System for absorbing torsional and/or bending vibrations

A system for absorbing bending vibration in a shaft which is drivingly rotated about an axis and wherein the shaft is exposed to bending disturbances during rotation and wherein the disturbances are substantially regularly spaced throughout each revolution of the shaft, the system comprising:

• means defining at least one cavity of circular cross section and having walls, a center and a radius for rotating with a rotating shaft as the shaft rotates about its axis of shaft rotation, the at least one cavity having a longitudinal axis and being substantially linear in form as a path is traced along its longitudinal axis and arranged in such a relation to the shaft so that a circular cross section can be taken through the at least one cavity wherein the circular cross section is arranged in a plane containing the axis of shaft rotation;
• a round rolling element having a radius and being positioned within the at least one cavity so as to be free to roll along the walls of the at least one cavity in a pendulum action in response to the bending disturbances to which the shaft is exposed;
• and
• wherein the round rolling element is shaped relative to the at least one elongated cavity so that the movement of the rolling element relative to the at least one cavity is substantially confined to rolling movement along the at least one cavity in a pendulum action about the longitudinal axis of the cavity and is related to the at least one cavity and to the bending disturbances desired to be absorbed by the system in accordance with the equation:
• N.sup.2 =r.sub.w.sup.2 r.sub.3 /[(r.sub.g.sup.2 +r.sub.w.sup.2)(r.sub.1 -r.sub.w)]
• wherein N is within about .+-.15% of the number of bending disturbances per revolution of the shaft, r.sub.w is the radius of the round rolling element as measured between its center and its point of contact with the walls of the at least one cavity, r.sub.g is the radius of gyration of the round rolling element about its mass center, r.sub.1 is the radius of the at least one cavity, and r.sub.3 is the radial distance of the center of the at least one cavity from the axis of shaft rotation.

A system for absorbing vibrations in a shaft which is drivingly rotated about an axis and wherein the shaft is exposed to torsional and bending disturbances during rotation and wherein each of the torsional and bending disturbances are substantially regularly spaced throughout each revolution of the shaft, the system comprising:

• means defining at least one cavity of circular cross section and having walls, a radius and a center for rotating with a rotating shaft as the shaft rotates about its axis of shaft rotation, the at least one cavity being arranged in such a relation to the shaft so that one circular cross section can be taken through the at least one cavity which is arranged in a plane containing the axis of shaft rotation and another circular cross section can be taken through the at least one cavity in a plane which is oriented substantially perpendicular to the axis of shaft rotation;
• a round rolling element having a radius and being positioned within the at least one cavity so as to be free to roll along the walls of the at least one cavity in a pendulum action in response to the torsional and bending disturbances to which the shaft is exposed;
• and
• wherein the round rolling element is related to the at least one cavity and to either the torsional disturbances or the bending disturbances desired to be absorbed by the system in accordance with the equation:
• N.sup.2 =r.sub.w.sup.2 r.sub.3 /[(r.sub.g.sup.2 +r.sub.w.sup.2)(r.sub.1 -r.sub.w)]
• wherein N is within about .+-.15% of the number of torsional or bending disturbances per revolution of the shaft, r.sub.w is the radius of the round rolling element as measured between its center and its point of contact with the walls of the at least one cavity, r.sub.g is the radius of gyration of the round rolling element about its mass center, r.sub.1 is the radius of the at least one cavity, and r.sub.3 is the radial distance of the center of the at least one cavity from the axis of shaft rotation.

A system for absorbing bending and torsional vibration in a shaft which is drivingly rotated about an axis and wherein the shaft is exposed to disturbances which tend to cyclically bend the shaft during rotation thereof and which tend to cyclically increase and decrease the rotational speed of the shaft, the system comprising:

• means defining at least one spherical cavity having interior walls for rotating with a rotating shaft as the shaft rotates about its axis of shaft rotation;
• a spherical rolling element having a radius and positioned within the at least one spherical cavity so as to be free to roll along the interior walls of the at least one spherical cavity in a pendulum action upon exposure of the shaft to bending or torsional disturbances during rotation;
• and
• wherein the spherical rolling element is related to the at least one spherical cavity and to the bending or torsional disturbances desired to be absorbed by the system in accordance with the equation:
• N.sup.2 =r.sub.w.sup.2 r.sub.3 /[(r.sub.g.sup.2 +r.sub.w.sup.2)(r.sub.1 -r.sub.w)]
• wherein N is within about .+-.15% of the number of bending or torsional disturbances per revolution of the shaft, r.sub.w is the radius of the spherical rolling element, r.sub.g is the radius of gyration of the spherical rolling element about its mass center, r.sub.1 is the radius of the at least one spherical cavity, and r.sub.3 is the radial distance of the center of the at least one spherical cavity from the axis of shaft rotation.