Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.

Nippon Cable Co., Ltd.

Tamotsu Murata

Masao Mutaguchi

Yoshinobu Hiranishi

Kiyosi Kawase

Ichiro Tokumura

Koji Tanida

Takenori Otsuka

A vibration damping apparatus includes a frame having a rail member and end plates at longitudinal ends of the rail member. The frame is a hollow box-shaped element or a hollow tubular element. The rail member defines a downwardly arcuate surface. The frame is fixed on a vibrant structure. A vibration damping body is movably located on the rail member such that it can naturally oscillate thereon upon vibrations of the structure. An energy of vibration of the structure is transferred to and absorbed by the damping body so that the vibration of the structure is attenuated. By appropriately determining a radius of curvature of the rail member, a natural period of the damping body is set to be equal to that of the structure. First and second magnets are mounted on the end plates and third and fourth magnets are mounted on opposite end faces of the damping body. The first and third magnets have the same polarity and the second and fourth magnets have the same polarity. Therefore, a repulsive force is generated when the first and third magnets approach each other or when the second and fourth magnets approach each other. Consequently, collision between the damping body and the frame ends is prevented.

Vibration damping apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Tamotsu Murata