Experimental characterisation of dry friction isolators for shock and vibration

Shock and vibration are a source of failures in harsh environments such as military, naval and aerospace applications; thus, the use of vibration isolators is extended. Cable isolators are known for their high-energy storage and dissipation properties making them suitable for shock isolation and low frequency vibration. Such isolators present nonlinear stiffness in different directions such as compression, roll and shear, as well as dry friction damping. Although their use is extended, the knowledge regarding their dynamic response under shock loading is very limited. This work presents an overview of the vibration and shock isolation performance of several cable isolators under axial loading. The main contribution of the paper is to investigate and discuss the shock response of the isolators when subjected to pulses of different durations, finding improved isolation performance when compared to an equivalent linear system. Furthermore, a mathematical model based on a Duffing oscillator is proposed as a first approximation, in order to reflect the nonlinear stiffness and predict the shock response, thus facilitating further design and selection of improved shock isolation systems.