Objectives Aiming at isolating the low-frequency torsional vibration for ship shafting, a high-static-low-dynamic stiffness torsional vibration isolator is proposed and manufactured in this paper.

Methods Firstly, the components based on the parallel connection of positive and negative torsional stiffness are designed, and the isolator model is built by the SolidWorks software, and it is manufactured through 3D printing. Then, the Duffing equation of the model is solved by using the harmonic balance, which aims to study the influence of structural parameters and excitation amplitude on the torque transmissibility of the isolator. Finally, finite element simulation is conducted on the model by using Ansys Workbench software, and static load torsion test analysis is conducted on the printed prototype.

Results The static test results show that the vibration isolator has high-static-low-dynamic stiffness characteristic within the range of −2°～2°, and it can bear the torque of 150 N·mm. The torque transmissibility analysis verified that the vibration isolator had better low-frequency with appropriate structural parameters than that of the linear isolator.

Conclusions The torsional vibration isolator achieves high-static-low-dynamic characteristics through parallel connection of positive and negative stiffness, which can provide reference value for low-frequency torsional control for ship shafting.