Compliant elastomeric shock absorbing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11078983-B2
Application number	US-201816196408-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2018
Priority date	Jan 26, 2015
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A shock absorbing apparatus includes a flexible membrane defining an accumulator cavity, and a compression assembly defining a compression cavity. The compression assembly is disposed within the flexible membrane such that viscous fluid contained within the cavities may be exchanged therebetween by a damping orifice, fluid conduit and or valve mechanism. The accumulator cavity deforms in response to the application of a transmitted impact load, and is capable of storing and releasing potential energy in response to the application and cessation of the transmitted impact load.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A shock absorbing apparatus comprising:
a flexible housing substantially formed from a pair of identical fluid-impermeable elastomeric housing sections defining an interior,
a plate having a portion disposed within the interior of the housing, said portion having at least one orifice, the plate separating adjacent symmetric chambers within the interior of the flexible housing containing a hydraulic fluid that are fluidically connected by the at least one orifice, the plate further having a portion extending outside of the flexible housing;
a pair of mounting plates for connecting the flexible housing to a structure that is under load in which transmitted loads from the structure cause the contained hydraulic fluid to move under pressure through the at least one orifice to provide shock absorption, wherein each mounting plate is attached to: i) opposing ends of one of the elastomeric housing sections of the flexible housing, and ii) opposing sides of the portion of the plate having the at least one orifice extending outside of the flexible housing; and
one or more pin members disposed within the interior of the housing, each said pin member having a tapered configuration for engaging the at least one orifice in order to define a variable orifice diameter, wherein each of the identical fluid-impermeable elastomeric housing sections further includes a striker plate aligned with the at least one orifice to enable loads to be transmitted to either side of the flexible housing and in which each said pin member is disposed between the striker plate and the plate having the at least one orifice, each said pin member being coupled to a fastener extending through the striker plate.

2. The shock absorbing apparatus of claim 1 , in which the outer ends of each of the two elastomeric housing sections of the flexible housing are bonded to one of the mounting plates.

3. The shock absorbing apparatus of claim 1 , in which the at least one striker plate is made from a non-metallic, abrasion resistant material.

4. The shock absorbing apparatus of claim 1 , including at least one biasing spring disposed within the interior of the housing.

5. The shock absorbing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the at least one biasing spring comprises a biasing spring disposed within each adjacent chamber on either side of the plate having the at least one orifice.

6. The shock absorbing apparatus of claim 1 , comprising two said pin members, each pin member being disposed on opposing sides of the plate having the at least one orifice and in axial relation to one another.

7. The shock absorbing apparatus of claim 1 , in which the two mounting plates and the plate having the orifice include aligned mounting holes that enable attachment of the flexible housing to the structure under load.

8. A shock absorbing apparatus comprising:
a flexible housing having an interior and comprising:
a first housing portion comprising a fluid impermeable elastomeric section having outer ends bonded to a first base plate and a first striker plate; and
a second housing portion comprising a fluid impermeable elastomeric section having outer ends bonded to a second base plate and a second striker plate;

an orifice plate disposed between the first and second housing sections that is attached to the first and second base plates of the first and second housing portions, the orifice plate having at least one orifice in which the first and second housing portions are identical and combine to form symmetric interior fluidic chambers separated by the orifice plate, wherein impact loads to at least one of the first and second striker plates causes compression of at least one of the first and second housing portions and movement of the contained hydraulic fluid between the defined fluidic chambers through the at least one orifice in order to effect shock absorption relative to a connected structure; and
at least one pin member axially supported between one of the first and second striker plates and the plate having the at least one orifice and coupled to a fastener extending through the said one striker plate, the at least one pin member having a tapered configuration configured to create a variable orifice diameter.

9. The shock absorbing apparatus of claim 8 , including a pair of biasing springs in axial alignment with the striker plates and the at least one orifice.

10. The shock absorbing apparatus of claim 8 , comprising two said pin members, each said pin member being disposed on opposite sides of the orifice plate.

11. The shock absorbing apparatus of claim 10 , including biasing springs disposed over each of the pin members.

Assignees

• Itt Mfg Enterprises Llc

Inventors

• Kudla Christopher
• Kelly Jeffrey T
• Downing Marshall W
• Koscielniak John T
• Weisbeck Jeffrey N
• Herman Gregory
• Senneff James

Classifications

• F16F13/24 Primary

  the central part of the unit being supported by one element and both extremities of the unit being supported by a single other element, i.e. double acting mounting · CPC title

• F16F13/08

  the plastics spring forming at least a part of the wall of the fluid chamber of the damper (F16F13/20 - F16F13/24 take precedence) · CPC title