Miniature Piezo Semi-Active Seat Damper

Military personnel on the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) may be subjected to significant levels of shock and vibration loading in the course of a military maneuver. The shock and vibration loading can interfere with crew duties and cause fatigue and distraction. Dynamic Structures and Materials (DSM) completed a Phase I development of a piezoelectric-driven dry friction miniature shock and vibration damper that is a direct replacement for the passive damper under the driver’s and team captain’s seat. Using a dynamic model and a simulated semi-active control law, the well-controller damper reduces the shock and vibration load transmitted to the seat occupant. The novel damper is very compact and represents a very simple configuration. In the Phase I effort, a simple damper prototype demonstrated a well-controlled damping force up to 250 lbf and a modulation time of less than 2 ms. This proposal describes a Phase II effort to bring the technology to a TRL 7 level for eventual insertion in the EFV.