Nitinol impact absorbers
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United States of America Patent
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Mar 11, 2003
Grant Date -
N/A
app pub date -
Jun 12, 1998
filing date -
Jun 12, 1997
priority date (Note) -
Expired
status (Latency Note)
Importance
Abstract
An impact absorber for protecting a protected item against damage or injury upon impact includes a formed metallic structure having at least one Nitinol member having a grounded portion in contact with a first structure positioned to engage the protected item, and an impact receiving portion. In one embodiment, the formed metallic structure includes a plurality of Nitinol wires connected together at opposite polar regions in the form of a wire-frame sphere. The wires in the wire-frame sphere may be superelastic austenitic Nitinol in a strained condition. A release device holds the wire-frame sphere in a collapsed condition and may be actuated to release the strained superelastic Nitinol structure to a deployed position at which the deployed superelastic Nitinol structure is positioned to engage and absorb energy from the protected item impacting the impact absorber.
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