Method of making a composite assembly for use between concentric sections of a torsional shaft

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF MAKING A TORSION UNIT HAVING SPACED APART INNER AND OUTER RELATIVELY ROTATABLE MEMBERS PROVIDED WITH OPPOSED CYLINDRICAL SURFACES CONCENTRIC WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID MEMBERS, AND HAVING A YIELDABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERS DISPOSED WITHIN THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN SAID OPPOSED CYLINDRICAL SURFACES; COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING A RELATIVELY THIN, FLAT, STRAIGHT, FLEXIBLE METAL STRIP HAVING FREE ENDS, VULCANIZING RELATIVELY THICK SPACED RUBBER SLABS ON ONE SURFACE OF SAID FLAT STRIP IN A ROW EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF SAID STRIP TO THE OTHER AND VULCANIZING A RELATIVELY THIN RUBBER LAYER ON THE OPPOSITE SURFACE OF SAID FLAT STRIP TO FORM A COMPOSITE UNIT HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL THICKNESS IN THE FREE STATE OF THE RUBBER SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE RADIAL WIDTH OF THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE OPPOSED CYLINDRICAL SURFACES OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERS, BENDING SAID COMPOSITE UNIT IN THE ARC OF A CIRCLE SO THAT THE OPPOSITE FREE ENDS OF SAID STRIP ARE POSITIONED ADJACENT EACH OTHER IN CONFRONTING RELATION AND SAID SLABS ARE ON THE INSIDE OF THE ARC TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR STRUCTURE IN WHICH THE RUBBER IS PRESTRESSED AND SAID SLABS ARE IN CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND PROJECT RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM SAID STRIP, INSERTING SAID SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR STRUCTURE EDGEWISE WITHIN SAID OUTER MEMBER IN CONCENTRIC RELATION THEREWITH, AND THEN FORCING SAID INNER MEMBER AXIALLY WITHIN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR STRUCTURE IN CONCENTRIC RELATION THEREWITH, WHEREBY THE RUBBER OF SAID SLABS IS AXIALLY STRETCHED ADN TENSIONED AND FLOWS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY INTO THE SPACES BETWEEN SAID SLABS AND SAID SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR STRUCTURE IS PLACED BETWEEN AND IN CONCENTRIC RELATION WITH SAID OPPOSED CYLINDRICAL SURFACES WITH SAID RUBBER SLABS RADIALLY COMPRESSED IN TIGHT FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID INNER MEMBER AND SAID RUBBER LAYER IN TIGHT FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID OUTER MEMBER.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF MAKING A TORSION UNIT HAVING SPACED APART INNER AND OUTER RELATIVELY ROTATABLE MEMBERS PROVIDED WITH OPPOSED CYLINDRICAL SURFACES CONCENTRIC WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID MEMBERS, AND HAVING A YIELDABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERS DISPOSED WITHIN THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN SAID OPPOSED CYLINDRICAL SURFACES; COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING A RELATIVELY THIN, FLAT, STRAIGHT, FLEXIBLE METAL STRIP HAVING FREE ENDS, VULCANIZING RELATIVELY THICK SPACED RUBBER SLABS ON ONE SURFACE OF SAID FLAT STRIP IN A ROW EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF SAID STRIP TO THE OTHER AND VULCANIZING A RELATIVELY THIN RUBBER LAYER ON THE OPPOSITE SURFACE OF SAID FLAT STRIP TO FORM A COMPOSITE UNIT HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL THICKNESS IN THE FREE STATE OF THE RUBBER SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE RADIAL WIDTH OF THE ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE OPPOSED CYLINDRICAL SURFACES OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERS, BENDING SAID COMPOSITE UNIT IN THE ARC OF A CIRCLE SO THAT THE OPPOSITE FREE ENDS OF SAID STRIP ARE POSITIONED ADJACENT EACH OTHER IN CONFRONTING RELATION AND SAID SLABS ARE ON THE INSIDE OF THE ARC TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR STRUCTURE IN WHICH THE RUBBER IS PRESTRESSED AND SAID SLABS ARE IN CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND PROJECT RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM SAID STRIP, INSERTING SAID SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR STRUCTURE EDGEWISE WITHIN SAID OUTER MEMBER IN CONCENTRIC RELATION THEREWITH, AND THEN FORCING SAID INNER MEMBER AXIALLY WITHIN SAID SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR STRUCTURE IN CONCENTRIC RELATION THEREWITH, WHEREBY THE RUBBER OF SAID SLABS IS AXIALLY STRETCHED ADN TENSIONED AND FLOWS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY INTO THE SPACES BETWEEN SAID SLABS AND SAID SUBSTANTIALLY ANNULAR STRUCTURE IS PLACED BETWEEN AND IN CONCENTRIC RELATION WITH SAID OPPOSED CYLINDRICAL SURFACES WITH SAID RUBBER SLABS RADIALLY COMPRESSED IN TIGHT FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID INNER MEMBER AND SAID RUBBER LAYER IN TIGHT FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID OUTER MEMBER.