| According to the National Aeronautics and Space | | | | to look for when shopping around for vibration control |
| Administration, "In 2008, NASA will continue to plan | | | | products is a company that offers an exhaustive line |
| how best to transition any needed Shuttle workforce | | | | of isolators and mounts for the control of noise, |
| and infrastructure to the Constellation program. The | | | | vibration and shock. Regardless of whether one's |
| Constellation program includes funding for the Orion | | | | vibration isolation needs are of the one pound or the |
| and Ares projects, as well as for ground operations, | | | | one ton variety, such companies will have the right |
| mission operations, and extravehicular activity projects | | | | type of mount to the fit application. The variety of |
| and a dedicated in-house effort for systems | | | | styles and sizes that Vibro-Insulator vibration isolators |
| engineering and integration." To gear up for the | | | | come in are designed to handle most vibration isolation |
| implementation of that plan, NASA is in the process of | | | | problems. The reputable company that produces |
| making infrastructure improvements at many of its | | | | Vibro-Insulators also offers a product guide showing all |
| centers. Among those improvements will be | | | | the different styles of mounts it has available for |
| "modifications to the Space Power Facility (SPF) at | | | | purchase. This way, the vibration control seeker can |
| Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station (Ohio) in | | | | see all of his or her options in one convenient place. |
| support of Orion environmental testing, enabling the | | | | Produced with either natural rubber or neoprene |
| SPF to perform vibration and vibro-acoustic testing." | | | | elastomers, depending on the application, |
| To that end, in November 2007, NASA chartered the | | | | Vibro-Insulators' mounts are designed to be used in |
| Thrust Oscillation Focus Team to precisely define the | | | | either the compression or shear direction. Typically, |
| frequency spectrum and oscillation amplitudes that the | | | | natural rubber is a good choice for most industrial |
| five segment (Ares) motor is expected to produce. In | | | | applications but is affected by oil. Neoprene, on the |
| parallel, the team is evaluating vehicle structural | | | | other hand, is resistant to oil. Still feeling like you need a |
| assessments in order to provide additional vibration | | | | rocket scientist at your disposal to make the right |
| isolation to critical launch vehicle systems and uncouple | | | | vibration isolation and control decision? Well, there's no |
| the vehicle's natural frequency from motor induced | | | | need to contact NASA for assistance. Step by step |
| loads." The rocket scientists at NASA may have the | | | | instructions on how to select the proper Vibro-Insulator |
| brain power to figure out their vibration control needs | | | | for a specific application are also provided by the |
| on their own-and they definitely have the brain power | | | | company that produces them. For those who are |
| to realize how important vibration isolation is to their | | | | math phobic, an example calculation is even provided |
| Constellation program. However, not every | | | | to show you exactly how to crunch the vibration |
| organization that needs vibration control has a team of | | | | isolation numbers. |
| rocket scientists on staff to turn to for such | | | | Karman Rubber is a world leader in Noise |
| computations. That's where having a vibration control | | | | Anti-Vibration & Shock Control Products. |
| expert at one's disposal comes in handy. The first thing | | | | |