Design and Validation of a Low Frequency Anti-Vibration Mount using NBR-Carbon Fiber Composite

The vibrations generated by onboard machinery can adversely impact stealth of marine platforms. Designers typically mitigate the source of vibration; however additional passive anti-vibration mounts have to be used for isolating equipment above a specific frequency threshold. This study focuses on the development, testing, and comparative evaluation of composite anti-vibration mounts incorporating short carbon fiber reinforcement in an NBR matrix. Three damping elements designs were optimized based on the stress-strain properties of five NBR compositions with varying short-fiber loading. The research involved designing and testing the mounts, FEM of the materials, FEA of the mounts, and experimental validation. Among the tested designs, model-2 with 2 parts per hundred rubber (phr) fiber loading demonstrated superior vibration damping performance for low-frequency applications.