Impact force, vibration, compressive stress, acoustical shock, and shear force—sources of undesirable energy that can result in injury, damage, and loss, when not properly controlled. As these various types of forces impact your workers, machinery, and products, they transfer energy that causes damage to—sensitive product shipments, employee hearing, and colliding metal machine parts.

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Situations exist all around us in which people, products, and equipment are subjected to impact shock. It is important that you understand shock and are aware of effective shock protection. Impact force is a force that delivers a shock or high impact in a relatively short period of time. It happens when two bodies—of any kind–collide. This collision is the result of one body falling onto, or slamming into, another body. This collision delivers a shock wave, as energy, that is transferred to the impacted body(s). This energy is what actually causes damage and injury. Injury may occur when a carpenter strikes a nail or when a runner’s foot impacts the pavement. Damage may result when metal machine parts slam together or when cases of sensitive electronic devices are jostled around during shipping. For businesses—this unwanted energy is causing injury and damage to your workers, equipment, and products.

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When two bodies (of any kind) collide—impact one another—the exact moment of collision is known as the point of impact. At this point, a shock is delivered by the force of the impact. This impact force will increase with speed and the size of the colliding bodies. The shock, generated by the impact force, is delivered as energy that is transferred to the impacted body(s). This energy is what causes injury and damage to workers, equipment and product. This is, most definitely—unwanted energy.

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Whether we are considering industrial equipment, home appliances, delicate electronics, a runner’s feet, or a worker’s hearing—there are damaging forces all around us. When these forces (impact force, compressive stress, shear force, vibration, and sound waves) impact people, equipment, and products, they can cause injury and damage. This occurs due to energy transfer at the point of impact. This energy is what causes damage to: the hearing of your workers, metal parts slamming together in a piece of industrial equipment, cases of delicate electronics experiencing rough shipping conditions, and shop floors as machinery “creeps” from its designated location. To avoid these kinds of damage, you need to isolate the affected entity—your worker, your equipment, your product—from the source of the unwanted energy, the force responsible for its generation. This is achieved by using an isolator—a material that absorbs the energy, providing isolation from the generating force and, thereby, protection from damaging effects.

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Noise is unwanted sound—and it is all around us. Some noises you perceive to be merely annoying. These might include noise produced by: the spin cycle of your washing machine, the blender that’s making your smoothie, the power tools that are being used out in the garage, your son’s stereo playing in the next room, or your daughter’s trumpet practicing in the basement. Noise can also be harmful. Such is the case if you are working near a high level noise source, especially for extended periods of time. Such scenarios might include: heavy machinery—such as stamping machines, punch presses, or sheeters; industrial equipment—including bulldozers, cranes, or stump grinders; and pneumatic tools—such as jackhammers or nail guns. Continuous exposure to high level noise, as well as repeated exposure to impact noise, can both result in hearing loss—even if you only believe the noise to be annoying. This noise, these unwanted sounds, need to be controlled.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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). 

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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.

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