From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Article on the use of rubber bonded to metal for anti-vibration units and other purposes in oil engine plant.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 132\1\ scan0064 | |
| Date | 1st October 1937 | |
| REPRINTED FROM The Oil Engine OCTOBER, 1937. THE USE OF RUBBER IN OIL ENGINE PLANT Rubber Bonded to Metal Employed as Anti-vibration Units and for Other Purposes ENGINEERS are constantly finding new uses for rubber; now that it can be bonded to metal (including light metals) the scope of the material is vastly increased. In bonded form the whole mass of rubber is made to work, not merely a portion. Bearing in mind that the mixture used controls the behaviour of the product, it will be realized that almost any requirement can be met by co-operation in design. In succeeding paragraphs we mention a few of the more interesting applications for oil engine users. The concern responsible for this development is Metalastik, Ltd., Evington Valley Road, Leicester; it is an associate of John Bull Rubber Co., Ltd. Bearers, brackets, pads and bushes of bonded form can be used for mounting oil engines in transport vehicles, power houses and aircraft. Owing to the action of the rubber, vibration and noise can be countered. A practical example is the mounting of the power unit in Daimler-Benz Diesel automobiles in Germany. The Metalastik company holds the rights for this country for the Floating Power engine mounting, by Chrysler and other car manufacturers. Similarly, support for gearboxes, radiators and compressors can be arranged in order to achieve silence as well as stress reduction in such structures. Pipes supported on Metalastik brackets are given a degree of resilience which minimizes “hammer.” Another vibration form is torsional oscillation of crankshafts. Instead of using wholly metallic friction dampers, the revolving mass may be coupled to the “wheel” portion by a rubber insert bonded to both. Thus lubrication is unnecessary. In positions where oil is likely to be present synthetic rubber can be used. Many types of coupling can be made up with bonded units. In addition to coping with angularity, it is possible to provide torsional cushioning to any desired degree. Present designs will transmit up to 10,000 ft.-lb. torque. Application to Oil-engined Vehicles Another application is for track-laying vehicles. Rubber “wearing” pads may be bonded to the track plates, whilst the metal-to-metal link system requiring lubrication can be superseded by bonded units needing no attention and working silently. Those familiar with these machines will appreciate the significance of these statements. Next is the matter of springs for vehicle suspension. Cylindrical-section rubber units bonded to metal attachment plates will work in tension and compression; the rubber mix and spring design can be varied to give any required performance. For railcar bogies, bolsters, buffers and drawgear there are obvious possibilities. Inside the vehicles, rubber bonded to wire mesh is used as the basis of the Wireflex cushion; we have tried such equipment and found it comfortable without rolling tendencies. The foregoing is but a brief outline. It suffices to show how important is this British development which will have particular scope in connection with oil engines. Image Captions: How a small elliptical spring can be deflected. (Above) A circular spring (from left to right) in tension, normal state and compression. (Left) Various forms of mounting (1), a simple coupling (2) and a crankshaft torsion damper (3) cut in half to show the construction. | ||