Abstract: A ball screw device and a steering system that include a retainer having more uniform stiffness are provided. Between a rack shaft and a ball screw nut, a cylindrical retainer having a plurality of retainer grooves that retain balls in a rollable manner is provided. Each retainer groove has two short inner surfaces that intersect the extending direction of the retainer groove and two long inner surfaces that intersect these short inner surfaces and extend along the extending direction of the retainer groove. In each of interior-angle portions where the short inner surfaces and the long inner surfaces intersect, a corner round surface is formed. The radius of the corner round surface is set to be smaller than one half of the width of the retainer groove.

Abstract: An adjuster for first and second print rollers carried on respective first and second supports has a first spindle extending along and rotatable about an axis between the supports and formed with a pair of axially spaced screwthreads of the same hand but of different pitches. One of the screwthreads is threaded into the first support and the other into a first nut rotatable about the axis and axially fixed in the second support. A mechanism serves for either arresting the nut against rotation relative to the second support and or rotating the nut relative to the second support.

Abstract: A boiler wall tube tool is disclosed and comprises a pair of opposed clamp members, means for securing the members to a boiler wall, and means for inhibiting ejection of the members from the boiler wall. Each one of the members comprises an aperture formed centrally therethrough for receiving securing means that is inserted through each of the apertures. Securing means may comprise a threaded bolt and a threaded nut, wherein the nut may be fixed or floating. Inhibiting means may comprise a pin having a stop formed at an end thereof, or a bolt having a threaded end formed at an end thereof. In the bolt type inhibiting means, the threaded end is threadably coupled to a nut, wherein the nut may be fixed or floating.

Abstract: A tension rod positioning apparatus and method for C-type clamps and Vises including a shaped threaded rod inserted into a shaped threaded hole on an engagement collar. When the shaped rod and shaped hole are aligned, the rod may be freely positioned within the collar. When the shaped rod is inserted into the collar and turned, the rod engages and turns the engagement collar. The engagement collar includes an external thread sized to fit an internal thread on a clamp base. In this manner, the rod may be inserted and then turned in one direction to both engage the engagement collar and increase the clamping pressure. After clamping, the shaped rod may be turned in the opposite direction to loosen the clamping pressure and disengage the engagement collar. Once the rod and collar have been disengaged by aligning the shaped rod and shaped hole of the engagement collar, the length of the rod may be freely moved within the engagement collar to reposition the clamp for the next operation.

Abstract: A heavy duty vise having a base, a fixed jaw and an upstanding boss formed integrally with the base and movable jaw which has limited reciprocating movement between the boss and the fixed jaw. A threaded hole is formed in the boss and a cylindrical sleeve with cooperating fine threads on its outer diameter extends through the hole. The sleeve extends outwardly to a handle. A rod passes through the sleeve and has a forward end on which the movable jaw is carried. The rod has coarse threads formed thereon which cooperate with coarse threads on the inner diameter of the cylindrical sleeve. The rod also has a handle extending outwardly beyond the sleeve. Rotation of the rod handle provides coarse adjustment of the movable jaw and rotation of the sleeve handle provides fine adjustment of the movable jaw.

Abstract: A clamping device which includes a fixed member, a movable member and a threaded shaft passing through the members for pressing an object therebetween. A pressing head having external threads which are finer than the threads of the shaft is placed on the threaded shaft. A pressing cap having internal threads complementary to the threads of the pressing head surrounds the head. This cap provides stronger pressing power upon the object being clamped after the threaded shaft has been moved. A relatively small bolt head formation is formed on the threaded shaft and a relatively large fitting is formed on the pressing head. A handle is provided having a relatively small socket formed therein for being removably received on the relatively small bolt formation providing torque therefore, and a relatively large socket formed therein for being removably received on the relatively large fitting providing torque therefore.

Abstract: A clamping apparatus includes two pairs of rotatable and substantially cylindrical clamping elements positioned on jaws of the clamping apparatus. One pair of clamping elements is located on a fixed jaw, and the second pair is located on a movable vise jaw. The jaws are supported on a generally rectangular base which has a pair of end portions. One end portion is a first upstanding flange formed integrally with the base. The second end portion is the fixed jaw. A two-way threaded rod is carried by the movable vise jaw and one threaded end extends through a cooperating threaded recess in the first upstanding flange. The movable vise jaw has a transverse notch located in its bottom to receive a hollow cylindrical nut which is internally threaded in a first direction. Adjacent to the cylindrical nut is a friction ring. The second threaded end of the threaded rod, threaded in the second direction, is threaded into the cylindrical nut.

Abstract: A tool holder of the two-jaw type is provided which has the centering accuracy and gripping power of a three-jaw geared chuck. The tool holder includes a body having ways formed by a polygonal passageway which is perpendicular to the central axis of the tool holder body. The jaw mechanism includes a differential screw which mates, on one end, with the body of the tool holder and, on the other end, with a pair of anvil pieces. The face of the differential screw and the anvil pieces move toward and away from the central axis of the tool holder along the ways formed by the polygonal passageway and provide the tool-gripping means.

Abstract: A tube-cutting apparatus and method for separating centrifuged materials are shown in which a resilient axial compressive force is exerted on the tube during cutting by spaced tube-holding members; and the cutting knife has flat upper and lower sides against which the severed portions of the tube are held in sealing engagement by the axial force. Independent adjustment is provided for (a) the relative positions of the tube and the cutting knife, and (b) the relative positions of the spaced tube-holding members.

Abstract: A bracing device for machine tools which is formed with a compensation unit having a housing with threaded pins arranged in the housing rotatably displaceable relative thereto with a hydraulic rotary drive being provided for actuating the threaded pins.

Abstract: The present mechanical chucking device especially for a testing apparatus, has a friction reducing layer interposed between the clamping members and a base plate and another friction reducing layer interposed between the base plate and securing elements for the clamping members, whereby said clamping members may slide within a given range along the base plate without having to release the securing elements holding said clamping members to the base plate. The clamping members are driven by a spindle movably held in a guide block on the base plate which allows an exact concentric clamping of the sample.

Abstract: A differential screw device is disclosed including a first member having a threaded bore therein, a rod having a first threaded portion threadably engageable with the threaded bore in the first member and having a second threaded portion with threads of smaller pitch than the first threaded portion, a second member having a threaded bore therein threadingly engageable with the second threaded portion of the rod, a torsion spring fixed at one end to the rod and fixed at the opposite end thereof to the second member, and a means for rotating said second member relative to said first member thereby causing the first member to move relative to the second member until resistance is encountered which is equal to the torque of the torsion spring at which time the smaller pitch of the second threaded portion will rotate relative to the second member to reduce the rate of movement of the second member relative to the first member for a given rate of rotation of the second member.

Abstract: A pressure assembly comprises a base plate, a ram and a wedge located between the base plate and the ram, the wedge having an inclined face facing the base plate or ram, the facing surface of the base plate or ram being inclined at the same angle and a screw adapted to move the wedge at right angles to the separation of the ram and base plate to alter the separation of the ram and base plate. Preferably a pair of wedges are provided, and preferably their inclined faces are oppositely-inclined. The pressure assembly may be used in conjunction with a support member adapted to be secured to a firm foundation, for example by bolts passing through bores. The assembly can be used to clamp a workpiece between the ram and a fixed member by engagement of the base plate with the fixed member and by increasing the separation of the ram from the base plate by rotating the screw.

Abstract: A workpiece is held to a supporting surface by a clamp device including a body which is secured to the surface and has a laterally extending inclined slot within its forward end surface. A gripping element is supported for sliding movement within the slot and is retained therein by a screw mechanism which is aligned with the slot and also provides for moving the gripping element within the slot.

Abstract: Control apparatus for controlling or adjusting the position of a control member is disclosed. The control apparatus includes first and second members, pivotally connected together to pivot about a point. A control member is mounted on the first member and is disposed at a first distance from the pivot point. Coarse control means operatively associated with the control member are provided for coarsely adjusting the position of the control member relative to the second member. Further, fine control means are provided for finely adjusting the position of the control member relative to the second member. The fine control means acts at an action point on one of the first and second members to pivot the first and second members relative to each other about the pivot point.

Abstract: Apparatus for clamping a workpiece or workpiece fixture in a machine tool comprising pin-type clamping elements which are insertable into the work table and engage with locking elements mounted therein. More specifically, the table has a surface adapted to support a workpiece or fixture which includes a plurality of openings and removable covers thereon to prevent chips and other debris from collecting in the openings and to prevent the loss of pneumatic pressure in machine tables of the air float type. The clamping apparatus comprises a hydraulically actuated piston mounted within the table having a central bore with means for releasably retaining one end of a locking pin. The locking pin is adapted to be inserted into the bore and in one embodiment is provided with high pitch threads which are engageable with mating threads in the piston bore.