Patent ID: 8151954

Claim:
A vibration damping apparatus comprising: a damper mass; and a spring member for elastically supporting the damper mass on a vibrating member to be damped for constituting a secondary vibrating system for the vibrating member, the spring member comprising at least one plate spring of metal, one end of the plate spring being attached to the damper mass and the other end of the plate spring being attached to the vibrating member; and a rubber bushing having an inner shaft member and an outer tube member positioned spaced apart from one another in a diametrical direction and linked in the diametrical direction by a rubber elastic body, the rubber bushing being positioned at a mounting location of the plate spring to at least one of the damper mass and the vibrating member, with one of the inner shaft member and the outer tube member of the rubber bushing fastened to the plate spring while the other of the inner shaft member and the outer tube member is fastened to the damper mass or the vibration damping apparatus where the rubber bushing is positioned, wherein moment is exerted in a torsional direction of the rubber bushing during displacement of the damper mass by vibration to be damped, and the secondary vibrating system has a free-hanging configuration such that the secondary vibrating system freely vibrates without being directly influenced by any portion that contacts the ground.