Influence of Temperature on Hybrid Cup Isolation Mounts

Lack of performance in vibration isolation units can result in radiated noise from structures. Temperature can have a significant influence on the performance of vibration isolators. A series of static and dynamic vibration tests is performed on cup mount assembly at wide range of temperatures. The influence of temperature on the effective stiffness of elastomer-based cup mounts is determined. Typical effects of temperature on silicone rubber are not obvious for these isolators due to the hybrid design of the mount. The elastomer is vulcanized and bonded to the base cup and then pre-loaded when all three components; molded assembly, outer cup, and core are assembled into one-piece. Static load deflection tests and dynamic vibration tests at hot temperature show the mount had higher effective stiffness in all three directions than room temperature. The same tests at cold temperature show much stiffer results in static testing, but softer results in dynamic testing. Reviewing the load-deflection results at various temperatures show these hybrid isolators are slightly stiffer at hotter temperatures and much stiffer at colder temperatures. The small displacement dynamic tests show agreement at hot temperature, however at cold temperature isolators softened.