Test and Analysis of Steel Cable Isolator for Medical Equipments in Field Vehicle

Medical equipment systems are precision system. There are some vibrations and impact in field vehicles from road or field environments. Therefore, shock absorber is significant in protection of medical equipment in moving vehicles. The objective of this paper is to provide a systematic investigation to design or evaluation of a shock absorber for protection of medical equipment system in harsh vibration-impact environment. A novel wireless damping shock absorber is designed and manufactured through coupling friction and spring. The physical mechanism of a prototype shock absorber is systematically investigated by dynamic test. A nonlinear dynamic model for the shock absorber is presented by analyzing the internal frictional dynamic phenomenon with respect to the prototype. Comparisons between experimental data confirm the validity of the model. In the meantime, evaluation of the importance of some key factors by using the mathematical model for designing is discussed. It shows amplitude and frequency of excitation, as well as ratio of damping area are the key factors to ensure the performances of the shock absorber. The change of these factors will change the working characteristics and performances of the shock absorber.