Patent Number: 5,799,924

Date of Patent: September 1, 1998

REPLICATED IN PLACE INTERNAL VISCOUS SHEAR DAMPER FOR MACHINE STRUCTURES AND COMPONENTS

A novel means for providing an internal damping mechanism for a system with structural load supporting members that may be subject to time varying loads, where the structure's structural members have rough holes formed in them, either by casting, drilling, or welding pipe, where the holes can be any shape, but the ideal shape and location maximizes the product of the perimeter of the shape and the distance from the neutral axes to the neutral axis of the structure, so a smooth surfaced shear member, with a diameter several millimeters smaller than the hole and a surface finish on the order of 0.5 micron Ra, with its surfaced covered with a very viscous fluid, can be inserted into the hole so a replicant, such as epoxy or rubber, can be injected around the shear member, such that when the structure bends, shear strains occur between the structure and the shear members and this strain occurs across the viscous fluid interface which is very thin because of the use of the replicant, so therefore the energy dissipation rate will be high and bending and axial vibrations will be damped, said damping system being referred to as a replicated in place shear damper.