CENTRIFUGAL STRAIN RELIEF SHEATH FOR PROCESSING APPARATUS

摘要

CENTRIFUGAL STRAIN RELIEF SHEATH FOR PROCESSING APPARATUS Richard I. Brown Daniel R. Boggs Centrifugal processing apparatus in which a processing chamber is rotatably mounted with respect to a stationary base. An umbilical cable segment is fixed at one end substantially along the axis of the processing chamber at one side thereof, with the other end of the cable segment being attached substantially on the axis in rotationally locked engagement to the processing chamber. A flexible sheath member is carried by the umbilical cable segment with the flexible sheath member being connected to the axis and having a shank portion which extends from the axis and along a portion of the cable segment. The shank portion of the flexible sheath member has a thickness which decreases along the cable segment in the direction away from the axis. The flexible sheath member provides the umbilical cable segment with a localized stiffness at its anchor points sufficient to allow the umbilical cable segment to withstand high centrifugal forces without fracturing and without requiring other means of lateral support.