Impact absorbing device

Claim 1

IMPACT ABSORBING MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN TWO BODIES THAT MAY BE SUBJECTED TO OPPOSING LOAD FORCES EXERTED ALONG A DEFINED AXIS, SAID IMPACT ABSORBING MEANS BEING OF THE TYPE COMPRISING A PAIR OF COOPERATING SHEARING ELEMENTS, EACH CONNECTED WITH ONE OF SAID BODIES TO BE MOVED THEREBY TOWARD THE OTHER ELEMENT IN RESPONSE TO LOAD FORCES ON ITS BODY AND EACH OF SAID SHEARING ELEMENTS HAVING SHEARING EDGES OPPOSING AND COOPERABLE WITH THE SHEARING EDGES ON THE OTHER, AND A HOMOGENEOUS SHEARABLE MEMBER NORMALLY INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID ELEMENTS BUT ADAPTED TO BE SHEARED BY THEM WHEN OPPOSING LOAD FORCES UPON SAID BODIES ALONG SAID AXIS EXCEED A PREDETERMINED VALUE, TO THUS ABSORB ENERGY FROM ONE OF SAID BODIES WHILE PERMITTING IT TO HAVE LIMITED MOTION RELATIVE TO THE OTHER, SAID IMPACT ABSORBING MEANS BEING CHARACTERIZED BY: (A) ONE OF SAID SHEARING ELEMENTS HAVING A PORTION THAT PROJECTS RADIALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIS AND HAS A PAIR OF SURFACES THAT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER AND TO SAID AXIS, AND ANOTHER SURFACE THAT EXTENDS OBLIQUELY TO SAID AXIS AND INTERSECTS SAID PARALLEL SURFACES TO DEFINE THE SHEARING EDGES ON SAID ONE ELEMENT; (B) SAID SHEARABLE MEMBER HAVING A SURFACE DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY TO SAID AXIS SO THAT DURING SHEARING THEREOF SAID PORTION OF SAID ONE SHEARING ELEMENT HAS STEADILY INCREASING ENGAGEMENT OF ITS PARALLEL SURFACES WITH THE SHEARABLE MEMBER; AND