Vibration isolation is basically the process of isolating vibrating parts from the rest of a machine or system so that these parts don’t cause vibration and noise in other parts of the machine. This type of vibration control is incredibly important in HVAC systems for several reasons.

For one thing, no one wants to hear major vibrations every time the heating and cooling system kicks on. A good system for controlling these vibrations is to isolate the moving parts from the pieces that can conduct noise. For instance, you may want to isolate the moving parts of the actual cooling fans and machines from the ducts, which could easily carry sound vibrations throughout an entire home or building.

There are several different ways to create vibration isolation within an HVAC system. Some popular solutions include small springs and even neoprene or fiberglass mounts that isolate vibration waves from getting to particular areas of the HVAC system. These options are good ones for some situations, but they may not be the best available options. (more…)

Vibration damping is one of the main technical pieces of getting a machine or system of moving parts to work properly. When vibrations are out of control, they can cause all sorts of problems. The least destructive issues can include excessive noise and slight extra wear and tear on the machine. At its worst, though, excess or uncontrolled vibration can cause a machine to break down much more quickly or to cease working within just a short period of time, if it really works at all.

Damping vibration is mainly left to visoelastic substances like Sorbothane, a proprietary formula used in many damping capacities. When vibrations are damped, they are removed from the system in a couple of ways. They can be absorbed into materials that release vibration energy as small amounts of heat energy, or they can be changed to different frequencies that don’t resonate with the pieces of the machine. (more…)

Controlling vibration may not seem like a big deal until you talk to an engineer. Any modern engineer will tell you that vibration is a huge deal in his or her profession. The tiny waves that come from moving parts and friction can create big waves in the world of automotives, factories, or any other place where moving parts are the main focus. One of the reasons that vibration control is important is that it controls noises.

Do you know how you can tell when your car is having problems by listening to it? This is because parts that are well engineered and are working properly don’t tend to make a lot of noise. Of course, a lot of noise is all relative. A huge machine engine is going to make more noise than a tiny car engine. Still, though, we definitely use sounds to let us know when things are wrong with our machines. (more…)

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.

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 some of the options that are still available today: (more…)

If you’re building a machine or a part for a machine, you may not think too much at first about vibration noise control. You’re more worried about making sure that the parts of the machine work together well and that the entire thing runs smoothly. Once your machine is built, though, you do need to start worrying about this issue. There are several reasons to be concerned about it, as well as several things you can do to prevent it, for the most part.

The first reason to be concerned about vibration noise control is that it can signal a deeper problem with the machine that might make it break down more quickly. Sometimes the machine will work well, but if there is extra vibration between a couple of parts, the movement will wear them down more quickly. This can cause your machine to wear down faster or even to stop working after a short amount of time. (more…)

Vibration Reduction and Running Shoes

High tech running shoes these days are becoming an important part of the overall wardrobe of a good runner. As runners go further and faster and become more physically fit, running shoes help take care of their bodies. For this reason, most running shoes that are good for the body right now have some sort of vibration reduction system in them. There are a few reasons for this and a few ways that this type of system can work.

The main reason for running shoes to have vibration reduction systems is to keep the runner’s body from feeling as much of the impact of the run. Each time a foot slams to the ground, the vibration of that contact is passed up through the body, where it’s especially harmful to the joints. This is especially true when runners are running on super hard surfaces, such as cement. On a soft surface like grass or even asphalt, some of the impact’s vibration is actually absorbed by the ground. This is why even in a bad pair of shoes, you may not be as sore the next day when you’ve been running on these types of surfaces. (more…)

In an engine, one of the things that an engineer must be most concerned about is vibration. Even the tiniest vibrations can lead to lots of noise and extra friction. Sometimes, it can also ruin parts of the engine or wear the entire system down more quickly. This is why vibration systems that control vibration are vital to good engineering. There are many different ways to control vibration, though, and these systems might work in some of the following.

Many times, a system will work to eliminate some vibration altogether by absorbing it. It can do this through substances like fiberglass and foam that totally absorb the sound waves of vibration. You’ll see this, often times, in buildings that were created with good acoustics in mind. An acoustically good building, for one thing, doesn’t give back echoes to even the loudest noises. Often times, such a building will have covered panels on the walls and ceiling. These panels are made out of a sound absorbent material. They lock in the sound so it doesn’t bounce back off hard surfaces and cause an annoying echo. (more…)

What Engineers Use to Control Machine Vibration

Many people think that putting together and engine is simply about putting together parts that move in a certain way and achieve a certain end. This is true to some extent, but there are also many other factors to worry about when you’re creating an engine or anything with moving parts, actually. One of the things that has to be figured out is how to control vibrations.

Vibrations aren’t simply annoying things that make noises. In fact, every vibration has a frequency, which is why they make noises at all. Every part in a machine, too, has a resonant frequency – possibly more than one. This means that if any vibrations of that particular machine reaches the resonant frequency of another part, the second part will start to shake. In the short run, terrible vibrations can cause an engine to stop working, or they can simply cause excess noise that is annoying. In the long term, though, vibrations can cause a machine to wear down more quickly than it otherwise would have, even if the vibrations are slight. (more…)

What Products Can Be Used for Noise Control in Machines?
Noise is probably one of the most frustrating by-products of the technological era. Any time you have moving parts rubbing against one another, you’re going to have noise to some degree because friction always causes vibration. This means that since men have started creating machines with moving parts, they’ve been thinking of ways to create noise control. There are all sorts of materials that are used for controlling noise in today’s machines. Here are just a few of them.

One of the most basic ways to control noise is to get rid of as much friction as possible. You can do this between parts that need to slide past one another by oiling them or adding ball bearings. This cuts down on friction, vibration, and noise. However, sometimes friction is vital to a machine’s running well, so you have to find other ways to control noises that the various machine parts might be making. (more…)

If you’ve ever driven a car that needed a tune-up, you probably already know that sometimes sound vibrations can spell big trouble. In fact, listening for vibrations may be one of the first things a mechanic does for a car that’s experiencing some trouble. Certain issues just sound different when you’ve spent your life working with cars. Sound vibrations, though, can spell trouble for any machine, no matter how large or small it happens to be. Here are just a few of the things that sound waves, innocuous as they may seem, can do to machines.

For one thing, sound vibrations can cause a machine to wear out. Vibrations are signs of friction, and if there are too many of them, they can cause parts to wear down more quickly. Vibrations inherently cause things to shake a bit, and over time, even slight shaking can cause major wear and tear to the delicate moving parts of a machine. (more…)