Mason Industries was started in 1958. Our first effort went toward the creation of a totally new approach to Vibration Isolation using high deflection free standing springs as opposed to traditional inadequate methods. Our more recent work includes new approaches to both seismic and bomb blast protection, architectural isolation for floating floors, walls and ceilings, and complete building isolation, always using our own designs or new methods

60 years ago (when the writer started), braided stainless steel hose had been in use for quite some time. As I remember, there were only a few major manufacturers. such as Chicago Metal Hose and Anaconda. For the most part, the smaller assemblers did not invest in the expensive equipment that forms straight tubing into the helical and annular forms, and certainly not in the complex braiding equipment. Thus the standards in the industry were maintained by the major firms. While helical hose (corrugations in a continuous helix) was still...

A vertical loop has always been a very useful and popular hose configuration and is still used in small diameters. If the radius is generous and considerably larger than the minimum bend radius. (i.e.: Hose forced into an arc less than the minimum bend radius takes a permanent set.) The configuration can move in many interesting ways as sketched. The degree of motion is dependent on the diameter, length of free hose and the radius. Hoses that are more flexible because of more corrugations per foot, will accept greater displacements...

We are all interested in product development, but it is often difficult to trace. Let us share what we have learned. When applying internally pressurized expansion joints, the designer has to be concerned with extension, compression, angular and torsional motion. Like automobile tires, rubber expansion joints are thick skinned forgiving creatures that tolerate abuse. Stainless steel is very reliable too, but only if expertly designed, properly anchored and guided. All of us have taken a strip of metal and bent it back and forth until it cracked and snapped. Multiple corrugations designed to low stresses elimiate the problem.