Absorbent Coating Mesh for Vibration Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing damping systems for reducing dynamic deformations in structures, such as those caused by vibrations, are either insufficient in energy dissipation or excessively heavy due to the mass of absorbent layers.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight absorbent coating with a dissipating mesh made from a single block of deformable material, where the nodes and dissipating elements are machined or molded in one piece, and the contact surface is covered with self-adhesive material for easy mounting, allowing differential displacements and stress modification to enhance energy dissipation through shear forces and lever arm effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a heavy absorbent layer is used to dissipate vibrational energy, then energy dissipation is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The absorbent layer is segmented into a mesh structure composed of discrete dissipating elements connected by nodes, rather than using a continuous heavy layer. This segmentation maintains energy dissipation capability while reducing overall mass by removing material from non-essential areas of the layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The absorbent layer is designed as a porous mesh structure with voids between dissipating elements, rather than a solid continuous layer. This porous configuration significantly reduces the weight of the coating while preserving the energy dissipation function through the strategically positioned dissipating elements.
2Ease of manufacture
If a monolithic elastomer plate is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but energy dissipation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The monolithic elastomer plate is segmented into a mesh structure with discrete dissipating elements and nodes. This segmentation creates internal stress concentration points and lever arm effects that dramatically enhance energy dissipation while the entire mesh can still be manufactured as a single piece from a block of deformable material.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh structure functions as a composite configuration within the elastomer material, combining rigid dissipating elements with the flexible elastomer matrix. This composite arrangement creates differential stiffness and stress distribution that enhances energy dissipation compared to homogeneous monolithic elastomer.
3Loss of energy
If a visco-constrained elastomer with metal support is used, then energy dissipation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The metal support is extracted and removed from the system. Instead of using a heavy metal backing plate, the patent achieves similar constraint and stress induction effects through the elastomer mesh structure itself, particularly through the nodes that anchor dissipating elements to the substrate, thereby reducing device complexity and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The nodes in the mesh structure serve as intermediary elements that perform the function previously requiring metal support. These nodes constrain the elastomer and create internal stresses during deformation, mediating between the absorbent layer and the substrate without requiring a separate metal support layer.
4Ease of manufacture
If the dissipating mesh is made from a single block of material, then ease of manufacture is improved, but mounting difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh structure incorporates self-adhesive material directly on the contact surfaces of the nodes, enabling the coating to self-mount to the substrate. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate adhesive application steps and simplifies the mounting process while maintaining the advantage of producing the mesh from a single block of material.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The coating achieves significant damping power with minimal added mass, optimizing energy dissipation and reducing structural deformations effectively.
Implementation Method 1
the dissipating elements which distribute the stresses transmitted by the nodes throughout the elastic material while amplifying them by a geometric effect
Implementation Method 2
the elastic material of the absorbent layer is deformed, on the one hand, by a lever arm effect caused by the knots which keep the dissipating elements away from the structure
Implementation Method 3
an elastomer plate whose upper part is previously adhered to a metal support. The lower part of the elastomer plate, opposite the upper part, is then fixed to a structure
Implementation Method 4
the dissipation of vibrational energy in the elastomer plate is increased
Implementation Method 5
the contact surface of the lower end of each of the nodes, that is to say the surface in contact with the structure, is preferably covered with a self-adhesive material
Data Source
Figure 1~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a high-damping-capacity absorbent coating (1) fixed to a structure (2), comprising a dissipative mesh made up of a plurality of dissipative elements (3) and nodes (4) whose lower end (4') is fixed to said structure (2). Remarkably, said lower end (4') of said nodes (4) being projecting from said dissipative elements (3) in order to create a free space (5) between the dissipative elements (3) and said structure (2), said absorbent coating (1) comprises main absorbent elements (6) arranged in said free space (5), said main absorbent elements (6) being fixed on one side to a lower face (3') of said dissipative elements (3) and on the other side to said structure (2),