Holds the leading edge of the plate onto the drum. The clamps, normally
closed by the force of a spring, are held open by the LEC backbone during plate
loading or unloading.
The LEC actuation mechanism is attached to the TEC backbone by a hinge. The
clamps are permanently fixed on the drum.
The main components are:
Leading edge clamps
Clamp the leading edge of the plate on the drum.
Spring loaded using a fulcrum arrangement.
The two clamps above the registration blocks are milled out to
provide clearance for the registration blocks.
Pneumatic cylinders
Actuate the backbone. 1 1/16 " x 2.5"
Clamp plate assemblies
Mounted at either end of the engine frame, support the backbones.
Cam followers on the backbone ends roll on nickel-plated angles attached
to the side plates.
The setup is the same as for all backbones. Note that the backbones
do not slide in grooves as with the 3244 engine.
Backbone reed switches
Detect the extend and retract position of the backbone. The setup is
the same as for all backbones.
For each backbone, 1 magnet at each end of the backbone, and 2
sensors on the clamp plate assembly.
Each magnet is attached to the backbone by a bracket. The brackets
are slotted axial to the drum, and the magnets are slotted perpendicular
to the plane of the backbone. The sensors are attached to the clamp
plate assemblies. They are slotted roughly in the direction of the
cylinder actuation.
