GB2149475A

GB2149475A - Inflatable anti-vibration mounting

Info

Publication number: GB2149475A
Application number: GB08425581A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Lloyd Pumphrey
Original assignee: AIR MOUNTS Ltd
Current assignee: AIR MOUNTS Ltd
Priority date: 1983-10-19
Filing date: 1984-10-10
Publication date: 1985-06-12
Also published as: GB8327904D0; GB2149475B; GB8425581D0

Abstract

An inflatable anti-vibration mounting comprises a housing 1 having a base member 2 with an upstanding wall 3 and, spaced from the base member 2, a planar member 4 with a depending wall 5, an inflatable toroidal member 6 being located within the housing 1 and protected from frictional contact with the adjacent surfaces of the base and planar members 2, 4 and the upstanding and depending walls 3, 5 by a protective cover 18, of synthetic rubber or plastics. The cover may be formed in 2 parts, of various cross-sectional shapes. It may incorporate a reinforced area or a corrugated area (Figs. 2-8). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Anti-vibration mountings This invention relates to anti-vibration mountings, and particularly, but not exclusively to anti-vibration mountings for heavy machinery or equipment, such as diesel engines, where vibration is excessively high and requires to be damped, and being of the type comprising a housing having a base member with an upstanding wall and, spaced from the base member, a planar member with a depending wall, and at least one inflatable toroidal member located within the housing intermediate the base member and the planar member and intermediate the upstanding wall and the depending wall, the base member being adapted for mounting on a supporting structure and the planar member being adapted for mounting thereon of the machinery or equipment whose vibrations are required to be damped.

The upstanding wall may surround the base member, but a conveniently simple construction of housing has the depending wall surrounding the planar member, so as to shroud the inflatable toroidal member from dust and dirt falling on the housing, and the upstanding wall may then surround an aperture in the base member and be provided with a top plate with a hole in the middle, the planar member having a coaxial hole, with the rod of a bump stop (for limiting movement of the planar member away from the base member) passing through both holes, an annular flange being provided at the lower end of the rod and a machinery or equipment securing nut being screwed on to the screwthreaded upper end of the rod (possibly with a locknut, especially if the hole in the planar member is not screwthreaded); a coil compression spring may be provided between the annular flange of the bump stop and the top plate, to afford resilience in the bump stop and/orto permit adjustable preloading of the inflatable toroidal member by screwing up the rod, and alternatively, or in addition - a rubber collar may be supported on the annular flange and/or on the top plate adjacent the planar member.

The object of the invention is to provide an antivibration mounting of the type initially described with means affording durability and/or adaptability to different operating conditions.

According to the present invention, an antivibration mounting of the type initially described is provided with at least one protective cover for the inflatable toroidal member to reduce friction between the inflatable toroidal member and at least one of the adjacent surfaces of the base and planar members and the upstanding and depending walls.

Thus the inflatable toroidal member may be a standard inner tube for a small diameter pneumatic tyred vehicle wheel, which in the absence of its outer tyre has low wear resistance.

The protective cover or covers preferably reduces or reduce friction between the inflatable member and all four adjacent surfaces of the base and planar members and the upstanding and depending walls respectively.

A one-piece flexible cover with a single circumferential split couid be used to reduce friction at all four surfaces; conveniently, however, two protective covers are provided, each covering at least substantially half the surface area of the inflatable toroidal member, so that the covers may be rigid, semi-rigid or flexible, thus affording a greater variety of cross-sections and materials for the covers to suit different operating conditions.

Thus the covers may have U-shaped radial crosssections, to fit from above and below the inflatable toroidal member or to fit respectively from inside and outside the inflatable toroidal member, with the edges of the covers overlapping each other or meeting or approaching each other within the adjacent surfaces of the upstanding and depending walls respectively or of the base member and planar member respectively. Alternatively, the covers may be formed with arcuate cross-sections (to assume generally L-shapes) to fit adjoining surfaces of, say, the base member and the depending wall on the one hand and the planar member and the upstanding wall on the other.

The cover or covers may be formed of suitable synthetic rubber, such as neoprene, or plastics, such as nylon or P.T.F.E., and may have thicker and/or reinforced regions and/or corrugated regions, to afford variations in flexibility.

A number of embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a cut-away perspective view of an antivibration mounting provided in accordance with the invention with a one-piece protective cover for its inflatable toroidal member, with the latter inflated; Figure 2 is a fragmentary section showing an inflatable toroidal member with two protective covers as initially assembled and before inflating; and Figures 3 to 8 are fragmentary sections corresponding to part of Figure 1, but showing further forms of protective covers.

The anti-vibration mounting shown in Figure 1 comprises a housing 1 having a base member 2 with an upstanding wall 3 and, spaced from the base member, a planar member 4 with a depending wall 5, and an inflatable toroidal member 6 located within the housing 1 intermediate the base member 2 and the planar member 4 and intermediate the upstanding wall 3 and the depending wall 5, the base member 2 being provided with bolt holes 7 for mounting of the base member on a supporting structure (not shown) and the planar member 4 having a screwthreaded rod 8 projecting from a central hole 9 with a nut 10 for securing thereon the machinery or equipment (not shown) whose vibrations are required to be damped.The depending wall 5 surrounds the planar member 4 so as to shroud the inflatable toroidal member from dust and dirt falling on the housing 1, and the upstanding wall 3 surrounds an aperture 11 in the base member 2 and is provided with a top plate 12 with a hole 13 in the middle coaxial with the hole 9 in the planar member for the rod 8, which is part of a bump stop for limiting movement of the planar member 4 away from the base member 2, the lower end of the rod having an annular flange 14, with a coil compression spring 15 between the flange 14 and the top plate 12 to afford resilience in the bump stop and/or to permit adjustable preloading of the inflatable toroidal member 6 by screwing up the rod 8. A locknut (not shown) may be provided on the rod 8, especially if the hole 9 in the planar member is not screwthreaded.Additional "cushioning" is provided in the form of rubber collars 16, 17 supported respectively on the annular flange 14 and on the top plate 12 adjacent the planar member 4.

The inflatable toroidal member may be a standard inner tube for a small diameter pneumatic tyred vehicle wheel and - in accordance with the present invention -- is provided with a protective cover 18 to reduce friction between the toroidal member and the adjacent surfaces of the base and planar members 2,4 and the upstanding and depending walls 3, 5. The protective cover 18 has a single circumferential split 19 to enable it to befitted over the toroidal member 18 and to permit it to open out or close up slightiy with relative movement between the base member 2 and the planar member 4.The protective cover may be formed - as previously indicated -- of suitable synthetic rubber or plastics, as is also the case with the other forms of protective covers to be described with reference to Figures 2 to 8 of the drawings, in which like parts are identified by like reference numerals.

In Figure 2 two covers 18A, 18A of U-shaped radial cross-section fit from above and below the inflatable toroidal member 6, with the edges of the covers overlapping each other so as to ensure adequate protection for the inflatabletoroidal member from contact with the upstanding and depending walls 3, 5 respectively. The inflatable toroidal member 6 and the two protective covers 18A, 18A are shown in Figure 2 as assembled and before inflating the toroidal member, whereas in Figures 3 to 8 the toroidal member 6 has been inflated, as was the case in Figure 1.

In Figure 3 two covers 1SB, 18C having U-shaped radial cross-sections fit respectively from inside and outside the inflatable toroidal member 6, with the edges 20 of the covers approaching each other within the adjacent surfaces of the base member 2 and the planar member4 respectively.

In Figure 4 the covers 1 so, 18E are formed with arcuate cross-sections, to assume generally Lshapes, to fit adjoining surfaces of the base member 2 and the depending wall 5 on the one hand and the planar member 4 and the upstanding wall 3 on the other The covers 18F, 18G in Figure 5 are generally similar to the covers 18A, 18A in Figure 2 except for thickened regions 21 bridging the gaps between the base member 2 and the depending wall 5 on the one hand and the planar member 4 and the upstanding wall 3 on the other.

Likewise, the covers 1 so, 18J in Figure 6 are generally similar to the covers 1 so, 1 SE in Figure 4 except for thickened and reinforced regions 22 bridging the gaps between the base member 2 and the depending wall 5 on the one hand and the planar member 4 and the upstanding wall 3 on the other.

In contrast, in Figure 7 covers 18K, 18L generally similar to the covers 1 so, 1 SE or 1 so, 1 8J are afforded greater flexibility in the regions bridging the gaps between the base member 2 and the depending wall 5 on the one hand and the planar member 4 and the upstanding wall 3 on the other by means of corrugations 23.

Finally, in Figure 8 L-shaped covers 18M, 18N fitting adjoining surfaces of the base member 2 and the upstanding wall 3 on the one hand and the planar member 4 and the depending wall 5 on the other are connected by a corrugated portion 24 bridging the gap between the base member 2 and the depending wall 5, the unconnected edges 25 adjacent the other gap allowing the connected covers 18M, 18N to befitted overthe inflatable toroidal member 6.

It will be appreciated that the inflation valve 26 for the toroidal member 6, and which valve is only shown in Figure 1, projects through a hole in the or one radially outward protective cover or through notches in the radially outward overlapping edges of the covers.

Claims

1. An anti-vibration mounting comprising a housing having a base member with an upstanding wall, and spaced from the base member, a planar member with a depending wall, and at least one inflatable toroidal member located within the housing intermediate the base member and the planar member and intermediate the upstanding wall and the depending wall, the base member being adapted for mounting on a supporting structure and the planar member being adapted for mounting thereon of the machinery or equipment whose vibrations are required to be damped provided with at least one protective cover for the inflatable toroidal member to reduce friction between the inflatable toroidal member and at least one of the adjacent surfaces of the base and planar members and the upstanding and depending walls.

2. An anti-vibration mounting as in Claim 1, wherein the protective cover or covers reduces or reduce friction between the inflatable member and all four adjacent surfaces of the base and planar members and the upstanding and depending walls respectively.

3. An anti-vibration mounting as in Claim 2, wherein two covers have U-shaped radial crosssections, to fit from above and below the inflatable toroidal member.

4. An anti-vibration mounting as in Claim 2, wherein two covers have U-shaped radial crosssections, to fit respectively from inside and outside the inflatable toroidal member.

5. An anti-vibration mounting as in Claim 3 or 4, wherein the edges of the covers overlap.

6. An anti-vibration mounting as in Claim 3 or 4, wherein the edges of the covers meet each other within the adjacent surfaces of the upstanding and depending walls respectively or of the base member and planar member respectively.

7. An anti-vibration mounting as in Claim 2, wherein two covers are formed with arcuate crosssections and assume generally L-shapes.

8. An anti-vibration mounting as in Claim 7, wherein the covers fit respectively adjoining surfaces of the base member and the depending wall on the one hand and the planar member and the upstanding wall on the other.

9. An anti-vibration mounting as in any of the preceding Claims, wherein the or each cover is formed of synthetic rubber or plastics.

10. An anti-vibration mounting as in any of the preceding Claims, wherein the or each cover has or have thicker and/or reinforced regions and/or corrugated regions.

11.An anti-vibration mounting substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings or as modified as in any one of Figures 2 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.