Abstract
Desktop vibration isolators are often used as a platform for precision measuring instruments. This article discusses the accuracy of performance prediction methods for vibration isolators elastically supported by four air springs. Each air spring possesses a reservoir tank to ensure the natural frequency of the support system remains low and to provide adequate damping force. For practical use, air springs and reservoir tanks should be installed in separate locations and connected by a small-diameter pipe because desktop isolators must be thin. Our previous studies have shown that there is a secondary resonance point in systems supported by air springs with long pipes and reservoir tanks and that it is not simple to theoretically calculate the amplitude and frequency at this point because this type of air spring support system has nonlinear characteristics. In this study, the change in the vibration isolation performance of a desktop vibration isolator with the length of the pipe connecting the main air tank and the reservoir tank of an air spring-supported system was examined experimentally and approximated using theoretical calculations.
