Patent ID: 7226083

Claim:
A collapsible steering column assembly comprising; a support for attachment to a vehicle, a steering column movably supported by said support, and an energy absorbing mechanism interconnecting said steering column and said support for absorbing energy in response to said steering column moving relative to said support during a collision, said energy absorbing mechanism including an elongated element movable along a longitudinal axis in response to the movement of said steering column and a brake for variably resisting the movement of said elongated element; at least one frictional member in frictional engagement with said elongated element for frictionally resisting the movement of said elongated element and for adding to the resistance to movement of said elongated element by said brake; and wherein said elongated element is sufficiently flexible to provide insubstantial resistance to bending for allowing frictional engagement with said frictional member while retaining structural integrity for returning to a pre-collision condition.