On the vibration-damping properties of the prestressed polyurethane granular material

Gosar, Aleš (author), Emri, Igor (author), Klemenc, Jernej (author), Nagode, Marko (author), Oman, Simon (author)

Granular materials promise opportunities for the development of high-performance, lightweight vibration-damping elements that provide a high level of safety and comfort. Presented here is an investigation of the vibration-damping properties of prestressed granular material. The material studied is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) in Shore 90A and 75A hardness grades. A method for preparing and testing the vibration-damping properties of tubular specimens filled with TPU granules was developed. A new combined energy parameter was introduced to evaluate the damping performance and weight-to-stiffness ratio. Experimental results show that the material in granular form provides up to 400% better vibration-damping performance as compared to the bulk material. Such improvement is possible by combining both the effect of the pressure–frequency superposition principle at the molecular scale and the effect of the physical interactions between the granules (force-chain network) at the macro scale. The two effects complement each other, with the first effect predominating at high prestress and the second at low prestress. Conditions can be further improved by varying the material of the granules and applying a lubricant that facilitates the granules to reorganize and reconfigure the force-chain network (flowability).

• Language: English
• Keywords: granular materials, TPU polymer, vibration damping, energy criterion, lightweight design
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: 22 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 15, iss. 5, art. 1299
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-144812
• UDC: 534:678
• ISSN on article: 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym15051299
• COBISS.SI-ID: 145104131
• Publication date in RUL: 14.03.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Polymers
• Shortened title: Polymers
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4360
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517951257

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: granulati, poliuretan, dušenje vibracij, energijski kriterij

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0182
• Name: Razvojna vrednotenja