Analysis of a vibration isolator with dual rate spring and damper

Vibration isolator with dual rate spring and damper was proved to be a reliable suspension system since it is soft when the amplitudes are low and it is stiff when amplitudes are high. This is the requirement of an optimal practical suspension. The vibration isolator with dual rate spring and damper is one of the type of piecewise linear vibration isolators which have been used for a few decades. However, existing knowledge of frequency response of piecewise linear vibration isolators rely only on approximate methods.<br><br>In the course of current research the procedure of obtaining of the piecewise linear vibration systems time and frequency responses have been developed. The method is partly analytical and partly numerical and is based on combining of linear solutions of different sections in a cycle of motion. In a row with the method of obtaining of the exact steady state time and frequency response, also it is provided sensitivity analysis of the vibration isolator. Numerical challenges that were raised during the modelling of the system's frequency response and possible solutions of them have been considered. In addition, different normalizations of the model of the system are reviewed and their impact on the results is discussed.