| 摘要 |
A flexible fluid conduit joint includes two or more flexible sections that preferentially bend about respective preferential bend axes of the sections. The sections each include a flexible bellows coupled at longitudinal ends to a pair of annular collars, and a pair of blade flexures or plates that are also attached to the annular collars. The blade flexures or plates prevent longitudinal expansion of the bellows, and inhibit bending of the flexible sections about an axis that is perpendicular to the plane or planes that the flexures define. Flexing of each section is thus preferentially channeled into a preferentially bending axis within or parallel to the plane or planes defined by the flexures. The sections have different orientations for their blade flexures or plates, allowing the flexible joint to act as a two-axis pivot that does not expand under fluid pressure.
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