Performance of non-linear isolators and absorbers to shock excitations

To improve the performance of a non-linear shock isolator, four different a lternatives are being considered and compared. These are (i) an isolator wi th a Coulomb damper, (ii) a three-element isolator, (iii) an isolator along with vibration absorber and (iv) a two-stage isolator. Three different typ es of shock inputs are considered as the base motion to be isolated. Three different indices are used to judge the overall performance characteristics of the isolator. Overall, it is seen that the three-element and two-stage isolators are preferable in the presence of a non-linear cubic damping. (C) 1999 Academic Press.