What is viscoelastic damping?

Viscoelastic dampers effectively reduce vibrations by converting kinetic energy into heat, thereby damping the movement of the system. Their design allows them to be used over a wide range of frequencies, however, the required type of viscoelastic damper depends on the planned application.

What material is best for vibration damping?

Rubber
Rubber is an ideal material for vibration damping applications. It absorbs energy before re-releasing it into the environment as heat, which helps quickly isolate vibration.

Is Sorbothane a rubber?

Sorbothane® is softer than rubber and most other polymers. It’s normally measured on the Shore “00” scale. Most types of rubber and other polymers are specified using the Shore “A” or Shore “D” scales.

What is vibration damping material?

Vibration damping material is used to reduce or eliminate noise in industrial, electronic, structural and ergonomic applications caused by resonance and vibration.

How does a viscous damper work?

The concept is simple – the viscous dampers convert the kinetic energy of the structural movement into heat and then dissipate that energy into the air, thereby obeying the laws of physics through the conservation of energy.

What is viscoelastic deformation?

In materials science and continuum mechanics, viscoelasticity is the property of materials that exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing deformation. Viscous materials, like water, resist shear flow and strain linearly with time when a stress is applied.

Does rubber dampen vibrations?

Rubber is used as vibration absorbers, because rubber has a relatively high shear modulus compared to other materials. That means when a rubber material is shear stressed, i.e. stressed parallel to its cross-section, rubber can be stressed more before it becomes permanently deformed.

What is Sorbothane made from?

Sorbothane was invented and patented in 1982 by Dr. Maurice Hiles, a British inventor. It was prepared by mixing polyol and isocyanate. His research into the energy dissipation properties of human soft tissue disclosed a structure very similar to an interpenetrating polymer network.

Why is Sorbothane good?

Sorbothane combines good memory, shock absorption, vibration isolation and vibration damping characteristics. In addition, Sorbothane is an effective acoustic damper and absorber. While many materials exhibit one of these characteristics, Sorbothane combines all of them in a stable material with a long fatigue life.

What is a viscous vibration damper?

A viscous damper has a sealed outer housing with a precision machined hub. Inside of the housing is an inertia ring with a viscous fluid (specialized silicone) filling the cavity.

What is viscous damping in vibration?

Viscous damping also refers to damping devices. Most often they damp motion by providing a force or torque opposing motion proportional to the velocity. This may be affected by fluid flow or motion of magnetic structures. The intended effect is to improve the damping ratio.