Markets: AUTOMOTIVE

Damping for Automotive:

Automotive is another industry where Heathcotes' dampers are often applied to reduce unwanted noise and vibration.  There are a large number of sources of unwanted noise.  

Constrained Layer Dampers can be positioned at various locations on cars. Usually they are fitted in areas where the metal is relatively thin and has a tendency to reverberate and amplify noise. Heathcotes' dampers have also been applied to Oil pans, valve timing, push rods and transmission covers, brake pad shims and backing plates.  

The polymers are also extremely thin (typically 0.05mm) and hence the materials can be recycled with little problem to the environment. Typical applications include:

	Noise Damping pads for floors, roofs and pillars.
	Sump and Rocker cover dampers.
	Brake pad anti squeal shims.

Composite Springs for Automotive:

Composite leaf springs have much better fatigue properties than traditional steel leaf springs, which make them ideal for use in the automotive industry. Example applications include:

	Composite springs for vehicle suspensions.
	Chair and seating springs.

Composite Panels for Automotive:

Their light weight and high strength make composite panels ideal for use in automotive applications. Examples include:

	Glass and Carbon panels with cores of honeycomb or foam up to 2.5x1.25m for freight and high performance vehicles.
	High performance Thermal insulation panels for refrigerated vehicles.

Laminates for Automotive:

Our plastic laminates are used in many automotive applications, including:

	Abrasion resistant layers
	Decals and stencils
	Customised masking layers using foils and plastics.

Dynamic Consultancy for Automotive:

There are a number of things to consider when using constrained layer dampers, and understanding the way a structure is vibrating can be very useful in achieving the optimal levels of damping. Using computational techniques and analysis tools we able to ensure you use the best damping solution for your application:

	Analysis of structures to determine natural frequencies and mode shapes
	Identification of potential problem modes of vibration within frequency range of operation
	Predictions of undamped and damped response to evaluate performance over a range of operating conditions
	Optimisation of dampers for performance, weight and cost: (polymer properties and thickness, constraining layer material and thickness, damper sizes and locations)

An example of a simple dynamic analysis of an aluminium panel can be found in our Latest News: