ISOLATION SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORTING AND STORING FRAGILE OBJECTS

• US 20170037928A1
• Filed: 08/02/2016
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Supporting Organization For The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
• Original Assignee: Gokm Innovations, Inc.
• Inventors: Kronkright, Dale, Curtis, Charles Lee, Chave, Robert, Bearman, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 11,242,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/05 maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents B65D81/022, B65D81/025, B65D81/03 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/07 using resilient suspension means B65D81/051 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/107 using blocks of shock-absorbing material
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/30 for articles particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/065 characterised by loading of the coils in a radial direction canted-coil springs F16F1/045
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 13/005 comprising both a wound spring and a damper, e.g. a friction damper
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/022 using dampers and springs in combination
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/04 using elastic means single elements or their attachment F16F1/00 - F16F13/00; F16F15/023, F16F15/03 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/06 with metal springs with rubber springs also F16F15/08
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 2224/02 solids
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 3/10 combined with springs made of steel or other material having low internal friction
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/01 using friction between loose particles, e.g. sand
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/10 using inertia effect F16F13/108, F16F13/22, F16F15/10, F16F15/22 take precedence; stabilising vehicle bodies by means of movable masses B62D37/04; protection of buildings against vibrations or shocks by mass dampers E04H9/0215; arrangements or devices for damping mechanical oscillations of power lines H02G7/14
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/14 of cable support type, i.e. frictionally-engaged loop-forming cables
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/30 with solid or semi-solid material, e.g. pasty masses, as damping medium in devices where rotary elements are damped by viscous shear effect only, any throttling effect being immaterial F16F9/12; where members moving with a rotating system are being damped F16F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/02 for supporting on, or attaching to, an object, e.g. tree, gate, window-frame, cycle

Abstract

According to some embodiments, a vibration-isolating system comprises a case, one or more environmental buffers, a platform suspended within the case by a plurality of wire rope isolators, a crumple zone beneath the platform and configured with one or more shock-absorbing structures, and a container assembly configured on the platform. The container assembly is operable to protect a payload comprising a flexible panel. The container assembly comprises a back panel positioned behind the flexible panel and offset by a first substantially airtight compartment, a front panel positioned in front of the flexible panel and offset by a second substantially airtight compartment, and a stiffener panel positioned in front of the front panel and offset by a third substantially airtight compartment.

Claims

1. A vibration-isolating system, comprising:

a case;

one or more environmental buffers;

a platform suspended within the case by a plurality of wire rope isolators;

a crumple zone beneath the platform, the crumple zone configured with one or more shock-absorbing structures;

a container assembly configured on the platform, the container assembly operable to protect a payload comprising a flexible panel, the container assembly comprising;

a back panel positioned behind the flexible panel and offset by a first substantially airtight compartment;

a front panel positioned in front of the flexible panel and offset by a second substantially airtight compartment; and

a stiffener panel positioned in front of the front panel and offset by a third substantially airtight compartment.

2. The vibration-isolating system of claim 1, wherein the wire rope isolators are tuned to yield a tuning ratio greater than or equal to 1.4, the tuning ratio determined by dividing a natural frequency of the flexible panel within the container assembly by a natural frequency of the vibration-isolating system.

3. The vibration-isolating system of claim 2, wherein tuning the wire rope isolators comprises selecting at least one of the following characteristics based at least in part on the weight of the container assembly:

wire thickness;

number of wires in a rope braid;

number of loops in the wire rope isolator;

loop diameter;

loop spacing;

number of wire rope isolators;

angle of orientation of wire rope isolators relative to the platform; and

/or

position of the wire rope isolators relative to the platform.

4. The vibration-isolating system of claim 1, further comprising one or more vibration-damping footings coupled proximate an outer bottom surface of the case, each vibration-damping footing comprising a mounting plate, a first cushion and a second cushion coupled to a bottom side of the mounting plate, and a damping system positioned between the first cushion and the second cushion, the damping system comprising a tray containing a quantity of inelastic particulate;

wherein mechanical continuity exists between the one or more vibration-damping footings outside the case and the platform within the case.

5. The vibration-isolating system of claim 1, wherein:

the front panel, the back, panel, and the stiffener panel each comprise one or more rigid materials, each rigid material having higher natural frequency and lower excursion properties than the less rigid flexible panel; and

the container assembly is tuned using fixed, gas-piston principles to impart the higher natural frequency and lower excursion properties of the rigid materials to the flexible panel such that the extent to which the flexible panel experiences excursions greater than 350 microns is reduced.

6. The vibration-isolating system of claim 1, wherein the front panel comprises an acrylic offset from the flexible panel by an air gap having a depth of approximately 3-10 millimeters, and the stiffener panel comprises a paper honeycomb sheet offset from the front panel by an air gap having a depth of approximately 3-5 millimeters.

7. The vibration-isolating system of claim 1, wherein the one or more shock-absorbing structures comprise one or more of the following materials:

polycarbonate, polypropylene, and/or expanded polystyrene (XPS).

8. The vibration-isolating system of claim 1, wherein the environmental buffers comprise:

silica gel tiles and/or thermal phase change tiles positioned within the case; and

microclimate control within the back panel of the container assembly.

9. The vibration-isolating system of claim 8, wherein the microclimate control within the back panel comprises:

a back board comprising a foam core board having thermal insulation properties, the back board further comprising a vapor-proof seal;

a humidity control layer comprising a silica gel felt positioned between the flexible panel and the back board; and

zeolite clay and/or activated charcoal embedded paper boards operable to absorb volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the flexible panel.

10. A vibration-isolating system, comprising:

a platform suspended in a vertical orientation relative to ground, the platform suspended by a plurality of wire rope isolators, each wire rope isolator comprising;

a wire braid arranged into one or more loops; and

at least one bracket configured to hold the one or more loops in place;

wherein at least one of the wire rope isolators is positioned proximate a top side of the platform and at least one of the wire rope isolators is positioned proximate a bottom side of the platform.

11. The vibration-isolating system of claim 10, wherein the wire rope isolators are tuned to yield a tuning ratio greater than or equal to 1.4, the tuning ratio determined by dividing a natural frequency of an object that the vibration-isolating system protects by a natural frequency of the vibration-isolating system.

12. The vibration-isolating system of claim 11, wherein tuning the wire rope isolators comprises selecting at least one of the following characteristics based at least in part on the weight of the load:

wire thickness;

number of wires in a rope braid;

number of loops in the wire rope isolator;

loop diameter;

loop spacing;

number of wire rope isolators;

angle of orientation of wire rope isolators relative to the platform; and

/or

position of the wire rope isolators relative to the platform.

13. The vibration-isolating system of claim 10, wherein the wire rope isolator(s) positioned proximate the bottom side of the platform are supported by one or more chevron-shaped structures.

14. The vibration-isolating system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of wire rope isolators comprises:

a first pair of wire rope isolators coupled proximate the top side of the platform toward the left;

a second pair of wire rope isolators coupled proximate the top side of the platform toward the right;

a third pair of wire rope isolators coupled proximate the bottom side of the platform toward the left; and

a fourth pair of wire rope isolators coupled proximate the bottom side of the platform toward the right;

wherein each pair of wire rope isolators comprises one wire rope isolator that generally faces toward the front surface of the platform and one wire rope isolator that generally faces toward the back surface of the platform.

15. The vibration-isolating system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of wire rope isolators further comprises at least one wire rope isolator coupled proximate the right side of the platform toward the middle of the right side and at least one wire rope isolator coupled proximate the left side of the platform toward the middle of the left side.

16. The vibration-isolating system of claim 10, wherein the platform comprises a first shelf portion extending from the front side of the platform and a second shelf portion extending from the back side of the platform, each shelf portion operable to carry a load.

17. The vibration-isolating system of claim 10, wherein wire rope isolator(s) positioned proximate the bottom side of the platform have a different wire thickness, number of wires in a rope braid, number of loops in the wire rope isolator, and/or loop diameter than wire rope isolator(s) positioned proximate the top side of the platform.

18. The vibration-isolating system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the wire rope isolators comprises a first bracket coupled to the platform and a second bracket coupled to a brace operable to mount the platform within a case.

19. The vibration-isolating system of claim 18, further comprising a vibration-damping footing outside the case, the vibration-damping footing comprising a mounting plate and at least one cushion coupled to the mounting plate, wherein mechanical continuity exists between the vibration-damping footing and the platform via the brace and the at least one wire rope isolator coupled to the brace.

20. The vibration-isolating system of claim 18, further comprising an impact-responsive, variable stiffness foam structure positioned through a space formed by the loops of said at least one of the wire rope isolators such that the foam structure provides an impact attenuation material between the first bracket and the second bracket.

21. The vibration-isolating system of claim 10, wherein the platform comprises a thermal phase change material encased within one or more aluminum honeycomb panels.

22. A vibration-isolating system operable to protect an object during transit, the vibration isolation system comprising:

a platform; and

a container assembly configured on the platform, the container assembly comprising;

a back panel positioned behind the object and offset by a first substantially airtight compartment;

a front panel positioned in front of the stretched canvas and offset by a second substantially airtight compartment; and

a stiffener panel positioned in front of the front panel and offset by a third substantially airtight compartment;

wherein;

a plurality of isolators suspend the platform in a vertical orientation relative to ground, the plurality of isolators tuned to yield a tuning ratio greater than or equal to 1.4, the tuning ratio determined by dividing a natural frequency of the object that the vibration-isolating system protects by a natural frequency of the vibration-isolating system;

the front panel, the back, panel, and the stiffener panel each comprise one or more rigid materials, each rigid material having higher natural frequency and lower excursion properties than the less rigid object; and

the container assembly is tuned using fixed, gas-piston principles to impart the higher natural frequency and lower excursion properties of the rigid materials to the object such that the extent to which the object experiences excursions greater than 350 microns is reduced.