Fiber enhancement of viscoelastic damping polymers

• US 5,256,223 A
• Filed: 12/31/1991
• Issued: 10/26/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Old Dominion University (Commonwealth of Virginia)
• Original Assignee: The Center For Innovative Technology
• Inventors: Chen, Yung, Alberts, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Simmons, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Osele, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US07/816,886
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 156/71, 156/60, 156/276, 267/141, 267/148, 52/309.6, 52/309.7, 52/403, 52/167 R, 248/636, 248/638, 181/208, 428/294, 428/343, 277/227
• US Class Current: 156/71
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 27/04 resilient
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/42 characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 5/04 strengthened or consolidated by applying or incorporating chemical or thermo-activatable bonding agents in solid or liquid form
• CPC Class Codes: E01D 19/041 Elastomeric bearings E01D19/048 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/98 against vibrations or shocks on foundations E02D31/08; against mechanical destruction, e.g. by air-raids against incendiary damage only E04B1/94; finishing work therefor E04F; buildings withstanding earthquake or the like, shelters, arrangements of splintercatching walls E04H9/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/366 made of fibre-reinforced plastics, i.e. characterised by their special construction from such materials
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/168 Plural layers of different materials, e.g. sandwiches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 277/916 Seal including vibration dampening feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 277/936 Composite
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249941 Fiber is on the surface of a polymeric matrix having no embedded portion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/28 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and having an adhesive outermost layer

Abstract

A Viscoelastic medium with fibers dispersed throughout eliminates the need for a constraining layer, thus reducing the size and weight of a damping treatment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for damping structural noise and vibration, consisting essentially of:

a viscoelastic polymer having length, width and height dimensions defining a volume and having at least one surface securable to a structure; and

a plurality of non-woven, spaced apart fibers uniformly distributed in-situ throughout said volume defined by said viscoelastic polymer with respect to said height dimension, said fibers being sized to induce strain in said viscoelastic polymer, said fibers being of a length which requires several of said fibers to span said length dimension of said viscoelastic polymer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said securable surface includes an adhesive bonded thereto.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fibers are shorter than said length dimension of said polymer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fibers are graphite fibers.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said volume which includes said viscoelastic polymer and said fibers is in the form of a tape.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said viscoelastic polymer includes a plurality of regions along its length dimension with fibers therein and a plurality of regions along its length dimension without fibers.

7. A method of damping structural noise and vibration, comprising the steps of:

determining a fiber length for a damping tape which is comprised of a viscoelastic polymer with a plurality of spaced apart fibers uniformly distributed throughout said viscoelastic polymer which will provide a desired damping response for a particular frequency of vibration; and

applying said damping tape having said fiber length determined to produce said desired damping response to a structure.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein said step of applying includes the steps of securing a damping tape with uncut fibers to said structure, and cutting said uncut fibers to said fiber length after said step of securing.

9. A method of damping structural noise and vibration, comprising the steps of:

determining a fiber spacing for a damping tape which is comprised of a vescoelastic polymer with a plurality of spaced apart fibers uniformly distributed throughout said viscoelastic polymer which will provide a desired damping response for a particular frequency of vibration; and

applying said damping tape having said fiber spacing determined to produce said desired damping response to a structure.

10. A method of damping structural noise and vibration, comprising the steps of:

determining a volume fraction of fibers for a damping tape which is comprised of a viscoelastic polymer with a plurality of spaced apart fibers uniformly distributed throughout said viscoelastic polymer which will provide a desired damping response for a particular frequency of vibration; and

applying said damping tape having said volume fraction of fibers determined to produce said desired damping response to a structure.