Abstract A strain-free mount, for supporting an object, such as synchrostator or an optical element, relative to a base such as to allow only radial (volumetric) relative expansion or contraction and to prevent rotation or overall translation of the supported object relative to the base. This mount provides a circumferentially arranged set of thin, wide, beamlike support elements, fixedly attached to both the supported object and the base to accommodate differential radial expansion or contraction of the supported object by bending of the beams in their thin dimension, while rotation or overall translation of the supported object is resisted by the shear stiffness of the beams in their thick dimension. By suitably proportioning the beam dimensions the mount can be made to have negligible resistance to purely radial expansion or contraction of the supported object and very high resistance to rotation or overall translation. The invention herein described was made in the course of or under a contract or subcontract thereunder, with the Air Force.
A mounting device for supporting an annular member in spaced alignment with a supporting base having an annular part facing toward said member and providing for radial differential expansion or contraction of said member and base while maintaining alignment of said member and base; said mounting device comprising: a strip of one continuous piece having a base and at least twenty elongated beam elements evenly spaced along said base, said base of said strip being bonded in a ring to said annular part of said supporting base and the end portions of said beam elements being bonded to said member with an intermediate section therebetween, said intermediate section being formed of resilient material having a width to thickness ratio between 10:1 and 100:1 to produce relatively small resistance to said differential expansion of the base and member due to thinness of said elements and relatively high resistance to overall translation of the base and supported member due to the shear stiffness provided by the width of said elements.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
168 words
A mounting device for supporting an annular member in spaced alignment with a supporting base having an annular part facing toward said member and providing for radial differential expansion or contraction of said member and base while maintaining alignment of said member and base; said mounting device comprising: a strip of one continuous piece having a base and at least twenty elongated beam elements evenly spaced along said base, said base of said strip being bonded in a ring to said annular part of said supporting base and the end portions of said beam elements being bonded to said member with an intermediate section therebetween, said intermediate section being formed of resilient material having a width to thickness ratio between 10:1 and 100:1 to produce relatively small resistance to said differential expansion of the base and member due to thinness of said elements and relatively high resistance to overall translation of the base and supported member due to the shear stiffness provided by the width of said elements.