Fluidic Composite Tunable Vibration Isolators

Coupling a Fluidic Flexible Matrix Composite (F²MC) to an air-pressurized fluid port produces a fundamentally new class of tunable vibration isolator. This device provides significant vibration reduction at an isolation frequency that can be tuned over a broad frequency range. The material properties and geometry of the F²MC element, as well as the port inertance, determine the isolation frequency. A unique feature of this device is that the port inertance depends on pressure so the isolation frequency can be adjusted by changing the air pressure. For constant port inertance, the isolation frequency is largely independent of the isolated mass so the device is robust to changes in load. A nonlinear model is developed to predict isolator length and port inertance. The model is linearized and the frequency response calculated. Experiments agree with theory, demonstrating a tunable isolation range from 9 Hz to 36 Hz and minimum transmitted force reductions of 90% at the isolation frequency.