A method for storage of excess energy which would otherwise be lost, the regulation of angular velocity, and prevention of excessive velocities is disclosed. The device consists of a bowl shaped container, divided into sections by radially oriented vertical walls, which holds a fluid (any appropriate liquid or set of small solid particles), and spins on its vertically oriented axis at various angular velocities. The floor of the device is formed in successive shapes of bowls and shelves, which allows for a kind of “gearing”. The invention allows more and more energy to be input into the device while the angular velocity is regulated within a particular range. A typical embodiment of the invention would include its attachment by a shaft at the axis to a vertical axis wind turbine.

Devices, systems, and methods for shock absorption are provided herein. Collapsible shock absorption devices have an inner wall having at least one orifice, an outer wall, and a fluid sealed within the outer wall can mitigate sharp increases in force during loading and can better distribute loading forces. In some cases, collapsible shock absorption devices disclosed herein are used for prevention of injury to a biological tissue of a subject or damage to an inanimate object.

An energy absorber for interposition between a cover and a covered object includes a generally planar matrix of cells. Each of the cells includes a plurality of generally elongate micro-elements interconnected to form a cell micro-structure, with each cell having a respective energy absorption capacity such that an energy absorption capacity of the energy absorber varies across at least one direction. The cells are configured such that impulse of an object with the cover with the energy absorber sandwiched between the cover and the covered object causes a deceleration vs. time response in the object, beginning with a generally linear rise in the deceleration to a peak deceleration within 5 ms after the beginning of the impulse event, followed by a generally nonlinear decrease in the deceleration over a period of not greater than 15 ms to a final target deceleration of not greater than 10% of the peak deceleration.

A damping air spring for heavy-duty vehicle axle/suspension systems. The damping air spring includes a piston chamber and a bellows chamber and at least one opening between the chambers to provide restricted fluid communication between the chambers. A relationship between a cross-sectional area of the at least one opening in square inches to a volume of the piston chamber in cubic inches to a volume of the bellows chamber in cubic inches to a mean effective area of the air spring in square inches or of the at least one opening in square inches to a volume of the piston chamber in cubic inches to a volume of the bellows chamber in cubic inches to a unitless ratio of the volume of the bellows chamber to the volume of the piston chamber provides damping characteristics to the air spring over a first and second critical range of frequencies.

A gas spring comprising: a cup-shaped body; a movable piston which is inserted in an axially slidable manner in the cup-shaped body and is coupled to the cup-shaped body in a fluid-tight manner, so as to delimit a variable-volume closed chamber adapted to contain a pressurised gas; and a safety plug provided with a shank which extends in pass-through manner in the bottom wall of the cup-shaped body, and protrudes cantilevered within the cup-shaped body so that its distal end can be reached/struck by the movable piston in the case of overtravel; the distal end of the shank having a substantially tubular structure that directly communicates with the closed chamber.

Disclosed is a zero Poisson's ratio structure including a central pillar; at least two branched connectors extending radially from a lower end of the central pillar, wherein each of the branched connectors includes: a first segmental portion extending inclinedly upwardly or downwardly from the central pillar; and a second segmental portion extending inclinedly downwardly or upwardly from a distal point of the first segmental portion, wherein the extension directions of the first and second segmental portions are opposite to each other; and each leg extending perpendicularly downwardly from a distal point of each of the second segmental portions, wherein due to a force pressing the central pillar, each of an angle between the central pillar and the first segmental portion, an angle between the first segmental portion and the second segmental portion, and an angle between the second segmental portion and the leg is variable.

A bushing includes a cylindrical body and a flange extending from the cylindrical body. The cylindrical body has an inner face defining a bore. The flange includes an outer rim and a face extending radially between the bore and the outer rim. At least one groove is formed in the face. The at least one groove extends from a first end intersecting the bore to a second end adjacent the outer rim such that grease supplied to the bore of the bushing is able to flow through the at least one groove.

The present invention relates to an elastic metamaterial for reducing vibrations of a flexible structure such as a main cable of a tether system for controlling an orbit of a satellite revolving around a planet, and a method for improving a vibration reduction performance thereof, and more particularly, to an elastic metamaterial having an improved precision, in which a ratio of a cross-sectional area of a pendulum ring may be adjusted to maintain a frequency characteristic other than a band gap generated due to the elastic metamaterial even in a state where a mass of the pendulum ring is not changed, and a band gap (R_ring) generated due to the pendulum ring of the elastic metamaterial and a band gap (R_beam) generated due to the elastic beams may be combined into one band gap to expand a vibration damping range, and a method for improving a vibration reduction performance thereof.

Shock absorption assemblies are provided. A shock absorption assembly includes an air shock that has a valve body. An air spring tube defines an air spring chamber. A piston rod extends through the air spring chamber to an oil piston head. An air piston head movably coupled to the piston rod. An oil damper tube is coupled to the piston head and is movable relative to the piston rod and the air spring tube. The shock absorption assembly further includes a mechanical spring disposed radially outward from, and that annularly surrounds, at least a portion of the air shock.

A vibration damping device including a supporting member rotating with a rotation element around a rotation center of the rotation element; a restoring force generation member coupled to the supporting member to transfer torque to and from the supporting member and configured to swing with rotation of the supporting member; and an inertia mass body coupled to the supporting member via the restoring force generation member and swinging around the rotation center with the restoring force generation member with rotation of the supporting member, in which the restoring force generation member swings around a swing center so that a relative position with respect to the inertia mass body does not change, and a distance between a center of gravity of the restoring force generation member and the swing center changes with a change in a swing angle of the restoring force generation member with respect to the inertia mass body.