A device for reducing impact forces upon a surface includes a base comprising a first contact portion and a transition portion, a contact member disposed between the base and the surface; and a biasing portion disposed between the first contact portion of the base and the surface. At least a first portion of an impact force upon the surface is transferred from the contact member to the base, and a second portion of the impact force is subsequently returned to the surface, the second portion being less than the first portion.

A magnetically-coupled torque assist apparatus includes a movable (rotor) magnet configured to rotate about a rotor magnet axis extending through the rotor magnet, and a stationary (stator) magnet. The rotor magnet and the stator magnet have a gap therebetween. There is an equilibrium state position (ESP) of the rotor magnet where forces acting on the rotor magnet are balanced such that the rotor magnet is stationary about the rotor magnet axis. And when the rotor magnet is rotated from the equilibrium state position (ESP) to an elastically stressed state position (SSP), magnetic fields of the rotor magnet and the stator magnet generate a resultant magnetic force on the movable magnet that biases the movable magnet towards the equilibrium state position. In some embodiments, the stator and rotor magnets are configured to create a Halbach-effect magnetic field bloom, which contributes to the magnetic forces.

Disclosed is a quasi-zero stiffness absolute displacement sensor based on electromagnetic positive stiffness, and relates to the technical field of vibration measurement. The quasi-zero stiffness absolute displacement sensor comprises an eddy current displacement sensor unit, a negative stiffness unit, an intermediate connector, a positive stiffness unit, a bottom shell and a motion axis. The damping of the mechanism can be effectively reduced, the service life of the system is prolonged, and the mechanism size is reduced. By adjusting the number of layers of permanent magnets and coils in the electromagnetic positive stiffness unit and the electromagnetic negative stiffness unit and controlling the magnitude of current in the coils, electromagnetic force between the permanent magnets and the electromagnetic coils can be changed, the magnitude of positive stiffness and the magnitude of negative stiffness are adjusted, and control over the stiffness of the whole system is achieved.

A body weight adjustment mechanism for automatic adjustment to a balanced point is provided to improve vibration absorption characteristics and impact absorption characteristics. A torsion angle of a lower frame-side torsion bar when an upper frame is at a balanced point is found in advance, a torsion angle of the lower frame-side torsion bar in a state in which a person is seated is detected, the detected torsion angle is compared with the aforesaid balanced point torsion angle, a control signal is sent to an elastic force adjusting unit, and torsion angles of upper frame-side torsion bars are adjusted so that the torsion angle of the lower frame-side torsion bar becomes equal to the balanced point torsion angle. The upper frame can be set to an appropriate position in an initial state and a static state in which a person is seated and vibration and impact absorption characteristics are improved.

Method for vibration damping of and vibration damper assembly for semi-submerged or submerged structure, based on separating hydrodynamic added mass from the semi-submerged or submerged structure by means of a vibration damper assembly exhibiting spring and/or damper properties and use the hydrodynamic added mass as a reaction mass in the vibration damper assembly.

The present disclosure provides a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) magnetic damping shock absorber based on an eddy current effect, comprising a lower plate, a ring-shaped magnet a, a ring-shaped magnet b, an aluminum cylinder, a bottom copper sheet, a copper sheet, a top copper sheet, a bearing seat, a linear bearing, a bearing end cap, a load, a piston shaft, a stepped shaft, a fixed collar, a coil spring, a lower clamping shaft, and fixing screws. When the shock absorber is working, the ring-shaped magnet a keeps stationary at the lower end and the ring-shaped magnet b reciprocates in the vertical direction. Both magnets are arranged in a mutual attraction manner. Under the action of a time-varying electromagnetic field generated by the relative movement of the ring-shaped magnet b, the copper sheet arranged between the two ring-shaped magnets generates eddy current damping. The movement of the ring-shaped magnet b is inhibited.

A shimmy damper for centering a landing gear includes a cap and a housing. The shimmy damper further includes a damper shaft extending from the cap to the housing. The shimmy damper further includes a plurality of magnets configured to exert an opposing force on the cap and the housing via the damper shaft, providing a centering mechanism of the damper shaft within the housing. This centering action in turn provides for the centering of the landing gear during flight.

Disclosed is a quasi-zero stiffness absolute displacement sensor based on electromagnetic positive stiffness, and relates to the technical field of vibration measurement. The quasi-zero stiffness absolute displacement sensor comprises an eddy current displacement sensor unit, a negative stiffness unit, an intermediate connector, a positive stiffness unit, a bottom shell and a motion axis. The damping of the mechanism can be effectively reduced, the service life of the system is prolonged, and the mechanism size is reduced. By adjusting the number of layers of permanent magnets and coils in the electromagnetic positive stiffness unit and the electromagnetic negative stiffness unit and controlling the magnitude of current in the coils, electromagnetic force between the permanent magnets and the electromagnetic coils can be changed, the magnitude of positive stiffness and the magnitude of negative stiffness are adjusted, and control over the stiffness of the whole system is achieved.

A negative stiffness generating mechanism and a quasi-zero stiffness vibration isolator are provided. A housing is mounted on a base, and the axial relative positions of the housing and the base can be adjusted; a negative stiffness unit comprises inner-ring magnets, outer-ring magnets and a supporting shaft, the supporting shaft axially slides on the base and passes through the housing, the inner-ring magnets fixedly sleeve the supporting shaft, and the outer-ring magnets sleeve outside the inner-ring magnets and are divided into upper and lower groups of outer-ring magnets; the upper and lower groups of outer-ring magnets can synchronously move through a negative stiffness adjusting device; and the axial relative positions of the middle planes of the outer-ring and inner-ring magnets can be adjusted by adjusting the axial relative positions of the housing and the base. The isolator comprises a negative stiffness generating mechanism and a positive stiffness unit.

Various examples of a variable stiffness magnetic spring with a linear stroke length are provided. The stiffness of the magnetic springs is varied through rotation of one or more magnets, and both positive and negative spring constants are achievable. In one example, a variable stiffness magnetic spring includes a first magnetic component and a second magnetic component, wherein the first magnetic component is coaxial with the second magnetic component, the first magnetic component is rotatable about an axis and relative to the second magnetic component to adjust a stiffness of the variable stiffness magnetic spring, and the second magnetic component is translatable along the axis and relative to the first magnetic component. While such variable stiffness magnetic springs exhibit highly linear stroke lengths, such variable stiffness magnetic springs can be positioned in series to achieve an even longer linear stroke length.