Bio-inspired quasi-zero stiffness vibration isolator with quasilinear negative stiffness in full stroke

Simpler structure, better adaptability to variable loads, and wider linear stable region have always been pursued by nonlinear quasi zero stiffness (QZS) isolator. Inspired by the balancing and stabilizing effect of the leg and wing in the take-off and landing of birds, this paper proposes a novel bio-inspired QZS vibration isolator (BI-QZSVI). The BI-QZSVI is composed of two primary components: the legged negative stiffness structure, which comprises a two-link mechanism and a set of oblique springs, and a pair of vertical springs that imitate wings. A static model is established based on the virtual work principle, the nonlinear dynamic model is then constructed using Lagrangian equations, and an analytical solution is derived through implementation of the harmonic balance method. An experimental platform is established to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical results. The results reveal that the proposed isolator outperforms existing typical isolators by offering a larger quasi-zero stiffness region, as evidenced by the two proposed range and linearity indexes. The unique structure effectively tackles geometric nonlinearity to establish a linear relationship between the load and stiffness. Notably, the negative stiffness of the isolator exhibits exceptional linearity throughout the entire stroke, ensuring a broad stability region even under high excitation levels. Furthermore, the isolator demonstrates remarkable efficacy in reducing vibrations with frequencies exceeding 3 Hz. Overall, the proposed isolator is an efficient low-frequency isolator with simple structure, strong adaptability, and wide linear range.