Excessive vibration can have a significant impact on the efficiency, lifespan and safety of machinery and equipment. Whether it’s in industrial manufacturing, automotive applications or HVAC systems, excessive vibrations can lead to wear and tear, noise pollution and even structural damage.

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from huaneng.

Selecting the right anti-vibration mounting is not just about reducing vibrations; it’s about enhancing performance and protecting your equipment. With so many anti vibration mounts available to choose from, understanding the key factors around your choice is crucial.

At AV Industrial Products Ltd, we have been manufacturing and supplying rubber mounting solutions for over 30 years. Within this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about anti-vibration mountings, including their types, considerations and applications.

What Are Anti-Vibration Mounts and Why Are They Important?

Anti-vibration mounts are specially designed engineering components used in industrial machinery and vehicles to reduce vibration. They are typically made from a combination of metal and rubber, with the latter providing the vibration absorption properties.

What Do You Need to Consider When Choosing an Anti-Vibration Mount?

Selecting the ideal anti-vibration mount for your equipment is a meticulous process. For optimum performance and durability, you will need to consider a number of factors, as choosing the wrong type can lead to more damaging effects on your machinery.

What do you want to achieve?

The first consideration you must make is what you are looking to achieve from your anti-vibration mount. Maybe you are looking to improve operator comfort, increase efficiency or reduce the noise pollution in your work environment. The result you wish to achieve from your anti-vibration mount will play a part in your selection.

What type of machinery or equipment do you have?

Not all rubber mounts are suited to specific machinery or equipment, they are often manufactured with a particular type of application in mind. For instance, captive transit mounts ​and marine engine mounts ​may seem similar visually, but have different properties in relation to lateral and longitudinal stiffness.

Your machinery will dictate which anti-vibration mount is best suited for you. If you are unsure, our team is happy to help and discuss ​your options.

What is the weight of your machinery?

The weight of your machinery will give you an idea of the size and number of mounts you need. The more the machine weighs, the more mounts you need. From this, you can then calculate the weight distribution needed for each mount. For instance, if your machine is 240kg and has an even weight distribution and centre of gravity, you may wish to install four mounts, each supporting 60kg. If your weight is not evenly distributed throughout the machine, you will need to adjust the mounting support in response to this, for example by varying the rubber hardness.

What is the static deflection of your mounting

The static deflection refers to the compression of your mounting under the weight of your machinery. This figure is calculated by the amount of compression, for instance if your mount is compressed from 50mm to 45mm when bearing weight, the static deflection is 5mm. This static deflection has a direct correlation with vibration isolation. The higher the deflection, the higher the isolation. However, you should also consider that the mounting deflection will affect the movement of the equipment, particularly during start-up and shut-down.

Understanding Different Types of Anti Vibration Mount

Once you have considered your equipment, machinery and goals, it’s time to select an anti-vibration mount suitable for your application. Anti-vibration mounts often have the same end goal - to reduce and eliminate vibration. However, there are many different types, all designed and suited to various applications, so it is important to understand the different types of anti-vibration mount before choosing. One of the key considerations is whether your application is Static or Mobile. If mobile, a captive (fail-safe) mounting should ideally be used.

There are numerous anti-vibration mounts that can be used, however we are going to focus on 6 core products that can be used for a number of applications.

Common Mistakes When Selecting Anti Vibration Mounts

Selecting the right anti-vibration mounts is crucial for effective vibration isolation and equipment longevity. It is easy to find yourself making a mistake, whether this be misjudging your requirements or failing to account for other factors. Some common mistakes that are made often include:

• Ignoring load capacity or load distribution
• Miscalculating static deflection
• Failing to account for external factors
• Not considering dynamic forces
• Not taking into account shock and rebound forces.

How AV Industrial Products Ltd Can Help.

At AV Industrial Products, we manufacture and supply a range of anti-vibration mounts to industries across the UK and beyond. We offer both standard and bespoke mounting solutions to improve your equipment’s performance, longevity and reliability.

Vibration Damping: What Is It and What Rubber Is Best for It?

Posted By:  Sperry & Rice

Sometimes in products, or in industrial applications, vibration is an issue that requires a solution. In our business, we create solutions called vibration damping, and we do it with extruded rubber components.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website adss hardware.

In fact, when vibration is an issue, the right rubber formulation can make all the difference. But first, let’s get back to basics. What is vibration?

Vibration is a mechanical occurrence where shaking or oscillations occur due to imbalances in a rotating part (like a motor) or uneven friction. If vibration isn’t controlled, it can cause damage to the entire assembly or unit, specific parts, or even worse, fail and cause damage far beyond a part failure. To prevent any of these bad things from happening, you need vibration damping materials and components.

Vibration damping uses materials, often rubber, to absorb vibrations caused by machinery or moving parts. It 

can take the form of rubber vibration mounts, pads, washers, isolators, or gaskets, and can be made with a variety of rubber compounds, but are commonly made of natural rubber, EPDM, neoprene, and butyl rubber.

We’ll cover these materials one by one, but first, a few qualities that vibration dampeners require: adhesion to substrates, durometer, and resistance to other substances (ie, chemicals, oils, heat). Which material you choose for your vibration damping needs will depend on your application, and it’s important to know how different rubber compounds perform under different conditions.

Substrate Adhesion

No material can deaden vibrations if it doesn’t adhere to your parts or components. If a rubber doesn’t adhere well to your substrates, it will fall off and render the damping useless. 

Durometer

Making sure the rubber used in your damping components isn’t too hard or too soft is crucial. Too hard and you may lose damping ability; too soft and your part may tear and fall off. It’s important to test different formulations to determine the exact right durometer for your project.

Resistance

Considering the environment in which your rubber components will be used is extremely important. Vibration dampeners need to survive and lead a productive life, so understanding what elements the rubber will be exposed to is crucial. Temperature, oils, chemicals, weather, etc., can wear down parts and cause failure so it’s vital to understand rubbers’ interactions with its environment.

There are a few different vibration damping rubber materials used in most applications:

Natural Rubber

Natural rubber is a good vibration damping material that features high tensile strength, but its main drawback is that it doesn’t hold up well outdoors or in conditions that feature oils, due to its poor oil resistance.

EPDM

EPDM is a synthetic rubber that features high resistance to heat and weather and features excelled substrate adhesion and durometer. It can also be formulated in numerous different compounds for many different applications.

Neoprene

Neoprene excels in two specific areas for vibration damping: its superior adhesion to substrates, and its resistance to oil. Neoprene is a bit more expensive than other rubbers but its ability to stick to substrates (especially metal) and its ability to perform in oily conditions makes it a great damping option.

Butyl Rubber

Butyl rubber is a synthetic rubber that features low gas and moisture permeability and is extremely resistant to heat, abrasion, and tearing, which makes it an excellent option for damping vibrations.

As you can see, vibration damping parts and components can be made with a variety of rubbers, but it is crucial to find the best performing and most cost-effective option for your project. But that can be difficult unless you are a rubber expert. Fortunately, Sperry & Rice has a trained team of engineers experienced in all rubber formulations to help you determine which is right for your next project.

Sperry & Rice offers innovative engineering, advanced manufacturing processes, and comprehensive quality controls to produce precision extruded synthetic rubber components for the HVAC, automotive, transportation, and appliance industries. Our reputation lies in making sure that the rubber we provide makes the finished products of our clients reliable, and of the highest quality.