Compact Vibration Damper

NASA’s Langley Research Center has developed a compact tuned damper to reduce vibration occurring at a fixed frequency. Tuned dampers reduce vibration of the base structure by the dissipation of energy. The magnitude of the dissipated energy is proportional to the square of the displacement or velocity of the tuned mass, which in turn is proportional to the range of motion. The NASA damper design allows the slider mass to achieve 2× to 3× greater range of motion than that found in conventional devices. This enables 4× to 9× more effectiveness for the same size and weight; or the same effectiveness for a 4× to 9× decrease in weight. The damper is also tunable and can be adjusted in effectiveness. The damper can be made small enough for use in wind tunnel tests, or scaled up to large sizes like those used in helicopters, wind turbines, or skyscrapers.