The Beam Torque Wrench that Clicks

[SynViks]

Enter the Sturtevant "sensory impulse" beam wrench:

This beam wrench has a built in mechanism that clicks and jerks the handle when the desired torque is reached. It's not as fast to set as a clicker or split beam, but once set it's just as quick.



The handle pivots (shaded green) on a piece of metal called the hammer (red) which itself pivots on the wrench (blue). The hammer is held in place by a spring loaded pin. When the trigger finger hits the trigger it retracts this pin which allows the hammer to rotate and strike against the inside of the handle (pictures 2 and 3). This provides the audible click, the physical impulse, but it also changes the pivot point of the handle to reduce the torque being applied. Makes it hard to keep applying torque the moment after the click vs a split beam or micrometer torque wrench, since you can no longer hold the handle in the proper floating position.

So you get the advantage of having a scale that shows what torque the wrench is applying while also having having sensory feedback when you hit the desired torque. Pretty neat!

 

[Ricky Joe]

Williams made a beam torque wrench in the 1950s with that feature, although it didn’t reduce torque after reaching the preset limit. It was designated S57 Measurrench. I’ve got one, but don’t use it often. It has a ratcheting head, but only torques in one direction, and I don’t usually use a torque wrench in that range (200 ft. Lbs).