Damper
AssigneeWaukesha Bearings Corporation
InventorFouad Y. Zeidan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A module flexible ligament damper includes an cylindrical inner structure with a central axis and an outer cylindrical surface. An outer casing with an inner cylindrical surface is positioned around the inner structure. A modular ligament with an inner flange and an outer flange connected by a web is positioned between the inner structure and the casing. The inner flange is connected to the inner structure and the outer flange is connected to the casing to support the inner structure within the casing, and to permit free orbital movement of the inner structure on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the inner structure. In one embodiment, the web is straight but does not intersect the axis of the inner structure for flexing in a radial direction. In other embodiments, the web is curved for radial flexing.
Claims20
A method of damping vibrations, said method comprising the steps of:
- a. positioning a modular flexible ligament damper adjacent a bearing, wherein said bearing is configured to engage a rotatable shaft, and wherein said modular flexible ligament damper comprises:
- i. an inner structure with a central axis and an outer cylindrical surface, wherein an inner surface of said inner structure is configured to engage a bearing such that said bearing may move relative to said damper;
- ii. a casing with an inner cylindrical surface, wherein the casing is positioned around the inner structure;
- iii. a modular ligament comprised of an inner flange and an outer flange connected by a web, wherein the inner flange is selectively engageable with the inner structure and the outer flange is selectively engageable with the casing to support the inner structure within the casing and to permit substantially free orbital movement of the inner structure on a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the inner structure, wherein the modular ligament extends only around a portion of periphery of the inner structure;
- b. allowing said modular ligament to deform based on a vibration occurring in said rotatable shaft.
A method of damping vibrations, said method comprising the steps of:
- a. positioning a modular flexible ligament damper adjacent a bearing, wherein said bearing is configured to engage a rotatable shaft, and wherein said modular flexible ligament damper comprises:
- i. an inner structure with a central axis and an outer cylindrical surface, wherein an inner surface of said inner structure is configured to engage said bearing such that said bearing may move relative to said damper;
- ii. a casing with an inner cylindrical surface, wherein the casing is positioned around the inner structure;
- iii. a modular ligament positioned between the inner structure and the casing and extending along only a portion of the inner cylindrical surface, wherein the modular ligament comprises:
- 1. an inner flange configured to selectively engage the inner structure such that the modular ligament may be securely engaged with the inner structure via the inner flange, and such that the inner structure may be completely disengaged from the modular ligament via disengagement of the inner flange;
- 2. an outer flange configured to selectively engage the casing such that the modular ligament may be securely engaged with the casing via the outer flange, and such that the casing may be completely disengaged from the modular ligament via disengagement of the outer flange;
- and,
- 3. a web connecting the inner flange to the outer flange, wherein the modular ligament supports the inner structure within the casing, and wherein the modular ligament allows a predetermined amount of relative motion between the inner structure and the outer structure in a dimension substantially perpendicular to the central axis;
- b. allowing said modular ligament to deform based on a vibration occurring in said rotatable shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.