| 摘要 |
All-elastomer fluid-pressure-actuatable twistors have an elongated tubular wall of resilient elastomeric material extending between first and second mounting ends spaced from each other along a twist axis extending longitudinally within the twistor. The tubular wall encircles its twist axis and surrounds an elongated interior chamber. Interior reinforcing webs of resilient elastomeric material are joined to the wall. These web-partitions extend longitudinally within the chamber, separating the chamber into longitudinally extending compartments. By applying torque or other preform means in a first sense to the first mounting end relative to the second mounting end, the tubular wall and interior webs become twisted in the same sense around the twist axis into a generally helically-twisted configuration. Pressurized fluid fed into the twistor causes the tubular wall and internal webs to untwist, so overcoming the applied torque, and thereby turning the first mounting end relative to the second mounting end in a second sense opposite to the first sense. Each twistor advantageously can be molded or formed as an all-elastomer unit. Independently pressurized pairs of twistors are pre-twisted in opposite senses to form opposed pairs. When geared to a common shaft in a suitable twistor drive assembly, the opposed pair will provide for shaft rotation in either direction, the shaft being turned in opposite directions by feeding fluid with opposite unbalanced pressures into the opposed pair. Multiple twistor drive assemblies are stackable in an array so as to sum together their torque outputs.
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