A series of concentric inner and outer rings with mating tapered surfaces (greased with a special lubricant) absorb up to 67% of input energy and return it as heat. Unlike conventional springs, Ring-springs have a uniform stress distribution over the entire cross section, which helps shrink size.
Ring-springs come in compression and tension types sized from 0.5 to 30 in. in diameter with end forces up to 1 million lb. They are made of spring steel, require little maintenance, and work at temperatures from 40 to 180F. Applications include pneumatic hammers, recoil systems in automatic weapons, buffers in railroad-car couplers, steel mill/rolling mill end stops, buffers for ferry boats, shock absorbers for heavy industrial doors, and buffers for crane end stops.
Ringfeder Corp.,
165 Carver Ave., Westwood, NJ 07675,
(800) 245-2580, www.ringfeder.com