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Quasi-zero-stiffness (QZS) vibration isolators avoid excessive deformation due to gravity, a critical issue in vertical vibration isolation, by providing restoring force with high initial stiffness and low tangent stiffness around the static equilibrium position. Effective use of geometric nonlinearity often plays a central role in QZS mechanisms. Design of such QZS mechanisms, however, tends to be complex, and it is difficult to realize large loading capacity as well as large stroke length at the same time. This paper attempts to resolve these issues by applying newly developed superelastic Cu–Al–Mn shape memory alloy (SMA) bars, characterized by excellent recoverable strain upon unloading along with small hysteresis and nearly flat stress plateau. These features are realized by material design tailored for obtaining mechanical properties required in QZS mechanisms. The use of such tailored superelastic Cu–Al–Mn SMA bars allows us to easily achieve large loading capacity as well as large stroke length while keeping the QZS mechanism simple and compact. In this paper, we derive design equations, produce a prototype, and conduct shaking table tests and numerical simulations to demonstrate the feasibility of QZS vibration isolator with superelastic Cu–Al–Mn SMA bars.

This paper presents a vertical quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) vibration isolator with a mechanism for adjusting restoring force. QZS vibration isolators have high initial stiffness and QZS around the static equilibrium position. This way, excessive deformation due to self-weight can be avoided while having enough vibration reduction capability to dynamic excitations. One of the main issues left for QZS vibration isolators is the difficulty in keeping the vibration reduction capability when the vibration isolated object is replaced. In such a case, adjustment of its restoring force becomes necessary in accordance with the self-weight of the newly placed vibration isolated object. This paper attempts to address this issue by proposing a mechanism that enables quick and easy adjustment of the restoring force of a QZS vibration isolator. The proposed mechanism consists of cranks and a screw jack. With the present mechanism, the restoring force provided by horizontally placed springs can be converted into the vertical restoring force of the vibration isolator. In the conversion, the vertical resisting force can be adjusted simply by applying and removing torque to the screw jack to change and hold the angle of inclined bars placed in the cranks. In this study, a prototype of a class of QZS vibration isolator having the proposed mechanism is produced. Shaking table tests are performed to demonstrate the efficacy of the present mechanism, where the produced prototype is subjected to various sinusoidal and earthquake ground motions. It is demonstrated through the shaking table tests that the produced prototype can reduce the response acceleration within the same tolerance even when the mass of the vibration isolated object is changed.

This paper reports the results of shaking table tests performed to assess the response of an object placed on a vibration isolator to intense ground motions whose peak accelerations are close to or over the gravity acceleration in both vertical and horizontal directions. The passive vertical and horizontal vibration isolator, developed by the authors, has rolling load-bearing elements and constant-force springs to provide piecewise-constant restoring forces. First, we performed shaking table tests, wherein only the horizontal vibration was isolated. An unexpected finding from the tests is that, when the vibration isolator was subjected to ground motions with intense vertical accelerations, not only vertical but also horizontal accelerations were amplified. This led to a large rocking response or overturning of the object placed on the vibration isolator. A likely reason for the amplification is rocking of the upper portion of the vibration isolator above the rolling load-bearing elements induced by intense vertical accelerations. Next, we performed shaking table tests, wherein both vertical and horizontal vibrations were isolated. In this case, the vertical as well as horizontal accelerations were significantly reduced and the rocking response of the vibration-isolated object was suppressed. These results suggest potential risks in conventional horizontal vibration isolators having rolling load-bearing elements when they are subjected to ground motions with intense vertical accelerations. The results also demonstrate the effectiveness of vertical vibration isolation to avoid such risks.