Patent ID: 6886484

Claim:
A slim-geometry high-strength terminal system for transferring tensile loads carried by a composite tension rod from an end of the rod to a terminal fitting that includes an annular shank with a sleeve portion at its distal end, or from said fitting to said rod, said shank sleeve having an interior bore, one end of said composite tension rod extending into the entry end of the bore and along the bore and ending at or near the inner end of the bore, the wall of the shank sleeve being tapered, continuously or in steps, from a small wall thickness and cross-sectional area at the entry end of the bore to increasing wall thicknesses and cross-sectional areas at increasing depths within the bore, said rod being tapered, continuously or in steps, from minimum cross-section at its end to its full entry-end cross-section at a given distance from said end, said rod and said shank sleeve being spaced from each other throughout the length of said bore, said spacing being filled by a cured potting resin to form a resin layer between said rod and said wall of said sleeve, said resin layer and said rod being secured to each other against relative longitudinal movement, said resin and said shank sleeve also being secured to each other against relative longitudinal movement.