Type of Submission
Poster
Keywords
Mechanics, Vibration, Mount, Prototype, Stiffness, Isolation, Finite Element Analysis, Fourier, Static, Dynamic
Proposal
In the mounting of mechanical systems, vibration isolation may be helpful to enhance the durability and/or comfort of nearby people. Isolation results from low-stiffness mounting, which may have the undesirable byproduct of large-amplitude motion. This project proposes physical prototyping of a nonlinear mount concept which obtains excellent vibration isolation through quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) mounts while maintaining resistance to large motion. The operating principle of these mounts involves large deflections, so candidate 3D printable rubber-like elastomers were selected. Material characterization tests were conducted to provide nonlinear material properties to the finite element (FE) models used in mount design and analysis which predict the desired multi-regime stiffness profile.
Physical mount prototypes were then printed and subjected to static and dynamic stiffness testing. Design success criteria include relatively high stiffness under no preload, very low stiffness under a specified preload value, and a smooth force-deflection behavior. Additional features such as an overload stopper were also considered. The prototype mount performance successfully achieved the desired stiffness profile, and additional issues were uncovered related to the effects of damping. More advanced designs and a more thorough investigation of damping are suggested for future work.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Publication Date
2023
Design and Fabrication of Quasi-Zero Stiffness Mount Prototypes
In the mounting of mechanical systems, vibration isolation may be helpful to enhance the durability and/or comfort of nearby people. Isolation results from low-stiffness mounting, which may have the undesirable byproduct of large-amplitude motion. This project proposes physical prototyping of a nonlinear mount concept which obtains excellent vibration isolation through quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) mounts while maintaining resistance to large motion. The operating principle of these mounts involves large deflections, so candidate 3D printable rubber-like elastomers were selected. Material characterization tests were conducted to provide nonlinear material properties to the finite element (FE) models used in mount design and analysis which predict the desired multi-regime stiffness profile.
Physical mount prototypes were then printed and subjected to static and dynamic stiffness testing. Design success criteria include relatively high stiffness under no preload, very low stiffness under a specified preload value, and a smooth force-deflection behavior. Additional features such as an overload stopper were also considered. The prototype mount performance successfully achieved the desired stiffness profile, and additional issues were uncovered related to the effects of damping. More advanced designs and a more thorough investigation of damping are suggested for future work.
