A compact adjustable hydraulic damper with symmetric high load behavior enabled by selective laser melting

This publication addresses the development of a compact, adjustable hydraulic damper that meets the requirements for vibration testing. Dampers from the literature do not meet all the requirements, such as compact design, vibration resistance, high strength, broadly adjustable and dominantly symmetrical damping, and modularity. Additive manufacturing (AM) enables the design of integral and compact systems that can compensate for several disadvantages of known damping systems. Three stages of development are presented, from a proof of concept to a prototype manufactured by Stereolithography (SLA) as Vat Photopolymerization (VPP-UVL/P) to a ready-to-use hydraulic damper manufactured by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) as Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M). The final additively manufactured damper is much more compact due to its geometric freedom in the design phase and requires a much smaller number of components. The damper has been tested over a wide range of operating conditions and has proven its reliable damping performance even under high loads. This performance makes it suitable for many other systems subject to vibration.

Automated summary

This publication presents the development of a compact and adjustable hydraulic damper that fulfills the requirements for vibration testing. Existing dampers from literature fail to meet all the requirements, including compact design, vibration resistance, high strength, adjustable and symmetrical damping, and modularity. By utilizing additive manufacturing technology, an additively manufactured damper is created that compensates for the shortcomings of known dampers. The final damper is more compact and requires fewer components. It has been tested under various conditions and demonstrates reliable damping performance even under high loads, making it suitable for other vibration-prone systems.