Impact forming apparatus

Claim 1

IN A HIGH VELOCITU IMPACT APPARATUS, THE COMBINATION OF: A SUPPORT STRUCTURE; A PLATEN CARRIED BY THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT A WORKPIECE; AN IMPACT BODY POSITIONED TO COOPERATE WITH THE PLATEN FOR FORMING THE WORKPIECE; A FREE PISTON FOR IMPACT ACTION AGAINST THE IMPACT BODY, THE MASS OF THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE BEING SEVERAL TIMES THE MASS OF THE FREE PISTON WITH FREEDOM FOR THE FREE PISTON TO TRAVEL A SUBSTANTIAL DISTACNE BEFORE TRANSMITTING ENERGY TO THE IMPACT BODY; MEANS TO APPLY ABRUPT HIGH FLUID PRESSURE BETWEEN THE FREE PISTON AND THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE TO DRIVE THE FREE PISTON OVER SAID DISTANCE WITH CONSEQUENT RAPID ACCELERATION OF THE FREE PISTON TO HIGH VELOCITY AND CORRESPONDING DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH KINETIC ENERGY IN THE FREE PISTON WITH RELATIVELY LITTLE REACTION DISPLACEMENT OF THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE; AND RESILIENT YIELDING MEANS BETWEEN THE FREE PISTON AND THE IMPACT BODY TO PROLONG THE ACCELERATION OF THE IMPACT BODY BY THE FREE PISTON AND TO ACT IN COMPRESSION TO MOMENTARILY STORE A PORTION OF THE KINETIC ENERGY FROM THE FREE PISTIN, THE POSITION OF SAID IMPACT BODY RELATIVE TO THE WORKPIECE BEING VARIABLE WHEREBY THE IMPACT BODY MAY BE ACCELERATED ABRUPTLY BY SPACING THE IMPACT BODY AWAY FROM THE POINT OF INITIAL ENERGY TRANSFER TO THE WORKPIECE TO PERMIT SUBSTANTIAL ACCELERATION OF THE IMPACT BODY BEFORE IT EFFECTS THE WORKPIECE OR THE IMPACT BODY MAY BE ACCELERATED MORE GRADUALLY BY PLACING THE IMPACT BODY CLOSER TO SAID POINT OR IMPARTING ENERGY TO THE WORKPIECE BEFORE THE IMPACT BODY IS SUBSTANTIALLY ACCELERATED.