Patent ID: 7658677

Claim:
A length adjustable coaxial apparatus comprising: a first mating component being a housing having a bore; a second mating component being a shaft; and a force limiter including a tolerance ring comprising an annular band of resilient material having a strip of protrusions extending radially therefrom and a slip element; wherein the shaft is located coaxially in the bore; and wherein the band and the slip element are secured to the first mating component by fixing the slip element to the first mating component using one of gluing, welding, or pinning to prevent relative axial movement between the first mating component and both the tolerance ring and the slip element, and the slip element is frictionally engaged with the second mating component, the slip element being located between the tolerance ring and the second mating component and the protrusions extending from the band being compressed between the first and second mating components to apply a resilient radial force against the slip element so as to press the slip element into contact with the second mating component; and wherein the securing of the slip element and the band with the first mating component has an axial securing strength which exceeds an axial frictional force between the slip element and the second mating component to provide an axial slip interface between the slip element and the second mating component.