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US 12,760,778 B2Granted
Methods and devices for absorbing energy
AssigneeWilliam Marsh Rice University
InventorsDarel Hodgson, Mohammad Salehi Najafabadi, Reginald Desroches
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Abstract
A damping device includes a superelastic element made of an austenitic shape memory alloy and an energy-absorbing element adjacent to the superelastic element, wherein the energy-absorbing element is made of a material selected from a shape memory alloy, a malleable metal or alloy, and a viscoelastic polymer, and wherein deformation of the energy-absorbing element is restrained by the superelastic element.
Claims14
A damping device, comprising:
- a superelastic element made of an austenitic shape memory alloy;
- and
- an energy-absorbing element adjacent to the superelastic element, wherein the energy-absorbing element is made of a material selected from the group consisting of a shape memory alloy, a malleable metal or alloy, and a viscoelastic polymer,
- wherein the superelastic element is a first ring, and the energy-absorbing element is a second ring,
- wherein second ring is fitted inside the first ring, such that the first ring surrounds and encloses the second ring,
- wherein the device is connected to a structure via two or more connecting bodies extending outwardly from the device in multiple different directions, and
- wherein deformation of the energy-absorbing element is restrained by the superelastic element.
4 more elements
A damping device, comprising:
- a superelastic element made of an austenitic shape memory alloy;
- and
- an energy-absorbing element adjacent to the superelastic element,
- wherein the energy-absorbing element is made of a material selected from the group consisting of a shape memory alloy, a malleable metal or alloy, and a viscoelastic polymer,
- wherein the superelastic element and the energy-absorbing element have elongate bodies, and wherein the superelastic element and the energy-absorbing element are attached at two spaced apart locations,
- wherein the elongate bodies are tubes, and
- wherein deformation of the energy-absorbing element is restrained by the superelastic element.
4 more elements
A damping device, comprising:
- a first superelastic element;
- and
- a second superelastic element restrained by the first superelastic element;
- wherein the first and second superelastic elements are made of austenitic shape memory alloys,
- wherein one of the first superelastic element and second superelastic element is under an initial strain of at least 1 percent and the other of the first superelastic element and the second superelastic element is under an initial oppositely-signed strain of at least 1 percent, and
- wherein the first superelastic element and the second superelastic element have elongate bodies that are attached together in at least two spaced apart locations, wherein the initial strain and the initial oppositely-signed strain are in one of a tension regime or a bending regime.
3 more elements
A method of making a damping device, comprising:
- fabricating a first element from a first austenitic shape memory alloy;
- fabricating a second element from a material selected from the group consisting of a martensitic shape memory alloy, a second austenitic shape memory alloy, a malleable metal or alloy, and a viscoelastic polymer;
- assembling the first and second elements together, such that deformation of the second element is restrained by the first element;
- and
- assembling a third element to the second element, wherein the third element is made of a superelastic shape memory alloy.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.