Engine test benches

Claim 1

AN ENGINE TEST BENCH COMPRISING AN ENGINE CARRIER HAVING A FRONT AND A REAR, A PAIR OF SHORT LATERALLY SPACED FLEXIBLE STRAPS EACH CONSTITUTING A FLEXURE PIVOT, MEANS CONNECTING THE FORWARD END OF THE CARRIER WITH THE SAID PIVOTS TO PLACE THE STRAPS IN TENSION UNDER STATIC ENGINE LOAD, A CROSSED-LINK FLEXURE PIVOT SUPPORTIJNG THE REAR PORTION OF SAID CARRIER IN COMPRESSION UNDER STATIC LOAD, SAID CROSSED-LINK FLEXURE PIVOT COMPRISING THREE SPACED RIGID MEMBERS THE LOWER OF WHICH IS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TOA FIXED SUPPOR AND THE UPER OF WHICH IS OPERAIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CARRIER, SAID RIGID MEMBERS BEING CONNECTED TOGETHER BY AT LEAST TWO FLEXIBLE WEBS WHICH ARE OPPOSITELY INCLINED TO THE VERTICAL AND ARE IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP, A THRUST-MEASURING LOAD CELL HAVING TWO SURFACES RELATIVELY DISPLACEABLE BY ENGINE THRUST, CELL-SUPPORT MEANS RIGID WITH ONE ONE OF SAID TWO SURFACES AND DRIVABLY CONNECTED WITH THE CARRIER, CELL-ENGAGING MEANS DRIVINGLY ENGAGING THE OTHER OF SAID TWO SURFACES AND DRIVABLY ENGAGING THE CARRIER SUPPORT TO TRANSMIT CARRIER MOVEMENT IN THE REARWARDS DIRECTION TO THE SAID TWO SURFACES AND MOVE THE TWO SURFACES CONCURRENTLY IN OPPOSITION TO THE ACTION OF THE ENGINE THRUST.