Vibration dampening apparatus
First Claim
1. An apparatus for dampening vibrations, comprising:
- an enclosure containing a gel-like material; and
a bladder disposed within the enclosure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed are apparatus and methods used to reduce or eliminate vibration during material removal processes, such as high-speed machining. The apparatus and method are particularly useful in the machining of thin-wall or oddly-shaped structures. The apparatus includes a self-contained flexible, expandable bladder, which is surrounded by a gel-like material which is in turn enclosed in a flexible, expandable bag-like enclosure. The flexible bag material provides structural support to prevent disturbance of the work piece when influenced by material removal forces. The bladder is capable of expanding and contracting within the enclosure. The expansion of the bladder displaces the gel-like material and expands the bag-like enclosure, thereby ensuring adequate contact between the bag-like enclosure and both the holding fixture and the work piece.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus for dampening vibrations, comprising:
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an enclosure containing a gel-like material; and
a bladder disposed within the enclosure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 18)
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10. An apparatus for dampening vibrations, comprising:
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an enclosure including at least two compartments, each compartment containing a gellike material; and
a bladder disposed within each of the at least two compartments of the enclosure. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21)
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19. A method of attenuating vibration, the method comprising the steps of:
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disposing a vibration dampening apparatus in a fixture;
disposing a work piece on the fixture; and
biasing the apparatus against at least a portion of one of the work piece and the fixture to change the frequency characteristics thereof.
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Specification