US Patent 7862056 Steering gear inertia damper

A tunable mass damper for use in a vehicle steering system in which a rack and pinion gearing subsystem would otherwise transfer resonant vibrations to the vehicle steering wheel. The mass damper element is a generally cylindrical mass supported and suspended around the shaft extending from the pinion gear by several cantilevered spring elements. The mass damper is tunable by modifying the size of the mass or the size or material or length of the springs so that the damper's resonant frequency for axial oscillation matches the resonant vibrations present at the steering shaft extending from the pinion gear.