Abstract
The purpose of building foundations is clearly defined and differs radically from that of providing substructures for machinery. Considerable contradiction can be found in blindly applying the principles of the former to the latter, and the results are sometimes so unsatisfactory as to necessitate the use of cushions and other yielding means, thus entirely undermining the very theory on which the foundation was supposedly built.
Vibrations arise from either lack of balance or from other causes. The proposed theory contemplates the latter, the problem of balancing being considered as capable of complete solution by suitable treatment. After briefly considering the nature of possible displacements of the foundation as acted upon by various causes leading to vibrations, the author introduces, by way of illustration, a double pendulum, a few experiments with which form the basis of his theory. Means for localizing the expected vibration and of controlling the resulting periods are then illustrated in a working sketch of the proposed arrangement.
