Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.

Textron Innovations Inc.

Robert J Pascal

Michael Reaugh Smith

Frank B Stamps

David Williams

Taeoh Lee

David Haynes

Michael R Smith

David E Heverly, Ii

David F Haynes

David Heverly

David E Heverly

A tunable vibration isolator with active tuning elements having a housing, fluid chamber, and at least one tuning port. A piston is resiliently disposed within the housing. A vibration isolation fluid is disposed within the fluid chambers and the tuning ports. The tunable vibration isolator may employ either a solid tuning mass approach or a liquid tuning mass approach. The active vibration elements are preferably solid-state actuators.

Piezoelectric liquid inertia vibration eliminator

A system and method to control vibrations exerted on a non-vibrating structure. The system includes an adjustable variable stiffness support securely attached to both the non-vibrating structure and a vibrating structure. A driver operably associated with the variable stiffness support is configured to selectively adjust the variable stiffness support. A control system in data communication with both a sensor system and the driver includes an algorithm to determine whether adjustment of the variable stiffness support is required.

Variable stiffness support

A variable stiffness support has a support housing that is configured to adjust the orientation of an internal elastomer assembly. The support housing includes an adjustment mechanism, and the elastomer assembly includes an outer ring that encircles an elastomeric material, a central bushing embedded in the elastomeric material, and a plurality of shims embedded in the elastomeric material in a parallel planar fashion.

A tunable vibration isolator with active tuning elements having a housing which defines fluid chambers. A piston is disposed within the housing. A vibration isolation fluid is disposed within the fluid chambers. A passage having a predetermined diameter extends through the piston to permit the vibration isolation fluid to flow from one fluid chamber to the other. The tunable vibration isolator may employ either a solid tuning mass approach or a liquid tuning mass approach. In either case, active tuning elements, or actuators, are disposed in the fluid chambers to selectively tune the vibration isolator.

Method and apparatus for improved vibration isolation

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Southlake, TX, United States of America

Robert J Pascal