U.S. patent application number 09/953168 was filed with the patent office on 2003-03-20 for passive collision damping device.
Invention is credited to Monson, Robert J..
Application Number | 20030051953 09/953168 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25493668 |
Filed Date | 2003-03-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030051953 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Monson, Robert J. |
March 20, 2003 |
PASSIVE COLLISION DAMPING DEVICE
Abstract
A circular cylindrical container having sealed ends provides a
device for dissipating mechanical forces. The container is filled
with particulate material and has circular wheel-like structures
having rims and spokes located in the interior of the container in
which the rim circumferences of the wheel-like structures increase
as they are located further and further away from the centroid of
the container along the elongated axis of the container toward one
of the sealed ends.
Inventors: |
Monson, Robert J.; (St.
Paul, MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Mail Station U2F26
3333 Pilot Knob Road
Eagan
MN
55121
US
|
Family ID: |
25493668 |
Appl. No.: |
09/953168 |
Filed: |
September 17, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
188/268 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16F 7/01 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
188/268 |
International
Class: |
F16F 009/30 |
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A device for dissipating mechanical forces comprising: a. a
circular cylindrical container having a centroid located on an
elongated central axis; b. first and second sealed ends for sealing
said container; c. a plurality of wheel-like structures positioned
at spaced-apart intervals from said centroid and along said
elongated central axis, wherein each of said structures comprises:
(1) a circular rim that has a circumference that is proportional in
length to the distance that said structure is positioned along said
elongated central axis from the centroid of said container toward
one of said sealed ends; and (2) a plurality of spokes, each of
said spokes projecting from said rim to join with the other of said
spokes of the same wheel-like structure at the center thereof; d. a
plurality of support wires that extend between said first sealed
end and aid second sealed end and that are connected to each of
said wheel-like structures wherein each of said wheel-like
structures lies substantially in its own separate plane that is
normal to said elongated central axis, said container; and e.
particulate material in said container that partially fills said
container.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention is directed to the damping of shock and
vibration through the use of passive shock absorbing and damping
devices. Particularly the invention is directed to an enclosure
that contains a multitude of small damping particles, wherein
restrictions to the free flow of these damping particles are
provided by structures within the enclosures.
[0002] The enclosures have been filled with a multiplicity of
rollable bodies or pellets, such as tungsten carbide to provide for
shock absorption and damping. These particles typically have been
provided in smoothed wall-hollowed enclosures, either with no other
structure within the enclosure, or they have been used in
conjunction with pistons where they have react against the movement
of the piston. Many different type of materials have been employed
and the type of material could be critical for some
applications.
[0003] Examples of such prior art devices are found in U.S. Pat.
No. 3,630,047 issued to Frank Arnold Turton on Dec. 28, 1971
entitled "Cryogenic Cooling Apparatus;" U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,625
issued to Gunther Radermacher, et. al. on Feb. 17, 1976 entitled
"Vibration Damping Device Especially for Protecting Pipelines from
Earthquakes;" U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,130 issued to Wayne N. Sutliff,
et. al. on Nov. 6, 1979 entitled "Drilling Shock Sub"; U.S. Pat.
No. 5,027,715 issued to Archie S. Moore, et. al. on Jul. 2, 1991
entitled "Shock Absorbing Carrier", and U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,206
issued to Gareth D. Summa, et. al. on May 27, 1997 entitled
"Adjustable Cushion Tow Bar for Power and Free Conveyor."
[0004] Other Prior Art examples are found in U.S. Pat. No.
1,294,467 issued to John N. Hovas on Feb. 18, 1919 entitled "Shock
Absorber;" U.S. Pat. No. 2,155,052 issued to Conrad Friedrich
Byland on Apr. 18, 1939 entitled "Means for Destroying the Energy
of Mass Oscillations of Solid Bodies;" U.S. Pat. No. 2,869,700
issued to George W. Bowden on Jan. 20, 1959 entitled "Positive
Clutch with Damping Arrangement;" U.S. Pat. No. 3,456,782 issued to
John D. Miller in Jul. 22, 1969 entitled "Package for Elongate
Frangible Articles Having Wide Thin Extremity Portions;" U.S. Pat.
No. 3,899,199 issued to Raymond L. Rigaud on Aug. 12, 1975 entitled
Container for Packaging an Object;" U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,738, issued
to Fernando Novoa on Aug. 22, 1989 entitled "System of Auxiliary
Mass Dampers to Restrain the Response of Slender Elastic Structures
to Vibrations such as From Earthquakes;" U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,644,
issued to Fernando Novoa on Jun. 4, 1991, entitled "Auxiliary Mass
Damper for Slender Flexible Element Subject to Vibration;" U.S.
Pat. No. 5,306,100 issued to David D. Higginbotham on Apr. 26,
1994, entitled "Void Filler;" U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,078 issued to
Wise et. al on Jan. 23, 1996, entitled "Reusable Void Filler and
Construction Method Therefore;" Document SU-1084504A, published
Apr. 7, 1980 in the name of Briskin, et. al., and Document
SU-1392277A, dated 30 Apr. 1988 in the name of Oganyan, et. al.
[0005] In this type of damping device, collisions of a multitude of
particles that are set into motion during the occurrence of a
shock, or vibration results and translates energy applied to the
device into momentum and heat. These particles generally have a
high density and, as they are accelerated, the turbulent motion of
the particles results in energy translation from the enclosure
wherever the enclosure is engaged by the particles. The particles
thus dissipate the energy of the applied force by particle
collisions and frictional loses with the walls of the enclosure.
Spaced-apart substantially solid disks in a container filled with
particulate material to create damping are also shown in U.S. Pat.
No. 1,294,467 issued to J. N. Novak and filed Feb. 18, 1919, where
they are employed in conjunction with a piston.
[0006] Although active damping shock absorber devices have many
applications, there are many applications where the cost and
complexity of such devices is undesirable. The present invention,
by incorporating passive structures of a unique construction and
arrangement into the interior of these smooth wall enclosures,
provides structure in the interior of the enclosure that restricts
the free flow of the damping materials, thereby substantially
improving the damping and absorbing characteristics of this type of
shock absorbing device.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] A device for dissipating mechanical forces is provided by a
partially filled, sealed circular cylindrical container partially
filled with particulate material. Wheel-like structures with rims
and spokes located in the interior of the container which have
dimensional variations that substantially increase the flow
resistance encountered by said particulate material in the
container over the flow resistance encountered by the particulate
material without the dimensional variations.
[0008] In the disclosed embodiment, a circular cylindrical
container with two sealed ends has an elongated central axis, and a
plurality of structures are positioned at spaced apart intervals
along the elongated axis. Each of said structures is formed by:
[0009] a circular rim that has a circular circumference that is
proportioned in size to the distance that the structure is
positioned along the elongated axis from the centroid of a circular
cylindrical container along the elongated central axis toward one
of the sealed ends;
[0010] a plurality of substantially straight spokes, each of which
projects from the rim to join with the other spokes at the center
of the rim; and a plurality of support wires that extend between
the first sealed end and the second sealed end and are connected so
as to support the rims in planes substantially normal to the
elongated axis of the circular cylindrical container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0011] The FIGURE is a diagrammatic showing of the interior of the
invention in which wire supports crisscross at the center of the
cylindrical container along the elongated central axis to a number
of circular wheel-like structures with rims and spokes that extend
from the rims to the center of the wheel-like structures on the
elongated axis. The wheel-like structures are positioned at
spaced-apart locations along the elongated axis and have an
increasing radius from the centroid of the circular cylindrical
container to the end of the container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present invention provides an increased amount of
turbulent and chaotic interaction of damping particles, such as
graphite particles or rollable balls, or other suitable particulate
material that are well known in the art, to improve the damping
characteristics of a container for the particulate material. With
this invention, passive damping may be tuned for specific
application.
[0013] The FIGURE shows an embodiment of the invention in which two
or more support wires 40, 42 are strung from one sealed end 12 of
the container to the other sealed end 14 so they crisscross at the
centroid 46 of the interior of the circular cylindrical container
along its elongated central axis 29. The wires 40 thus form a
support structure for the circular wheel-like structures 44 which
have circular rims 30 and spokes 28 that extend from the rims 30 to
the centers 25 of the wheel-like strictures. The damping particles
24 that partially fill the container interfere with the interior
wall 27 and the wheel-like structures 44 when the container
moves.
[0014] In this embodiment, the circumference of the rims of the
wheel-like structures increase as they are located farther and
further away from the centroid 46 toward one of the sealed ends 12
and 14 along the elongated centroid axis 29. This provides a very
effective collision pattern that can be tuned to specific
applications.
* * * * *