Patent ID: 7914238

Claim:
A yieldable load support, comprising: an outer tube; a plunger at least partially slidably disposed within said outer tube; and a tapered cavity formed between an outer surface of said plunger and an inner surface of said outer tube, wherein the tapered cavity is inwardly tapered away from an upper end of the outer tube; and at least one gravity-set wedging member disposed in said tapered cavity so that said wedging member is movable in said tapered cavity in an axial direction of the load support, wherein an initial downward movement of said plunger in said outer tube causes said wedging members to move in a same downward direction within said tapered cavity so as to be in a wedged position in the tapered cavity thereby causing said outer tube and said plunger to initially stably set together in a set position, and an additional downward movement of said plunger in said outer tube beyond the set position is allowed by the wedging member gouging into said outer tube and said plunger in a position below the wedged position, so as to enable the load support to remain stably load supporting while shortening the overall length when subjected to a compressive axial load after said outer tube and said plunger are set together in the set position.