Sorbothane Case Protects Raw Egg From Ceiling Drop

Does it really work? Can Sorbothane® protect a raw egg from impact?

Design World technical and editorial staff examined the unique properties of Sorbothane. They decided to test the impact protection of Sorbothane by dropping a raw egg, enclosed in a Sorbothane case, from the ceiling of their converted warehouse offices in Cleveland, Ohio. It worked!

Viscoelastic Sorbothane moves the potentially damaging shock away from the point-of-impact thus protecting the raw egg. Sorbothane is a solid that “flows” like a liquid under load.

Sorbothane turns mechanical energy into heat. As the material is deformed, molecular friction generates heat. This “lost energy” is called hysteresis. Energy is translated perpendicularly away from the axis of incidence and its effect is pushed nearly 90° out of phase from the original disturbance. This phase shift, known as “Tan Delta”, is a measurement of Sorbothane’s damping effectiveness. The higher the value of Tan Delta, the greater the amount of damping.

Impact Absorption Using Sorbothane

This graph shows the high hysteresis necessary for efficient impact absorption. By comparing the area under the curves, it is clear that Sorbothane removes more of the impact energy from the system. Natural rubber is more elastic and returns energy to the system. High-energy return causes high rebound and increases the potential for damage.

Sorbothane can decelerate parts and can reduce peak forces during sudden stops in minimal sway space. Impact absorption up to 80% is achievable at proper dynamic deflections.

For 40 years, Sorbothane has been the innovative and trusted choice of engineers worldwide for developing materials and components that isolate vibration, attenuate shock and damp unwanted noise. Sorbothane has wide applications in shock absorption, vibration isolation, vibration damping and more in a variety of markets. If you’re looking for a superior product that combines shock absorption, good memory, vibration isolation and vibration damping characteristics, look no further than Sorbothane.