Inertia damper
Encyclopedia
An inertia damper is a device that counters or damp
s the effects of inertia
and other forces and motion. The damper does not negate the forces but either absorbs or redirects them by other means. For example, a large suspended mass may be used to absorb several short-duration large forces, and to reapply those forces as a smaller force over a longer period.
There are many types of physical devices that can act as inertia dampers:
Lin Engineering: http://www.linengineering.com/line/contents/stepmotors/Nema17_Damper.aspx and
Phytron: ftp://ftp.phytron.de/phytron-usa/equipment/damper/dmp-us.pdf
The name is commonly misused in science fiction
to describe a device that negates inertia and removes it from surrounding mass
, but which is more properly described as inertia negation
.
Damping
In physics, damping is any effect that tends to reduce the amplitude of oscillations in an oscillatory system, particularly the harmonic oscillator.In mechanics, friction is one such damping effect...
s the effects of inertia
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
and other forces and motion. The damper does not negate the forces but either absorbs or redirects them by other means. For example, a large suspended mass may be used to absorb several short-duration large forces, and to reapply those forces as a smaller force over a longer period.
There are many types of physical devices that can act as inertia dampers:
- BallastSailing ballastBallast is used in sailboats to provide moment to resist the lateral forces on the sail. Insufficiently ballasted boats will tend to tip, or heel, excessively in high winds. Too much heel may result in the boat capsizing. If a sailing vessel should need to voyage without cargo then ballast of...
- Brakes - kinetic energy redirected as heating due to friction between surfaces pressed together
- CounterweightCounterweightA counterweight is an equivalent counterbalancing weight that balances a load.-Uses:A counterweight is often used in traction lifts , cranes and funfair rides...
- a mass which by mechanical means is caused to move in opposition to the motion of some other mass, partially negating forces such as gravity, that are acting upon the primary mass - Dogbone damper - absorbs resonant wave motions in wire and support cables
- FlywheelFlywheelA flywheel is a rotating mechanical device that is used to store rotational energy. Flywheels have a significant moment of inertia, and thus resist changes in rotational speed. The amount of energy stored in a flywheel is proportional to the square of its rotational speed...
- rotational forces - PendulumPendulumA pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
- oscillatory forces - Shock absorberShock absorberA shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...
- motion redirected as heating of viscous oil forced through a restrictive passage - Rotary Damper - This is a cross between the flywheel and shock absorber. It genrally includes an inertial mass suspended in a viscous medium. The mass is free to move but is restricted only by the viscous medium which couples driving force from the (driven) outer housing. For examples, see
Lin Engineering: http://www.linengineering.com/line/contents/stepmotors/Nema17_Damper.aspx and
Phytron: ftp://ftp.phytron.de/phytron-usa/equipment/damper/dmp-us.pdf
The name is commonly misused in science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
to describe a device that negates inertia and removes it from surrounding mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, but which is more properly described as inertia negation
Inertia negation
Inertia negation is a hypothetical process causing physical objects with mass to act as if they were of lower mass or were massless. The effect is the opposite of adding ballast, and does not exist in the real world...
.