As most people move throughout the day, they spend a great deal of time punishing their feet. Whether walking, running, standing for prolonged periods, or engaging in sporting activity, your feet are being subjected to forces that can cause, not only discomfort, but serious medical issues.

Read Full Post

According to estimates by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration, massive amounts of freight are being shipped via the nation’s multimodal transportation network. On any given day, within the United States, more than 53 million tons are being shipped. These goods are valued at over $36 billion and are being transported more than 12 billion ton-miles. That’s a lot of shipping, especially when you take into account that international cargo shipments are not included in these numbers. Yes, it is true that not all of this cargo is made up of delicate materials and products. However, you need only consider that more than ten percent of this shipped freight is comprised of electronic, electrical, and office equipment, to realize the enormity of the need to protect delicate materials for cargo shipping.

Read Full Post

When considering situations in which your products, equipment, and workers are subjected to impact, it is important that you understand—just impact force. Impact force is a force that delivers a shock or high impact in a relatively short period of time. It occurs when two entities collide. This collision is the result of one object falling onto, or slamming into, another object. This collision delivers a shock as energy that is transferred to the impacted entity(s). This energy is what causes damage to vehicles during an automobile accident, metal machine parts slamming together, cartons of product that are jostled when a transporter hits a nasty pot hole, and the feet and joints of marathon runners as they pound the pavement.

Read Full Post

When considering situations in which your products, equipment, and workers are subjected to vibration, it is important that you understand the concept of high pressure vibration and to know how to find a high pressure vibration damping material. Vibration is an oscillating energy made up of cyclically repeated forces of specific frequencies. The energy that is transferred to an entity by these forces causes the back and forth or up and down movement called vibration. Since vibration is caused by waves of energy, it has both a frequency (number of oscillations per second) and an amplitude (strength). 

Read Full Post

Sounds are vibrations in a range of frequencies that we can hear. Vibration is an oscillating energy made up of cyclically repeated forces of specific frequencies. The energy that is transferred to an entity by these forces causes the back and forth or up and down movement called vibration. Since vibration is caused by waves of energy, it has both a frequency (number of oscillations per second) and an amplitude (strength). It is important to control both attributes. Vibration energy with a high amplitude (high strength) is considered high pressure vibration—delivering a high level force with each vibratory impact. Frequency is important because different frequencies interact with substances in different ways. Every material, or system of materials, has what is known as a natural, or resonance frequency.

Read Full Post

Impact force, vibration, compressive stress, and acoustical shock are all sources of unwanted energy. This energy can cause damage, loss, and injury when not properly controlled. As these various types of forces impact your machinery, materials, products, and workers, they transfer energy to the impacted entity(s). This energy is what causes damage to metal machine parts slamming together, cartons of product that are jostled when a transporter hits a nasty pot hole, and the hearing of your workers.

Read Full Post

The best material to demonstrate the elasticity of polymeric materials is a highly efficient energy absorber with superior damping properties. This material is effective in a broad range of applications including, damping and isolating vibration, absorbing shock, damping noise, and dissipating heat. Following energy absorption, it must be able to return to its original shape and safely dissipate energy in a controlled manner. This material needs to be effective across a wide spectrum of temperature and chemical exposure without degrading. It must be capable of conforming to any size or shape, and must be available in any thickness needed. The material has to be easy to cut, moldable, and customizable to meet specific needs. It must also be long lasting, cost effective, and readily obtainable. Where can this material be found?

Read Full Post

When considering situations in which your products, equipment, and workers are subjected to impact shock, it is important that you understand the concept of shock and how to protect against it. Impact force is a force that delivers a shock or high impact in a relatively short period of time. It occurs when two entities collide. This collision is the result of one object falling onto, or slamming into, another object. This collision delivers a shock as energy that is transferred to the impacted entity(s). This energy is what causes damage to vehicles during an automobile accident, metal machine parts slamming together, cartons of product that are jostled when a transporter hits a nasty pot hole, and the feet and joints of marathon runners as they pound the pavement.

Read Full Post

A damping coefficient is a material property that indicates whether a material will bounce back or return energy to a system. For example, a basketball has a low damping coefficient (a good bounce back). If the bounce is caused by an unwanted vibration or shock, a high damping coefficient in the material will diminish the response. It will swallow the energy and reduce the undesired reaction.

Read Full Post

The material damping coefficient is a number furnished by the manufacturer that describes the materials characteristic and ability in a damping system. Engineers use this number to evaluate different material’s ability to return energy to a system. The material damping coefficient is a property that indicates whether a material will bounce back. For example, a basketball has a low damping coefficient because it bounces back. In order to stop the basketball from bouncing back, we would need a floor with a material that has a high damping coefficient on the surface. It is like the commercial with the bowling ball dropping on the mattress. There is no bounce back because the mattress has a high damping coefficient. It swallows the energy and reduces the reaction of the system.

Read Full Post