Damping device

Claim 1

IN PRECISION APPARATUS HAVING TWO MEMBERS MOUNTED TO PERMIT SMALL TRANSLATIONAL MOVEMENTS BY AT LEAST ONE OF SAID MEMBERS RELATIVE TO THE OTHER, A DAMPING DEVICE FOR RESISTING SUCH RELATIVE TRANSLATIONAL MOVEMENT COMPRISING A DROP OF VISCOUS LIQUID LOCATED BETWEEN SHAPED PORTIONS OF TWO ADJACENT SURFACES RESPECTIVELY ON THE TWO MEMBERS, SAID DROP HAVING A DIAMETER GREATER THAN SAID PERMITTED TRANSLATIONAL MOVEMENT, ONE OF THE TWO SURFACES COMPRISING A PORTION HAVING STRAIGHT GENERATORS EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF RELATIVE MOVEMENT AND THE OTHER SURFACE HAVING A SMALL PROJECTION CONVEX TOWARD SAID PORTION BUT SPACED SLIGHTLY THEREFROM, WHEREBY THE TWO SURFACES ARE CLOSER TOGETHER AT THE POSITION OF THE CONVEX PROJECTION THAN AT NEIGHBORING POSITIONS ON EITHER SIDE THEREOF IN THE DIRECTION OF RELATIVE MOVEMENT, THE DROP OF VISCOUS LIQUID BEING ANCHORED BY SURFACE TENSION IN POSITION RELATIVELY TO THE SAID CONVEX PROJECTION AND BEING DISTORTED IN SHAPE WHEN SAID SMALL TRANSLATIONAL RELATIVE MOVEMENT TAKES PLACE AND THEREBY SUBJECTED TO SHEAR STRESS WHICH, BY VIRTUE OF THE VISCOSITY OF THE LIQUID, RESISTS THE RELATIVE MOVEMENT.