Abstract
We analyzed a rolling seal type air spring in which the damping force is caused by airflow through the orifice between two air reservoirs. We thought that the velocity of airflow is proportional to the square root of the pressure difference of air reservoirs, so the air spring has nonlinear restoring and damping characteristics. Both the theoretical and the experimental results show that the damping coefficient has a maximum or minimum value at a certain frequency depending on the vibration amplitude of the supporting body. The theoretical results of the restoring and damping characteristics of the air spring coincide with the experimental ones unless the diameter of the orifice is not large.
