A nonlinear spring mechanism incorporating a bistable composite plate for vibration isolation

The High Static Low Dynamic Stiffness (HSLDS) concept is a design strategy for a nonlinear anti-vibration mount that seeks to increase isolation by lowering the natural frequency of the mount whilst maintaining the same static load bearing capacity. It has previously been proposed that an HSLDS mount could be implemented by connecting linear springs in parallel with the transverse flexure of a composite bistable plate - a plate that has two stable shapes between which it may snap. Using a bistable plate in this way will lead to lightweight and efficient designs of HSLDS mounts. This paper experimentally demonstrates the feasibility of this idea. Firstly, the quasi-static force-displacement curve of a mounted bistable plate is determined experimentally. Then the dynamic response of a nonlinear mass-spring system incorporating this plate is measured. Excellent agreement is obtained when compared to theoretical predictions based on the measured force-displacement curve, and the system shows a greater isolation region and a lower peak response to base excitation than the equivalent linear system.