The present invention relates to an apparatus for protectively mounting an object. Such protection is afforded when the object rests on a shock-mounted support that is isolated from the ground by means of resilient shock absorbing elements. Shock mountings can be designed to absorb or to attenuate, to an acceptable value, redundant forces and dampen vibrations that would otherwise be transmitted into the object and possibly damage it. These redundant forces could arise from shock or impact due to severe or careless handling, by vibration such as could be encountered when the object is being carried on a moving conveyance, or by combinations of shock and vibration. The design of shock absorbers is accomplished by applying well known equations of vibration dynamics to the parameters of the particular system of components and elements involved. In the present disclosure, the term shock absorbers will be understood to include resilient members capable of absorbing vibrations as well as shock.
A known technique for protecting machinery, delicate instruments, and the like is to place them onto or in a shock absorbing support apparatus or container that has been designed for the application. Although the particular object is protected after it is securely installed into its protective means, the very procedure of installing the object can itself cause damage, particularly if the object is heavy and/or delicate. Manual, or external mechanical lifting devices such as fork lifts, cranes, ramps, pry bars and the like are usually employed, and the possibility of imposing a force or forces severe enough to damage the still unprotected object is apparent. Similarly, during the procedure of removing the object from its shock absorbing apparatus it is again vulnerable to damage, perhaps more so since loading equipment available at the location where the object was prepared for shipping often times is not available at the location where the object is to be installed.