The equipment of residential buildings and offices includes an increasing number of mechanical devices. Constantly operating systems and installed equipment result in mechanical vibrations and noise. These are side effects that may have a significant (negative) impact on our health, both physical and mental.
What exactly is vibration?
These are vibrations, or more precisely, a mechanical phenomenon consisting of oscillatory movement around the balance point. Vibrations can be caused intentionally when playing the guitar (moving the strings), when the diaphragm vibrates in a loudspeaker, or in mobile phones.
A more common phenomenon is the previously mentioned undesirable vibrations, which occur as an unwanted side effect of the device's operation. They may be caused by, among others: due to loose mounting, inaccurate installation of the device, poor balance of rotating elements or as a result of wear of materials.
Vibrations may be generated by heat pumps, air conditioners, water pumps, fans, garage doors, boilers, elevators or other building equipment. Regardless of the frequency, they are perceived as burdensome because they affect the entire human body. They stimulate many receptors at the same time and transmit impulses to the nervous system, which causes reflex reactions of the body. In extreme cases and at high frequency, they can lead to permanent disease.
The negative effects of vibration affect not only people, their health and well-being. Regularly recurring vibrations can also cause negative consequences for the building structure, higher requirements for maintenance and inspection of equipment, equipment malfunction and shortened service life, as well as violation of specific standards and regulations.
How to solve the vibration problem? Choose vibration isolators
The most effective way to eliminate vibrations is to isolate the vibrating machine from the ground using isolators, i.e. elastic devices that are selected for the specific device to be mounted. Walraven has a group of products dedicated to damping vibrations. Walraven VibraTek® is a product line consisting of metal and elastomeric vibroacoustic isolators. These solutions are selected individually for selected devices, for given parameters.
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Properly selected vibroacoustic isolators should be placed directly between the supporting structure and the device generating undesirable vibrations. In this case, the isolators can effectively absorb up to 99% of the generated vibrations.
Vibration insulation prevents the transmission of vibrations and noise to the building structure
It is worth taking care of acoustic comfort at the earliest possible stage of work in the building. Very often, engineering errors and negligence at the construction and assembly stages lead to an increase in the noise level in rooms directly adjacent to the engine room or elements of the building's technical equipment. This problem may also affect rooms located far from the source of vibrations, which, however, are transmitted through the building structure.
Very often, noise transmission takes place through installation elements, such as utility water or central heating pipes or ventilation ducts inside the building. In such a case, even in rooms far away from the noise source, rigid installation of the installation to the ceiling or wall (e.g. lack of insulation in the fire passage) turns the wall into a noise amplifying membrane, which may be e.g. a circulation pump.
The vibration isolator limits the vibrations produced by devices in constant use
A better solution is to prevent vibration and noise problems at the design and construction stage rather than repairing what is already functioning later.
At the construction stage, the cost of insulators constitutes several percent of the total cost of the overall HVAC system and it is money well spent compared to repair losses, which will be incomparably high - both in terms of time and cost. The price of insulators is incomparably low compared to the price of the device.
The solution to vibration problems is Walraven VibraTek® products
One of the products of the Walraven VibraTek® line is an elastomer foot with an M8 connector for leveling devices and dampening their vibrations (Walraven VibraTek® MR-L 1000/M8).
It is a plastic insulator with nuts in accordance with DIN 934 and washers in accordance with DIN 9012 supplied in the set. It is recommended for machines with operating speeds above 2500 rpm - it provides a vibration reduction level of 75% to 80%. Elastomeric leveling feet are easy to install and do not require attachment to the supporting structure. They are intended for devices standing freely on the ground, with a max. weight 320 kg. An additional advantage is the fact that metal and plastic parts can be separated for recycling.
Walraven also has vibration dampers. One of them is the Walraven VibraTek® SB-MM elastomeric shock absorber with two external threading pins.
This is a universal shock absorber made of plastic - ideal for use with all types of suspensions and device mountings. It is available in four configurations. This elastomeric shock absorber is ideal for use with devices and machines mounted on a metal surface. It is intended exclusively for compressive forces, for devices mounted on a substructure, with a mass of max. 168 kg.
Take care of your comfort and safety today by reducing noise and vibration to a minimum by choosing Walraven VibraTek® products - check the product offer and choose the solution that is right for you.