Composite damping structures and related method

摘要

A composite structure of elastic and viscoelastic components in which dynamic loads are effectively damped by repeated transmission through viscoelastic layers. Multiple viscoelastic layers and stiff segmented elastic layers are formed on the outside of a tubular layer of soft elastic material, to provide the damping effect without having to form additional layers inside the tubular layer of soft elastic material. The transition temperatures above which the viscoelastic layers become substantially less stiff may be selected to be different for each layer, to provide increased damping efficiency over a broadened operative temperature range. $$