Device for absorbing and dissipating the energy of a dropped or thrown object

A device for dissipating an initial impact energy and reducing an initial impact force of a moving object, the device comprising:

• a rigid frame, supported by a horizontal or vertical supporting structure, wherein the frame surrounds and defines a frame interior void, and wherein the frame has a frame base, multiple frame sides, and an open frame top, and wherein the frame has a frame length, a frame width and a frame depth, and wherein the frame top and/or the frame sides contain multiple perimeter connectors;
• at least one flexible, planar, mesh layer, wherein the mesh layer comprises interlaced webbing, and wherein the mesh layer has a mesh perimeter, and wherein the mesh perimeter is connected to the perimeter connectors by one or more viscoelastic ligatures;
• wherein, upon the moving object imparting the initial impact force to the mesh layer, the mesh layer undergoes a mesh layer deflection into the interior void through an impact distance and an impact time, such that the mesh layer deflection is operative to extend the impact distance and the impact time, thereby reducing the initial impact force to a lesser resultant impact force imparted to the supporting structure;
• wherein, upon the moving object imparting the initial impact force to the mesh layer, the viscoelastic ligatures cooperatively and concurrently undergo a viscoelastic elongation, whereby the ligatures are operative to transfer a first impact kinetic energy component of the initial impact energy to the frame, and to dissipate viscously a second impact kinetic energy component of the initial impact energy, and to store a first elastic strain potential energy component;
• wherein, in the course of the mesh layer deflection, the mesh layer is stretched, such that an internal mesh deformation friction dissipates a third kinetic energy component of the initial impact energy, while a mesh elasticity stores a second elastic strain potential energy component;
• and
• wherein, during a rebound of the moving object after reaching the impact distance, the conversion of the first elastic strain potential energy component to a first rebound kinetic energy component is damped by a viscous relaxation of the viscoelastic ligatures, and the conversion of the second elastic strain potential energy component to a second rebound kinetic energy component is damped by an internal mesh recovery friction of the mesh layer, such that a height and a number of rebounds of the moving object is diminished.