Claims
- 1. Method for making a vibration dampener, said method comprising the steps of:
- mixing a gelable fluid material with a second material having electrorheological response properties, to suspend said second material in said fluid material;
- pouring the resulting mix into a mold, said mold being at least in part electrically conductive;
- placing said mold under a vacuum;
- applying electrical current flow through the mix in the mold to electrically align and pseudo-bond particles of said second material, thereby to stiffen said fluid;
- maintaining electrical power to said mold for at least 30 minutes while the fluid material is permitted to cure to a gel consistency in said mold for a plurality of hours, said particles maintaining their alignment during the curing of said fluid material in said mold after said application of electric power to said mix, and removing said material from said mold as a gel material with said aligned and pseudo-bonded particles embedded therein; and
- cutting said material removed from said mold into smaller gel bodies, each for use as a vibration dampener.
- 2. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said mold has two discrete opposed electrically conductive walls.
- 3. The method in accordance with claim 2 wherein a potential of about 2,000 volts across the opposed conductive walls induces said current flow through the mix.
Parent Case Info
This is a division of application Ser. No. 08/155,606 filed 22 Nov. 1993 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,053.
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for government purposes without payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
US Referenced Citations (10)
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
155606 |
Nov 1993 |
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