Ignacio, Fernand Lui B.

Generoso, John Michael I.

Vibration Damping
Damping is the dissipation of energy in an
oscillating system.
Damped vibration is the depletion of
energy. When a vibrating system is
damped there is energy loss.
Depending on the motion inputs and the
applications modes of vibration, damping
can be through dry-friction interfaces,
mechanical devices, and arrangements
that use viscous damping, and the
integration of elastomeric engineered
materials.
Viscoelastic materials
Damp vibration through a mechanism
known as hysteretic damping. As these
materials are distorted, internal friction
causes energy loss.

Viscoelastic materials are often used for

vibration damping.
Viscoelastic materials
Viscoelastic a material that exhibits properties of
both liquids viscous solutions and solids or
elastic materials. Because viscoelastic behavior is
useful in shock and vibration applications many
materials claim to be viscoelastic. Technically, they
are correct but many of these materials have only
trace viscoelastic properties.
A viscous material (a liquid) deforms under load and
transmits forces in all directions. It distributes a small
amount of pressure over a large area. It does not
recover its shape when the load is removed.
An elastic material deforms under load and returns to
its original shape when the load is removed.
Sorbothane
It is a viscoelastic material that uses many of
the same properties of others in that genre.
Viscoelastic materials were first developed in
the late twentieth century and used for a wide
range of applications. The list of items that can
be made with viscoelastic materials would
cover the whole gamut from tiny (ear plugs) to
enormous, (mechanical applications used in
factories) and everything in between. It is a
material that has applications not only for
companies big and small but for individuals as
well.
Sorbothane
Viscoelastic materials are used to
reduce noise transmission, vibration
transfer and vibration related stress.
Depending on the type of material and
its application, viscoelastic material can
be used to relieve stress and pain on the
human body as well as to protect
delicate components in various types of
machines and equipment.
Why Sorbothane is a Good Shock
and Vibration Solution
Because of the way that viscoelastic material work as well as
some of the properties that it has, it can be used with
great success for shock absorbing and for protection from
vibration issues. How viscoelastic materials perform
differs from materials that are either viscous or purely
elastic in a number of ways including:

If stress is constantly applied, the strain that is exerted will

increase with time.
If strain is constant, stress will decrease with time
meaning the material may relax or sag.
Effective stiffness may depend on the rate of the
application of the load (weight).
If cyclic loading is applied, mechanical energy is typically
dissipated.
The rebound of energy from an object is less than 100%.
During rolling (or similar motions) frictional resistance can
occur.
Sorbothane Is More Than Just a
Product, It Is a Solution
Sorbothane is the answer to many different questions. It can be
the perfect solution for many needs and problems for the
average guy to huge corporations and even the government.
There are even some applications that may have included
Sorbothane that are completely secret!
There are many different reasons Sorbothane is an ideal solution:

To increase comfort during a leisure activity

To increase comfort during a work related task
To allow for less physical pain
To prevent injury
To allow for more effective use of available energy
To protect sensitive equipment or machinery
To reduce the sound that is generated by some machines
To reduce the damage of vibrations during transportation
To protect hearing
Here are a few of the most
common uses:
UNCONSTRAINED DAMPING

CONSTRAINED DAMPING

TUNED VISCOELASTIC DAMPING

UNCONSTRAINED DAMPING
A pad of viscoelastic material is created for
moving parts of the machine. The pad sits
between the parts that are causing excess
vibrations.
As the parts move, it conforms to the
movement to absorb some of the vibration
energy. It then stores that energy and releases
it as heat energy. This removes vibration from
the system and keeps the machine from
breaking down or making too much noise.
Unconstrained damping is by far the simplest
way to address vibration in machinery.
CONSTRAINED DAMPING
In this type of vibration damping, the
viscoelastic damping material is lined
with a thin piece of flexible metal. It
works similarly to unconstrained
damping, but it can be more efficient.
Constrained damping in this may be
used for machines that need close
control of vibrations.
TUNED VISCOELASTIC DAMPING
Directed damping, designed to keep
specific wavelengths of vibrations out of
a system. This is often because of the
need to keep resonant frequencies from
causing seriously damage to machinery
or motors.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN
CHARACTERISTICS OF A VIBRATION
DAMPER?
Good damping coefficient

A damping coefficient is a material property that

indicates whether a material will bounce back
or return energy to a system. 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
will attenuate the response, meaning it will
swallow the energy and reduce the reaction
of the system.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN
CHARACTERISTICS OF A VIBRATION
DAMPER?

Wide temperature range stability

The temperature range stability for materials

must be known for use in the extreme
application environments.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN
CHARACTERISTICS OF A VIBRATION
DAMPER?

Long fatigue life

Fatigue is failure under a repeated or varying

load, never reaching a high enough level to
cause failure in a single application.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A
VIBRATION ISOLATOR AND A VIBRATION
DAMPER?

Damping vibration is dissipation of energy.

Isolating vibration is the prevention of

vibration transmission.
 A good vibration isolator lowers the
natural frequency of a system to below
the excitation (or disturbing) frequency.
Keeping these two frequencies out of
sync greatly reduces the problems of
vibration.

In contrast, a good vibration damper

takes mechanical energy out of the
system. Properly designed metal springs
and rubber mounts can be good
isolators but have almost no damping
capability. As some in industry define it,
common vibration absorbers separate
the vibration source by damping as well
as a second mass attached to the
system through other dampers.
References:
The Basics of Vibration and Damping in
Engineered Designs
http://www.sorbothane.com/what-is-
viscoelastic-material.aspx