Expansion compensator for large angular movements

Claim 1

Compensator for large angular movements, comprising: a deformable bellows-shaped member, the walls of which are undulatory such as to form a series of ridges and grooves of substantially sinusoidal configuration, and the ends of which are integrally connected with sleeves; a plurality of annular members, each annular member encircling a different one of said grooves of said bellows-shaped member and each provided with two diametrically opposed projections, said projections having a centrally disposed slot formed therein and the cross-sectional configuration of each projection decreasing from the slot towards the side ends, said annular members being disposed so that a diametric plane, passing through the centroidal axis of said compensator, will pass through all said slots; a pair of flexible and inextensible means disposed in a diametrically opposite position with respect to each other and each comprising a continuous element provided with two central parallel and contiguous sections disposed inside said slots and with two curved end sections connecting said central sections, there being disposed inside said end sections means for anchoring said flexible means to said sleeves, said flexible and inextensible means providing a constraint for said compensator in order to allow the axes of the sleeves of said bellows-shaped member, subjected to an internal pressure, to form an angle with respect to each other, solely in the plane perpendicular to said diametrical plane passing through said slots, and that the axis of said compensator is disposed solely along a line having a constant curvature in said perpendicular plane.