A negative stiffness vibration isolator using magnetic spring combined with rubber membrane

The most important characteristic of a passive vibration isolator is its natural frequency and load capacity. The vibration isolation performance of a passive vibration isolator in low input frequencies is considerably improved by reducing its natural frequency. This paper presents a negative stiffness magnetic suspension vibration isolator (NSMSVI) using a magnetic spring combined with rubber membranes to obtain lower natural frequency. To study the vibration isolation performance of the NSMSVI, the stretching force of the rubber membrane is measured through experiments. The stiffness of the rubber membrane comes from the derivative of the stretching force. A parametric study of load capacity, axial magnetic stiffness, and natural frequency of the magnetic spring is also performed. Consequently, as a case study, the size dimensions of the magnetic spring are determined. An NSMSVI table is set up for experimental validation, after which the transmissibility curves of the NSMSVI are calculated and tested. Experimental results show that the lowest natural frequency of the NSMSVI reaches 1.5 Hz with a maximum attenuation of -40 dB between 0 Hz and 100 Hz, whereas the NSMSVI has the maximum load capacity at the lowest stiffness. This paper essentially provides an efficient method to construct a negative stiffness vibration isolator for practical applications.