with rigid axle, said suspension system comprising, on the one hand, a longitudinal torsion tube articulated at one of its ends on the chassis of the vehicle so as to be able to pivot about a transverse horizontal axis without possibility of rotating about its longitudinal axis and fast at its other end with said rigid axle and, on the other hand, two longitudinal elastic blades which are disposed laterally each on one side of said torsion tube and of which each is fixed at one of its ends to said axle, is pivoted in its intermediate part on said chassis about a transverse axis and is in abutment at its other end against said chassis. The invention is more particularly applicable to a suspension for road tractor.

Abstract: Suspension for a two-sheeled undercarriage of a vehicle comprising two arms pivotable about an axis transversal to said vehicle, each arm carrying one wheel, and an assembly of tubes of axes parallel to said transversal axis and made of a composite material of fibers and synthetic material.The suspension according to the invention is remarkable in that said assembly comprises a first tube integral with the vehicle chassis by each of its ends, and about which tube each arm can pivot, as well as two second tubes integral by each of their ends with one of said arms, said first tube and said second tubes being interconnected in their middle part.

Abstract: The invention relates to a suspension system for a set of vehicle wheels with rigid axle, wherein it comprises, on the one hand, a horizontal and transverse torsion bar articulated so as to be able to rotate about its longitudinal axis and, on the other hand, two longitudinal elastic blades which are disposed laterally each on one side of said chassis and of which each is rigidly connected at one of its ends to said torsion bar, is fixed in its intermediate part to said rigid axle and is in abutment at its other end against said chassis. The invention is more particularly applicable to a suspension system for road tractor.

Abstract: A device comprising cyclic plates driven by flexible blades for controlling a helicopter rotor. The device comprises upper flexible curved blades pivotably mounted on the rotor shaft, above the rotary plate, and pivotably mounted by a ball joint on the rotary plate, so as to cause it to rotate with the rotor shaft and at least one lower flexible curved blade, pivoting on an element of the structure of the helicopter and pivotably mounted by a ball joint on the non rotary plate, so as to secure it against rotation. The transverse stiffness of the blades ensures centering of the plates whereas the longitudinal flexibility of the blades and their end pivot point allow the blades to follow the axial translational and tilting movements imparted to the plates by pilot controls pivotably mounted to the non rotary plate, and transmitted to levers controlling the angle of attack of the rotor blades by means of links pivotably mounted to the rotary plate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a suspension for a set of two wheels of a vehicle comprising two arms oscillating about an axis X--X transverse to said vehicle and each bearing one of said wheels, elastic means and damper means being associated with said arms respectively to counteract and dampen the vertical movements of said wheels and said elastic means comprising an assembly of two concentric tubes made of a composite fibre-synthetic resin material coaxial to said transverse axis X--X about which the arms oscillate. According to the invention, the tubes are fast with each other near the center of their length; said arms are fast with the ends of the outer tube; said ends of the outer tube may rotate at least in limited manner about said transverse axis X--X, and the inner tube is connected to the chassis of the vehicle by its two ends.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a suspension for a train of two wheels of a vehicle, comprising two arms oscillating about an axis transverse with respect to said vehicle and each bearing one of said wheels, elastic means and damper means being associated with said arms respectively to dampen the vertical movements of said wheels, wherein the transverse shaft for oscillation of said arms is itself mounted to oscillate parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The invention is more particularly applicable to improving passenger comfort in the vehicle and for improving the road-holding qualities of said vehicle.

Abstract: A bendable and twistable element having a high level of tensile strength, while remaining flexible and bendable in respect of twisting is produced by individually forming in a mould unitary layers of resin impregnated cut lengths of a continuous member, with their ends located between resin impregnated layers of fabric, polymerizing the resin, locating a plurality of the unitary layers in a further mould with the interposition, between the superposed pairs of layers of fabric, of layers of glue, setting the glue by heating and compression to form rigid end members, injecting a viscous elastomer into the middle portion of the bundle of cut lengths of the several unitary layers and curing the elastomer. The elements have particular use for connecting helicopter rotor blades to a hub member.

Abstract: The invention relates to a rotary-wing aircraft rotor.The rotor comprises a hub 1 connected to each blade 7a by a rigid yoke 8-9 gripping the root of blade 7a and a spherical abutment 17 secured at its center C to radial arms 5a, 6a of hub 1 and bearing on its convex side against the inner end of yoke 8-9. According to the invention, an annular visco-elastic shock-absorber 20, constituting a frequency-matching device, is disposed between the yoke 8-9 associated with each blade 7a and the corresponding pitch control device 24-29.The invention is of use inter alia in the manufacture of fast helicopter rotors having a hub which is very compact and can therefore be easily streamlined.

Abstract: The stringer of a rotor blade assembly is mounted on the hub plates of a driveshaft by a two pair of conically elastic studs which space the stringer from the plates. The cylindrical sleeve root of the blade shell is mounted to the hub by a resilient ball joint.