Tunable passive vibration suppressor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9512894-B2
Application number	US-201313851730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2013
Priority date	Oct 8, 2012
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus and method for vibration suppression using a granular particle chain. The granular particle chain is statically compressed and the end particles of the chain are attached to a payload and vibration source. The properties of the granular particles along with the amount of static compression are chosen to provide desired filtering of vibrations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vibration suppressor for suppressing vibrations between a payload and a vibration source, wherein the vibration suppressor comprises:
a holder comprising a cylinder containing a continuous chain of granular particles,
wherein the chain has a first chain particle located at a first end of the chain and a last chain particle located at another end of the chain, and
wherein the granular particles comprise elastic spheres and the cylinder has a diameter larger than a dilated diameter of each sphere under static compression;
a first piston having a first piston proximal end and a first piston distal end, wherein the first piston proximal end contacts the first chain particle and wherein the first piston distal end is configured to couple to the payload; and
a second piston having a second piston proximal end and a second piston distal end, wherein the second piston proximal end contacts the last chain particle and wherein the second piston distal end is configured to couple to the vibration source, and
wherein the first piston and second piston are movable longitudinally along the holder in order to apply and adjust the static compression to the continuous chain of granular particles, and
wherein a particle radius and material type of the granular particles and the static compression are based on a cutoff frequency for vibration suppression.

2. The vibration suppressor according to claim 1 , wherein the cylinder has a first cylinder end located proximate the first chain particle and a second cylinder end located proximate the last chain particle.

3. The vibration suppressor according to claim 2 , further comprising
a first end cap engaging the first cylinder end, wherein a portion of the first piston extends through the first end cap and the first piston distal end is located outside of the cylinder, and
a second end cap engaging the second cylinder end, wherein a portion of the second piston extends through the second end cap and the second piston distal end is located outside of the cylinder.

4. The vibration suppressor according to claim 3 , further comprising one of the following three spring configurations:
a first spring configuration comprising a first piston spring located between the first end cap and the first piston proximal end and a second piston spring located between the second end cap and the second piston proximal end;
a second spring configuration comprising a first piston spring located between the first end cap and the first piston proximal end; and
a third spring configuration comprising a second piston spring located between the second end cap and the second piston proximal end,
wherein compression of the spring configuration alters a longitudinal position of at least one of the first piston and the second piston to adjust the static compression.

5. The vibration suppressor according to claim 4 , wherein the compression of the spring configuration is achieved by one of the following three end cap configurations:
a first end cap configuration, wherein the first end cap has threads and the first cylinder end has complementary threads and the first end cap adjustably threads onto the first cylinder end to adjust the static compression applied to the chain of granular particles;
a second end cap configuration, wherein the second end cap has threads and the second cylinder end has complementary threads and the second end cap adjustably threads onto the second cylinder end to adjust the static compression applied to the chain of granular particles; and,
a third end cap configuration, wherein the first end cap has threads and the first cylinder end has threads complementary to the first end cap threads and the first end cap adjustably threads onto the first cylinder end to adjust the static compression applied to the chain of granular particles and wherein the second end cap has threads and the second cylinder end has threads complementary to the second end cap threads and the second end cap adjustably threads onto the second cylinder end to adjust the static compression applied to the chain of granular particles.

6. The vibration suppressor according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic spheres comprise polyurethane spheres.

7. The vibration suppressor according to claim 1 , wherein the cylinder comprises one or more vent holes extending through a wall of the cylinder from a cylinder exterior to a cylinder interior.

8. A vibration suppression system comprising:
a supporting base;
a payload attachment structure;
a plurality of vibration suppressors coupling the supporting base to the payload attachment structure, wherein at least one of the vibration suppressors comprises a tunable vibration suppressor comprising:
a holder comprising a cylinder containing a continuous chain of granular particles,
wherein the chain has a first chain particle located at a first end of the chain and a last chain particle located at another end of the chain, and
wherein the granular particles comprise elastic spheres and the cylinder has a diameter larger than a dilated diameter of each sphere under static compression;

a first piston having a first piston proximal end and a first piston distal end, wherein the first piston proximal end contacts the first chain particle and wherein the first piston distal end is configured to couple to the payload attachment structure; and
a second piston having a second piston proximal end and a second piston distal end, wherein the second piston proximal end contacts the last chain particle and wherein the second piston distal end is configured to couple to the supporting base, and
wherein the first piston and second piston are movable longitudinally along the holder in order to apply and adjust the static compression to the continuous chain of granular particles, and
wherein a particle radius and material type of the granular particles and the static compression are based on a cutoff frequency for vibration suppression.

9. The vibration suppression system according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of vibration suppressors comprises a total of three pairs of tunable vibration suppressors and wherein each pair of tunable vibration suppressors comprises two tunable vibration suppressors that are positioned non-parallel with each other.

10. The vibration suppression system according to claim 9 , wherein the first piston distal end of a first tunable vibration suppressor of a first pair of tunable vibration suppressors couples to the payload attachment structure proximate to the first piston distal end of a second tunable vibration suppressor of the first pair of tunable vibration suppressors and wherein the second piston distal end of the first tunable vibration suppressor of the first pair of tunable vibration suppressors couples to the supporting base proximate to the second piston distal end of a tunable vibration suppressor of a second pair of vibration suppressors and wherein the second piston distal end of the second tunable vibration suppressor of the first pair of tunable vibration suppressors couples to the supporting base proximate to the second piston distal end of a tunable vibration suppressor of a third pair of vibration suppressors.

11. The vibration suppression system according to claim 10 , further comprising one or more ball joints wherein at least one ball joint couples one of the piston distal ends of the tunable vibration suppressors to the supporting base or spacecraft attachment structure.

12. The vibration suppression system according to claim 8 , wherein the supporting base or the payload attachment structure has a ring shape.

13. The vibration suppressor of clai

Assignees

• California Inst Of Techn

Inventors

• Boechler Nicholas
• Dillon Robert Peter
• Daraio Chiara
• Davis Gregory L
• Shapiro Andrew A
• Borgonia John Paul C
• Kahn Daniel Louis

Classifications

• F16F1/374 Primary

  having a spherical or the like shape · CPC title

• F16F3/0876

  and of the same shape · CPC title

• F16F9/303

  the damper being of the telescopic type · CPC title

• F16F1/445

  the spring material being contained in a generally closed space (F16F1/393 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49

  Method of mechanical manufacture · CPC title