Patent ID: 7873135

Claim:
A method of reducing vibration in a component within a nuclear reactor, comprising: providing a passive vibration mitigating device that does not require a supply of electrical power in order to operate and mitigate vibration, the device configured to attach to the component, the device including, a cylindrical body including a lateral surface and first and second ends, at least one permanent magnet directly attached to the lateral surface of the cylindrical body, between the first and second ends, a spring mechanism directly attached to the first and second ends of the cylindrical body, and a conductive core directly attached to the first and second ends of the cylindrical body by the spring mechanism, the conductive core disposed laterally of the permanent magnet and configured to oscillate on the spring mechanism, wherein the conductive core is disposed entirely within the cylindrical body; attaching the device to the component; allowing the conductive core to oscillate on the spring mechanism, to induce eddy currents in the conductive core and create a magnetic field, the magnetic field causing resistance to the oscillation of the conductive core; and altering vibration characteristics of the component by lowering an amplitude of a natural frequency of the component due to the resistance to the oscillation of the conductive core.