Shock and Vibration Mounting System for Machinery and Electronics

The Navy has long recognized the need for a truly low cost, high performance shock and vibration mitigation system. As ships are becoming more and more electric, the lethality, survivability, and mobility of a surface combatant vessel hinges on a vast array of densely packed equipment that must survive multiple shock impacts. In addition, it is further required that the transmission of vibrations through the mounts be kept extremely low during stealth mode. The engineering requirements for shock mitigation and vibration isolation tend to compete directly against one another. This has led to the development of sophisticated hydraulic and active suspension systems to meet the demanding performance requirements. Unfortunately these systems tend to be expensive, bulky, and complex. To satisfy the present need, Spectrum Research Corporation proposes to develop a new mount technology that is based on the innovative use of passive technologies coupled with semi-active technology to augment performance, and to provide a limited range of adjustability of the static properties. A novel preloaded spring implementation is proposed in addition to a magnetorheological (MR) damper unit designed to provide some tunability. The Phase I result shall include the fabrication of a prototype mount that is ready for UERD testing.