Distributed active-passive panel for broadband vibration
This technology is a hybrid vibration-damping device that can be applied across large surfaces — like panels, floors, or vehicle shells — to reduce both structural vibration and the noise it radiates. It works by layering a flexible, electrically-actuated material with a distributed mass layer tuned to cancel out resonant frequencies in the underlying structure. In passive mode it functions like a tuned mass damper spread over an area rather than concentrated at a single point; in active mode, the elastic layer can be electrically driven to adapt and improve damping performance. The waved or patterned geometry of the elastic elements allows the device to address multiple frequencies across a broad surface simultaneously.
What you could build
A thin, surface-mountable damping panel for aerospace fuselages, naval vessel hulls, automotive body panels, or industrial machinery enclosures that reduces interior noise and structural fatigue; primary buyers would be aerospace and defense OEMs, automotive Tier 1 suppliers, and shipbuilders seeking lightweight broadband noise/vibration solutions.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense and naval contractors operating in Virginia — particularly those supporting Navy shipbuilding or aircraft programs at Newport News, Dahlgren, or Pentagon-adjacent primes — would have direct application interest.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Christopher R. Fuller, Kathleen Kondylas
- Granted
- August 11, 2009
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 7573177
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.