Enhanced equipment isolation in extreme vibratory environments using rotational inertial devices

This work seeks to leverage recently developed rotational inertial devices and apply them to isolation systems. While these rotational inertial supplements have taken various forms, their common feature is a mechanical device called an inerter. The inerter is a two terminal mechanical device which produces a rotational inertial mass proportional to the relative acceleration between its two terminals. Through the transformation of linear motion to rotational motion, the inerter can provide a large mass amplification, thus produce large inertial mass through a physically small flywheel mass. In general, studies on inerter-based isolation systems have found that they are capable of significantly reducing the displacement response of the isolated system without increasing their acceleration response. While previous studies of inerter-based isolation systems have shown promise in leveraging these mass effects for the vibration control of civil systems, these studies have largely not considered the unique demands of aerospace applications.

A passive vibration mitigation device that provides significant mitigation without a low frequency isolation mode.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 2) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.