Nonlinear anti-vibration compliant mechanism with inertia amplification

This paper presents a novel nonlinear anti-vibration compliant mechanism with a coupled inertia amplification (NAVCM-IA) for low frequency vibration isolation. This compliant mechanism consists of three-dimensional helical rods with stiffness nonlinearities, and an attached horizontally-installed inertia disc which performs as an inertia amplification. With this unique design, beneficial nonlinear stiffness can be achieved, which reduce the dynamic stiffness at equilibrium position and improve the vibration isolation performance at low frequency range. Moreover, the inertia amplification driven by the compliant mechanism achieves an apparent high dynamic mass and, accordingly, a low resonance frequency. The nonlinear compliant mechanism with a coupled inertia amplification is validated by experimental prototypes for their special nonlinear features. The proposed NAVCM-IA is a unique passive and adjustable low frequency anti-vibration solution in extensive engineering applications.