Tunable passive vibration suppressor

Claim 2

A vibration suppressor for suppressing vibrations between a payload and a vibration source, wherein the vibration suppressor comprises: a holder comprising a cylinder containing a continuous chain of granular particles, wherein the chain has a first chain particle located at a first end of the chain and a last chain particle located at another end of the chain, and wherein the granular particles comprise elastic spheres and the cylinder has a diameter larger than a dilated diameter of each sphere under static compression; a first piston having a first piston proximal end and a first piston distal end, wherein the first piston proximal end contacts the first chain particle and wherein the first piston distal end is configured to couple to the payload; and a second piston having a second piston proximal end and a second piston distal end, wherein the second piston proximal end contacts the last chain particle and wherein the second piston distal end is configured to couple to the vibration source, and wherein the first piston and second piston are movable longitudinally along the holder in order to apply and adjust the static compression to the continuous chain of granular particles, and wherein a particle radius and material type of the granular particles and the static compression are based on a cutoff frequency for vibration suppression.

Claim 3

The vibration suppressor according to claim 1 , wherein the cylinder has a first cylinder end located proximate the first chain particle and a second cylinder end located proximate the last chain particle.

Claim 4

The vibration suppressor according to claim 2 , further comprising a first end cap engaging the first cylinder end, wherein a portion of the first piston extends through the first end cap and the first piston distal end is located outside of the cylinder, and a second end cap engaging the second cylinder end, wherein a portion of the second piston extends through the second end cap and the second piston distal end is located outside of the cylinder.

Claim 5

The vibration suppressor according to claim 3 , further comprising one of the following three spring configurations: a first spring configuration comprising a first piston spring located between the first end cap and the first piston proximal end and a second piston spring located between the second end cap and the second piston proximal end; a second spring configuration comprising a first piston spring located between the first end cap and the first piston proximal end; and a third spring configuration comprising a second piston spring located between the second end cap and the second piston proximal end, wherein compression of the spring configuration alters a longitudinal position of at least one of the first piston and the second piston to adjust the static compression.

Claim 6

The vibration suppressor according to claim 4 , wherein the compression of the spring configuration is achieved by one of the following three end cap configurations: a first end cap configuration, wherein the first end cap has threads and the first cylinder end has complementary threads and the first end cap adjustably threads onto the first cylinder end to adjust the static compression applied to the chain of granular particles; a second end cap configuration, wherein the second end cap has threads and the second cylinder end has complementary threads and the second end cap adjustably threads onto the second cylinder end to adjust the static compression applied to the chain of granular particles; and, a third end cap configuration, wherein the first end cap has threads and the first cylinder end has threads complementary to the first end cap threads and the first end cap adjustably threads onto the first cylinder end to adjust the static compression applied to the chain of granular particles and wherein the second end cap has threads and the second cylinder end has threads complementary to the second end cap threads and the second end cap adjustably threads onto the second cylinder end to adjust the static compression applied to the chain of granular particles.

Claim 7

The vibration suppressor according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic spheres comprise polyurethane spheres.

Claim 8

The vibration suppressor according to claim 1 , wherein the cylinder comprises one or more vent holes extending through a wall of the cylinder from a cylinder exterior to a cylinder interior.

Claim 9

A vibration suppression system comprising: a supporting base; a payload attachment structure; a plurality of vibration suppressors coupling the supporting base to the payload attachment structure, wherein at least one of the vibration suppressors comprises a tunable vibration suppressor comprising: a holder comprising a cylinder containing a continuous chain of granular particles, wherein the chain has a first chain particle located at a first end of the chain and a last chain particle located at another end of the chain, and wherein the granular particles comprise elastic spheres and the cylinder has a diameter larger than a dilated diameter of each sphere under static compression; a first piston having a first piston proximal end and a first piston distal end, wherein the first piston proximal end contacts the first chain particle and wherein the first piston distal end is configured to couple to the payload attachment structure; and a second piston having a second piston proximal end and a second piston distal end, wherein the second piston proximal end contacts the last chain particle and wherein the second piston distal end is configured to couple to the supporting base, and wherein the first piston and second piston are movable longitudinally along the holder in order to apply and adjust the static compression to the continuous chain of granular particles, and wherein a particle radius and material type of the granular particles and the static compression are based on a cutoff frequency for vibration suppression.

Claim 10

A vibration suppression system comprising: a supporting base; a payload attachment structure; a plurality of vibration suppressors coupling the supporting base to the payload attachment structure, wherein at least one of the vibration suppressors comprises a tunable vibration suppressor comprising: a holder comprising a cylinder containing a continuous chain of granular particles, wherein the chain has a first chain particle located at a first end of the chain and a last chain particle located at another end of the chain, and wherein the granular particles comprise elastic spheres and the cylinder has a diameter larger than a dilated diameter of each sphere under static compression; a first piston having a first piston proximal end and a first piston distal end, wherein the first piston proximal end contacts the first chain particle and wherein the first piston distal end is configured to couple to the payload attachment structure; and a second piston having a second piston proximal end and a second piston distal end, wherein the second piston proximal end contacts the last chain particle and wherein the second piston distal end is configured to couple to the supporting base, and wherein the first piston and second piston are movable longitudinally along the holder in order to apply and adjust the static compression to the continuous chain of granular particles, and wherein a particle radius and material type of the granular particles and the static compression are based on a cutoff frequency for vibration suppression.

Claim 11

The vibration suppression system according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of vibration suppressors comprises a total of three pairs of tunable vibration suppressors and wherein each pair of tunable vibration suppressors comprises two tunable vibration suppressors that are positioned non-parallel with each other.

Claim 12

The vibration suppression system according to claim 9 , wherein the first piston distal end of a first tunable vibration suppressor of a first pair of tunable vibration suppressors couples to the payload attachment structure proximate to the first piston distal end of a second tunable vibration suppressor of the first pair of tunable vibration suppressors and wherein the second piston distal end of the first tunable vibration suppressor of the first pair of tunable vibration suppressors couples to the supporting base proximate to the second piston distal end of a tunable vibration suppressor of a second pair of vibration suppressors and wherein the second piston distal end of the second tunable vibration suppressor of the first pair of tunable vibration suppressors couples to the supporting base proximate to the second piston distal end of a tunable vibration suppressor of a third pair of vibration suppressors.

Claim 13

The vibration suppression system according to claim 10 , further comprising one or more ball joints wherein at least one ball joint couples one of the piston distal ends of the tunable vibration suppressors to the supporting base or spacecraft attachment structure.

Claim 14

The vibration suppression system according to claim 8 , wherein the supporting base or the payload attachment structure has a ring shape.

Claim 15

The vibration suppressor of claim 1 , wherein the vibration suppression comprises dispersive suppression.

Claim 16

The system of claim 8 , wherein the vibration suppression comprises dispersive suppression.