ABSTRACT
This chapter treats issues related to optimal shock isolation of a body rotating about a fixed axis. Such a motion, for example, is performed by an object connected to a base by means of a torsional suspension. The intention of isolation here is either to minimize the peak acceleration at a specified location of the body, provided that its angle of rotation is constrained, or to minimize the peak angle of rotation, provided the acceleration is constrained. The basic difference of the optimal shock isolation problems for rotating bodies from those for translating bodies comes from the fact that the total acceleration of a point on a rotating body is the vector sum of the tangential and centripetal components. In this chapter, the consideration is confined to the case where the system is subjected to an instantaneous impact (impulsive shock). The problem of the optimal isolation capabilities is solved. The optimal stiffness and damping coefficients for isolators with a linear spring and a damper with a linear or quadratic characteristic are found.
