Multi-piece flexural pivot

摘要

A flexural pivot assembly which reduces the number of component parts to five and reduces the number of operations in the manufacturing process is disclosed. The component parts include two sleeves, one inner flexure, one outer flexure, and one slotted tubular core that may be coated with a suitable bonding material. The core has a slotted end and an unslotted end and includes two pairs of diametrically opposed flexure slots each having substantially the same length as a side of a flexure so that the interlocked flexures can slide into the slotted end of the tubular core until they abut an end of the flexure slots and, at the same time, be positioned flush with the slotted end. The core further includes a pair of diametrically opposed travel slots. During a method of manufacturing the flexural pivot assembly, after the flexures are inserted into the tubular core, the sleeves are slid over the core until one sleeve is located at the end of the flexure slots and the second sleeve is flush with the slotted end, thus leaving a small gap between the sleeves. The assembly is then heated until the bonding material bonds the components together. Alternatively, the assembly may be welded together. After bonding or welding, the unslotted section of the core is then cut off.