Development of an eddy-current-type magnetic floor hinge

A magnetic floor hinge is suggested to use a magnetic damping characteristic obtained by the eddy-current effect. It has a superior advantages compared to the conventional hydraulic floor hinge. First, there exists no wear in the magnetic damper since the disk rotates between the magnets without contact. Second, the deviation of the damping torque is very small in varying seasons due to the low temperature dependence of the conductivity of the disk to which the magnetic damping torque is proportional. The analytical models obtained for the damping torque and the recovering torque are experimentally investigated. The cost optimal design is carried out using the analytical models while satisfying the performance requirements. The analytical results are compared with experimental results. Finally, a prototype of the magnetic floor hinge is built.