Which Vibration Damper is Right for Your Needs?

20, May. 2024

 

Which Vibration Damper is Right for Your Needs?

Vibration damping is an important part of building machines or working factories. When you’re talking about situations in which there are lots of moving parts and lots of friction, you definitely need to be able to control vibrations. Excess vibrations can create unnecessary noise, break a machine’s moving parts down more quickly, or even cause the machine to come apart of stop working sooner rather than later.

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There are many different ways to control vibration. One is to simply absorb it. This is a process known as vibration damping. Through the years, many different substances have evolved that can help to absorb and damp vibration from a variety of sources. Here are several options still available today:

  • Oil: This age-old substance is used to take some of the vibration out of a system by absorbing it. It can’t isolate vibrations, but it can keep the overall vibration of the system a bit lower. It’s easy to use, and it can be good for very limited applications, especially those in which friction is the main problem.
  • Springs: These aren’t a true vibration damper, but they can help isolate vibration in a system. They basically absorb energy in one way and release it in another, making vibration easier to control. Before you try springs, though, consider that they have limited applications and may actually break down over time.
  • Rubber: This was really the next step up from springs. It also absorbs energy and releases it in a different format, so it can isolate vibration. It can damp vibration a little, but it really just works to isolate it and doesn’t have true damping abilities.
  • Polyurethane: Newer substances like foam and foam-like polyurethane can be used to absorb some of the energy in a system. They are sometimes used for isolation, but they can also be used in order to damp the amount of vibration and energy in an entire system.
  • Sorbothane: This proprietary viscoelastic substance combines the properties of some of the older vibration dampers and adds a few new properties of its own. It absorbs energy, but it can also release it. Because of this, it can be used for isolation or damping purposes.

As a vibration damper, Sorbothane is top of the line and uses the absolute latest technology. Besides performing the roles of many previous dampers, it also lasts longer and is more versatile. This flexible substance can be formed into any number of pads, tiles, and other types of items that can be fitted into your machine or factory in a variety of ways. It’s been used in applications as various as steadying camera mounts and making running shoes healthier for the runner.

This substance is clearly the winner for most vibration damping needs. It can be used in engines or in larger systems, such as HVAC systems. It’s so versatile and lasts so long that engineers enjoy working with it.

Want to learn more about Sorbothane’s vibration damping solutions? Contact us to learn more or request a quote.

Damping Techniques for Noise and Vibration Control

Damping is one of the most effective methods of controlling noise and vibration. It is a process that converts vibrational energy into heat, eliminating the vibrational energy through friction and other processes. Increasing damping or stiffness can both reduce resonant vibration and the resulting noise by preventing the vibration from travelling through the structure.

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Rubber mounts with damping properties are often used in engine compartments, enclosures, cab walls, and floor and ceiling systems; additionally, they are beneficial for use in appliances, medical equipment, heavy equipment, and a variety of other applications. Materials used for damping must not only reduce noise and vibration but must be able to withstand heat. In this article, we will further explore the significance of damping and the techniques for noise and vibration control that manufacturers must take into account.

Why is damping so important?

Appliances, heavy equipment, generators, and other mechanical structures are capable of producing a great amount of noise and vibration. Vibrational energy is problematic for a variety of reasons; it can make appliances such as washing machines, blenders, vacuums noisy and disruptive for users. Medical equipment can be uncomfortable, and in larger mechanisms, like engines, noise and vibration control may be needed in the engine compartments, enclosures, cab walls, and floor and ceiling systems. This is because vibrations cause instability and fatigue in mechanical structures in addition to creating excessive noise.

When manufacturers develop these structures, it’s necessary to decide what type of damping system to use: free layer damping or constrained layer damping. While constrained layer damping can work well for most applications, whether industrial, medical, or aerospace, free layer damping has some limitations.

Free layer or extensional damping

Free layer damping may not always be the right choice for your project, but it’s the easiest type of damping to implement. Also known as extensional damping, it is commonly seen in automotive applications. So, how does extensional damping work? It involves a viscoelastic material, typically a polymer. When sound hits the material, the damping product stretches or extends (hence, extensional damping) and then compresses, converting the noise and vibrational energy into heat.

Free layer damping controls vibration and noise in products with surfaces that are at or near resonance and is best for lightweight structures. This is because free layer damping does add a significant amount of weight to your structure, meaning that it is not ideal for applications where limiting weight is a concern.

Constrained layer damping (CLD)

For thick or heavy applications like wall, ceiling, and floor assemblies, extensional damping may not be able to do the trick. When a structure thicker than ¼ of an inch requires damping, the situation calls for constrained layer damping (CLD). Like extensional damping, CLD converts vibration to heat, but this type of damping utilizes a layered construction with a viscoelastic polymer sandwiched between two sheets of a stiff material such as a metal. Because the stiff materials keep the damping material constrained in the face of vibrational energy, CLD reduces impact noise. CLD also doesn’t add as much weight to structures as extensional damping, which is another reason it’s often used in applications like aerospace where extra weight impacts performance.

Find a materials solution that provides effective damping

If you’re working with noisy mechanical structures, chances are that you’re in need of an effective vibration damping solution. In addition to deciding what type of damping system you’ll need, your manufacturing team will need to decide what polymers are best suited to the application. Your materials supplier should be able to work with you in order to determine the best way to reduce noise and vibration in your structure. A custom damping solution may be the most effective for a variety of applications, and your supplier can help you develop a damping system that reduces weight when necessary while making your structure both quieter and more stable.

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