US 5,710,396 AGranted

Energy-dissipating vibration damping structure

OwnerLynn C. Rogersinventor

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Abstract

The invention is an improved apparatus for damping a wide range of oscillatory or wave motions in a plate, beam, shell or skin. The apparatus includes linearly-extending triangular hinged flexures in the form of spaced apart V-shaped spacer elements with the V substantially normal to the surface of the damped member, each flexure having two substantially rigid legs and a hinge flexure and a body portion adjacent the vertex of the V. An elongated substantially extensionally stiff constraining member is positioned in an offset, substantially parallel relationship to the surface of the damped member. A damping layer of a energy-dissipating viscoelastic material (VEM) connects the body portions of the hinged flexures to the constraining member. One or more of the spacer elements may have a lever attached to its body portion, the lever amplifying motion induced in its flexure toward the distal end of the lever. Multiple laterally-offset assemblies of spacer elements having motion amplifying levers, constraining members and VEM can be placed alongside one another in an offset parallel relationship with the levers being offset longitudinally and/or extending in opposite directions to dampen a wide range of short or long wave vibrations.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An apparatus for damping vibrations and wave motions of an elongated structure member having an extended surface, said damping occurring between said structure member and an elongated extensionally stiff constraining member having an extended surface offset laterally from and substantially parallel to said structure member extended surface, said damping apparatus comprising:

a triangle comprising first and second extensionally stiff legs joined at a first hinge flexure, at least one of which first and second legs has a body portion adjacent the first hinge flexure;
distal ends of said first and second legs being connected by means of second and third hinge flexures respectively to a given length of one of said extended surfaces, whereby said given length constitutes a third leg of said triangle;
the triangle extending between and interconnecting the structure member and the constraining member and serving to transmit motion due to vibrations in said structure member relative to said constraining member;
at least one standoff having one end fastened to the extended surface of that member to which said second and third hinge flexures are connected and the opposite end of said standoff having a body portion remote from said one end, said standoff being generally aligned with and located remote from said triangle along the extended surface to which the triangle is attached;
that member other than the member to which the standoff is fastened spanning and interconnecting the triangle body portion with said standoff body portion;
and,
at least one oscillatory energy-dissipating mechanism connecting at least one of said body portions to the member spanning said portions.

4 more elements

A damping apparatus for a structure member having an extended surface subject to wave motions or flexural vibrations, comprising:

at least two essentially aligned, linearly-extending spaced apart V-shaped spacer elements each having two substantially rigid legs and a body portion adjacent to the vertex on the V, each leg having two ends, one end of each leg being flexurally attached to one end of the other leg at the vertex to form the V-shape, the V being oriented substantially normal to the surface of the structure member;
an elongated substantially rigid constraining member spanning said at least two spacer elements, said constraining member being positioned in a laterally-offset relation substantially parallel to the surface of the structure member;
an energy-dissipating mechanism connecting the body portions of the spacer elements to one of the structure or constraining members, and;
the ends of the legs opposite the vertex being flexurally affixed to the other of said structure or constraining members.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.