Rubber damping landing chutes

The problem

Damped landing chute

Damped landing chute

Metal-on-metal impacts are a common and often disproportionately significant source of noise in many metal fabricating shops.

One major motor manufacturer recently installed a cropping machine to automate the finishing of castings, previously carried out by operators using hand-held pneumatic tools.

While the new equipment reduced noise exposure during the process itself, noise was still being generated by the unloading mechanism. A mechanical arm lifted the casting out of the machine, rotated it clear and then dropped it from a height of about 1 m onto a metal chute. The impact of the components onto the chute created peak A-weighted levels of 100 dB.

The solution

A 5 mm layer of wear-resistant rubber matting was applied to the inside surfaces of the chute.

The cost

About £75 per square metre for material, plus installation. (1995)

The result

A noise reduction of about 15 dB. The treatment also protected the casting and chute from impact damage.

Source

Information and photograph supplied by Ford Motor Company Limited.

Is this page useful?

Updated 2021-02-09