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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Elastic damping materials are using for a lot of things. The same material may be a good solution for multiple applications. Damping materials are used to reduce excessive vibration, dissipate increased heat, or reduce the strain and stress of using a machine for the operator. Of these things vibration is the most common and can typically cause the most problems. Elastic materials are used because they return to their original shape after absorbing shock or vibration. Viscoelastic materials are commonly used because they turn the energy from the displacement to heat released and return to their original shape. This is a desired effect in most applications.

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CD drives are a big part of our lives. We use them in our computers, stereos, game systems, and stand-alone players for music, games, file storage, software installation, and more. These drives are fragile and require protection from bumps and drops. CD drives also vibrate from spinning which can cause unwanted noise and shakiness. This not only interferes with the sound quality, but also can cause tracking errors on the drive. The vibration and bumps need to be addressed.

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Elasticity is the tendency of solid materials to return to their original shape after being forces are applied on them. When the forces are removed, the object will return to its initial shape and size if the material is elastic. What are viscous materials? Viscosity is a measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow. A fluid with large viscosity resists motion. A fluid with low viscosity flows. For example, water flows easier than syrup because it has a lower viscosity. High viscosity materials might include honey, syrups, or gels – generally things that resist flow. Water is a low viscosity material, as it flows readily. Viscous materials are thick or sticky or adhesive. They don’t flow easily. Heating reduces viscosity. (Warm syrup flows more easily than cold.)

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Damping material is used in a wide range of applications. Each use is unique, but that does not mean that the same material cannot be used in multiple types of situations. In the simplest of terms, damping material either reduces excessive vibration, dissipates increased heat, or reduces the strain and stress of using a machine for the operator. Of these things, vibration is the most common and can typically cause the most problems. Elastic damping materials return to their original shape after absorbing shock or vibration.

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Audio and electronics are very sensitive to vibrations and noise. They can not only interfere with sound quality, but also cause tracking errors or skipping or interference with other components. Whether you are dealing with laptops, towers, video game systems, your stereo, TV, or automobile audio systems, vibration needs to be addressed. The control of vibration is important for two reasons: firstly, personal comfort, health and safety may be adversely affected if humans are subjected to excessive vibration. Secondly, equipment suffering from external vibration may not perform as required, or a piece of vibrating equipment may cause adjacent machinery or equipment to perform in an unsatisfactory way.

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