CD Laboratory for Soft structures for vibration isolation & impact protection

Elastomers are able to dissipate energy thanks to their viscoelastic properties. They are usually used passively in damping elements.

This CD Laboratory researches innovative approaches for adjustable/active damping elements made of elastomers to protect vehicles, buildings or machines from damage caused by shocks or vibrations. The starting point is soft materials such as elastomers, which are characterised by their inherent damping properties. These are characterised and modified and damping structures with integrated sensors are developed on this basis.

Unwanted vibrations and shocks can jeopardise vehicles, buildings or machines by damaging or even destroying them. The aim is therefore to reduce unwanted movements of any frequency and amplitude by means of appropriate damping. Soft materials, especially elastomers, i.e. elastic and reversibly mouldable plastics, are predestined for vibration suppression or shock absorption. The aim of this CD Laboratory is to improve suitable damping materials and make them accessible for additive manufacturing processes - e.g. 3D printing. Careful material selection, combination and processing will be used to create customised, versatile structures for vibration reduction and shock absorption. Furthermore, the relevance of stiffness gradients, i.e. the change in stiffness along a damping structure, as well as multi-layer composite structures consisting of hard and soft layers is being researched. A particular focus is on investigating how much energy can be dissipated at the contact surfaces between the individual layers - i.e. between the material and insulation or between the individual layers of a multi-layer composite structure.

The major challenge is to use these per se passive materials to produce damping elements in which the strength of the damping can be adjusted. To do this, fillers are introduced and external stimuli are used to change the stiffness.

In addition to the damping elements themselves, soft sensors are also being developed that can deform with the element without impairing its functionality.

The aim is, on the one hand, to be able to produce skin-inspired, large-area insulations that can be applied to objects of any shape and suppress vibrations. On the other hand, cocoon-like structures with stiffness gradients that can absorb extreme impacts and at the same time exhibit high fracture toughness are to be made accessible. In order to develop these target structures, the CD Laboratory combines basic research from the fields of soft matter physics and polymer product engineering and thus provides the basis for novel, soft structures for vibration isolation and shock absorption.