How to Stop Vibrating

How to Stop Vibrating?

Vibration can be a serious problem.  It can cause damage to surrounding objects as well as create a lot of structure born noise.  However, the proper question is not "how to stop vibration", it is "how do I properly isolate this vibration".  Any type of machinery that has moving parts is naturally going to vibrate.  To completely stop the vibration, you would have to stop the machine from operating.

So how do I isolate vibration?  This will greatly depend upon the object that is doing the vibrating, but the solution is typically to use some sort of vibration isolator.  Vibration isolators come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials.  The main two vibration isolators, also called anti vibration mounts, consist of either metal springs or a rubber element that absorbs the vibration.  While metal springs are a viable option, rubber mounts are typically the more popular choice due to their very large work absorption capacity compared to that of even the best grade of steel.  Rubber is also much better at insulating sound created by vibration issues.

Rubber mounts will typically consist of a rubber compound that is chemically bonded to metal portions of the mount.  Mission Sales and Supply is a distributor of the rubber-bonded-to-metal type of mounts.  There is a wide range of anti vibration mounts to choose from depending on the application you are using them with.

Determining what type of Vibration you have

What is the nature of the vibration?  Is the vibration that is happening a result of a constant motion (such as the revolutions of an engine)?  Or is the vibration caused by random events that are interacting with the object you need to be stable (such as a hammer strike or dropping a heavy weight on something)?  These types of vibrations are typically called "shock loads".

Shock loads are a little trickier to handle, but given the right mount, can effectively be handled.  The majority of vibration issues deal with constant motion, such as an engine or generator, and can be solved by strategically placing anti vibration mounts underneath the object that is causing the vibration. 

Things to consider in selecting an anti vibration mount

You will want to know the weight of the application that you are attempting to isolate.  You will then need to find mounting positions that will evenly distribute the weight between the mounts.  This is not essential as you can always use mounts with a slightly stiffer rubber element if you need it to sustain more weight.  Regardless, you will need to know how much weight each mounting point will be responsible for.

Another thing to consider is what type of anti vibration mount design will suit you the best?  Some mounts have metal caps to protect against oil, gas, or other contaminents that might splash onto the rubber compound.  If you have a relatively clean environment, this will not be as big a concern.

You also may want your mounts to have a "fail safe" design.  This means they have been designed in such a way that the rubber can never be pulled apart (e.g. you are mounting a generator on a boat deck that will be tempted to roll over during times of choppy water or large waves).  The fail safe design will keep the mounts from failing if the application rolls or is inverted.

Contact a professional if you need help

If you have questions or would like a member of the team at Mission Sales and Supply to give you a recommendation, feel free to contact them.  They will run a free analysis of your application and make suggestions as to which mounts will give you the highest degree of isolation.