FRICTION DAMPER

摘要

A friction damper (10) comprises a channel member (12) including at least one friction channel (13a, 13b) and a wedge member (14) including at least one friction wedge (14a, 14b) received by a corresponding friction channel for sliding motion along the channel (13a, 13b) relative to the channel member (12). Each friction channel (13a, 13b) has a pair of internal sidewalls (26) connected by an internal transverse wall (27), wherein at least one of the pair of sidewalls (26) forms an obtuse angle with the transverse wall (27). In a preferred construction, the sidewalls are symmetrically convergent as they approach the connecting transverse wall. Each friction wedge (14) includes a pair of external sidewalls (28) parallel to the internal sidewalls (26) of the channel, wherein the external sidewalls (28) of the friction wedge are movable into surface to surface engagement with the internal sidewalls of the friction channel by adjusting the depth of receipt of the friction wedge in the friction channel. The friction damper of the present invention makes it possible to increase the equivalent friction coefficient by a factor of up to ten to twenty times.