Vibration can cause problems and damage in many industrial applications—heavy machinery, vehicles, equipment, and tools. The repeated metal-to-metal contact in heavy machinery, for example, has the potential to damage parts and expose workers to unsafe conditions. The vibration created by vehicle engines, buckets or blades, or by travel across uneven roadways potentially causes circulation problems, nerve damage, and back pain for workers using industrial equipment. Extremely high-pressure vibrations created by pneumatic hand tools can cause serious nerve and circulatory damage with prolonged use. It becomes important, therefore, to determine the best way to reduce vibrations in the work environment to protect your equipment, workforce, and ultimately, your profit margin.

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According to the seminal article by J C Snowdon in a 1958 issue of British Journal of Applied Physics, a good anti-vibration material “should possess a high damping factor which does not increase greatly with frequency, and secondly, that [sic] it should be free from any major increase in dynamic modulus with frequency.” What makes the best anti-vibration material today based on this assertion? Sorbothane®.

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At work, employees are exposed to vibration when operating heavy machinery, pneumatic hand tools, industrial equipment, commercial vehicles, and material handling devices. Vibration exposure comes in the form of whole body vibration and segmental vibration (affecting only one part or segment of the body). Whole body vibration may be experienced by the operator of a bulldozer, fork lift, tractor trailer, or farm implement. Whole body exposure may result in fatigue, degenerative disc disease, impaired circulation, and various other medical conditions. Segmental vibration can originate from the operation of manufacturing and production equipment, as well as the use of nail guns, jackhammers, and other pneumatic tools. Exposure to segmental vibration can lead to wrist problems and Vibration White Finger.

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• What’s a solid viscoelastic material? It is a material that possesses characteristics of a liquid substance, alongside of attributes of a solid substance.
• Such a material, when impacted by of a force, will absorb energy and flow as if it were a viscous liquid.
• Once the source of the impact force is removed, a viscoelastic material will behave as an elastic solid, dissipating energy and returning its original shape.
• Sorbothane® takes absorbed energy and safely disperses it perpendicular to the source in the form of heat.

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• Fork lift vibration can originate from multiple sources including: the operation of the motor, operation of the lift mechanism, repetitive contact of metal parts on metal parts, and movement across uneven or textured surfaces.
• Vibration energy can be transmitted to the operator at the feet, seat, or hands. This can lead to discomfort, pain, maladies associated with the hands and wrists, or medical problems connected with exposure to whole-body vibration. Issues may include: Vibration White Finger, compromised circulation in the lower extremities, spine related nerve and orthopedic problems.
• Addressing these vibration-related issues requires a good vibration damping material for fork lifts. Sorbothane® is that material—the best vibration energy damper on the market.

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• Cameras contain optics and electronics. These sensitive structures are susceptible to damage when exposed to vibration. Such exposure can occur during operation, storage, or shipping.
• Vibration exposure while operating the camera can result in poor output quality regarding photography and videography.
• To address these vibration-related issues, you must ask—What’s a good vibration damping material for cameras? The answer—Sorbothane®—the best vibration energy damper available.

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Sorbothane® creates products that effectively dampen vibration. This product line contains: Mounting Hemispheres, Bushings, Washers, Silent Feet, Bumpers, Stops, and Sorbothane® Strips and Sheet Stock. The fact that Sorbothane® can be cast in any thickness, size, or shape, makes it perfect for incorporation into your product design.

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• Sound waves are mechanical vibrations that are audible—they fall in the frequency range that we can hear.
• Mechanical vibration (including sound) is a form of oscillating energy. These energy waves are characterized by their amplitude (strength—loudness in the case of sound) and frequency (the number of wave cycles/unit time—tone when describing sound).

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The term vibration isolation is used to refer to two situations. The first refers to the physical isolation of a person or object from a vibration source. The second is an engineering term that refers to a material’s ability to alter the frequency of a vibration. Both are important in controlling harmful vibration—both within and outside of the work environment.

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What is the tan delta for damping material? Tan delta is an abbreviated form of the term—Tangent of Delta. The tan delta quantifies the way in which a material absorbs and disperses energy. It expresses the out-of-phase time relationship between an impact force and the resultant force that is transmitted to the supporting body. Materials that effect the greatest phase shifts—approaching 90 degrees—have the highest tan delta values. These materials demonstrate the greatest capability to dissipate energy in a safe form—such as heat—at as close to 90 degrees (perpendicular) to the impact surface as possible. The tan delta is also known as the Loss Factor due to this loss of energy from the impact force via conversion to, and dispersal of, a safer form of energy. Thus, the tan delta is ultimately an indication of the effectiveness of a material’s damping capabilities. The higher the tan delta, the greater the damping coefficient, the more efficient the material will be in effectively accomplishing energy absorption and dispersal.

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