Vibration and shock attenuating articles and a method of attenuating vibrations and shocks therewith

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vibration attenuating article that has a non-tacky film covering enclosing all or a significant portion of the surface of a vibration attenuating material, wherein at least a portion of the vibration attenuating surface covered by the film covering is a three dimensional surface. A layer of adhesive must be present on at least a portion of the exterior film covering when all of the vibration attenuating material is covered by the exterior film covering.

It is claimed:  
     
         1 . An article comprising: 
 (a) a vibration attenuating material, wherein the vibration attenuating material has a storage modulus greater than about 6.9×10 3  Pascals and a loss factor greater than about 0.01 at 25° C. and 1 Hertz, wherein the vibration attenuating material has a surface and an interior;    (b) an exterior film covering, wherein the exterior film covering film has a tensile modulus greater than about 6.9×10 3  Pascals at 25° C. and 50% relative humidity, wherein the exterior film covering comprises one or more of the following: 
 (i) a film;  
 (ii) a film segment;  
 wherein the vibration attenuating material surface is at least partially enclosed by the exterior film covering;  
 wherein an inner surface of the exterior film covering conforms to the surface of the vibration attenuating material that it is at least partially enclosing;  
 wherein at least a portion of the surface of the enclosed vibration attenuating material has a three dimensional shape;  
   (c) optionally one or more interior film dividers, wherein each interior film divider has a tensile modulus greater than about 6.9×10 3  Pascals at 25° C. and 50% relative humidity, wherein each interior film divider comprises one or more of the following: 
 (i) a film;  
 (ii) a film segment;  
 wherein each interior film divider separates at least a portion of the vibration attenuating material from another portion of the vibration attenuating material; and  
   (d) optionally a layer of adhesive coated on one or more of the following: 
 (i) at least a portion of a surface of the exterior film covering;  
 (ii) at least a portion of a surface of any interior film divider, if present;  
 (iii) at least a portion of any vibration attenuating material which is not enclosed by the exterior film covering;  
 wherein when the vibration attenuating material is completely enclosed by the exterior film covering a layer of adhesive must be coated on at least a portion of an outer surface of the exterior film covering.  
   
     
     
         2 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material is partially enclosed by the exterior film covering.  
     
     
         3 . The article of    claim 2    wherein at least one adhesive layer is present.  
     
     
         4 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material is completely enclosed by the exterior film covering.  
     
     
         5 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material is partially enclosed by the exterior film covering and about 50 to about 99 percent of the surface of the vibration attenuating material is enclosed by the exterior film covering.  
     
     
         6 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material is partially enclosed by the exterior film covering and about 60 to about 90 percent of the surface of the vibration attenuating material is enclosed by the exterior film covering.  
     
     
         7 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material is partially enclosed by the exterior film covering and about 65 to about 85 percent of the surface of the vibration attenuating material is enclosed by the exterior film covering.  
     
     
         8 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material is partially enclosed by the exterior film covering except for one flat surface of the vibration attenuating material.  
     
     
         9 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material is partially enclosed by the exterior film covering except for one flat surface of the vibration attenuating material and wherein an adhesive layer is present which is coated over the flat surface which is not enclosed by the exterior film covering.  
     
     
         10 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material is in the shape of a polyhedron.  
     
     
         11 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material has a shape selected from the group consisting of cubes, rings, pyramnids, prisms, truncated pyramids, stepped pyramids, stepped rectangles, cylinders, cones, spheres, hemispheres, and pillows.  
     
     
         12 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the exterior film covering comprises film layer(s) and/or film segment(s) each independently selected from the group consisting of crystalline polyester, amorphous polyester, polyimide, polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylic, phenolic, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, polystyrene, fluorinated polymer films, polyvinyl acetates, and nylon.  
     
     
         13 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material is selected from the group consisting of urethane rubbers, silicone rubbers, nitrile rubbers, butyl rubbers, acrylic rubbers, natural rubbers, styrene-butadiene rubbers, polyesters, polyurethanes, polyamides, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl butyral-polyvinyl acetate copolymers, epoxy-acrylate interpenetrating networks, polyacrylates, polycarbonates, polyetherimides, polyesters, polysulfones, polystyrenes, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene block copolymers, polypropylenes, acetal polymers, polyamides, polyvinyl chlorides, polyethylenes, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         14 . An article comprising two or more of the articles of    claim 1    joined together through their exterior film coverings.  
     
     
         15 . An article comprising two or more of the articles of    claim 1    adhered together.  
     
     
         16 . The article of    claim 1    wherein at least one interior film divider is present.  
     
     
         17 . The article of    claim 1    wherein at least two chemically different types of vibration attenuating material are present.  
     
     
         18 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material has a glass transition temperature of less than about 60° C. at 1 Hz.  
     
     
         19 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material has a glass transition temperature of less than about 45° C. at 1 Hz.  
     
     
         20 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material has a glass transition temperature of less than about 38° C. at 1 Hz.  
     
     
         21 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the article has a thickness of about 0.025 to about 50 mm, a length of about 1.25 to about 75 mm, and a width of about 1.25 to about 75mm.  
     
     
         22 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the exterior film covering has a thickness of about 0.005 to about 1.25 mm.  
     
     
         23 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the exterior film covering has one or more features selected from the group consisting of holes, slits, impressions, and protrusions.  
     
     
         24 . The article of    claim 1    wherein at least one interior film divider is present which has one or more features present selected from the group consisting of holes, slits, impressions, and protrusions.  
     
     
         25 . A method of attenuating vibration in a structure comprising the step of positioning an attenuating article in relation to the structure such that the attenuating article is capable of attenuating the vibration of the structure in at least one vibrational mode, wherein the attenuating article comprises (a) a vibration attenuating material, wherein the vibration attenuating material has a storage modulus greater than about 6.9×10 3  Pascals and a loss factor greater than about 0.01 at 25° C. and 1 Hertz, wherein the vibration attenuating material has a surface and an interior; 
 (b) an exterior film covering, wherein the exterior film covering film has a tensile modulus greater than about 6.9×10 3 Pascals at 25° C. and 50% relative humidity, wherein the exterior film covering comprises one or more of the following: 
 (i) a film;  
 (ii) a film segment;  
 wherein the vibration attenuating material surface is at least partially enclosed by the exterior film covering;  
 wherein an inner surface of the exterior film covering conforms to the surface of the vibration attenuating material that it is at least partially enclosing;  
 wherein at least a, portion of the surface of the enclosed vibration attenuating material has a three dimensional shape;  
 
 (c) optionally one or more interior film dividers, wherein each interior film divider has a tensile modulus greater than about 6.9×10 3  Pascals at 25° C. and 50% relative humidity, wherein each interior film divider comprises one or more of the following: 
 (i) a film;  
 (ii) a film segment;  
 wherein each interior film divider separates at least a portion of the vibration damping material from another portion of the vibration damping material;  
 
 (d) optionally a layer of adhesive coated on one or more of the following: 
 (i) at least a portion of a surface of the exterior film covering;  
 (ii) at least a portion of a surface of any interior film divider, if present;  
 (iii) at least a portion of any vibration attenuating material which is not enclosed by the exterior film covering.  
 
 
     
     
         26 . The method of    claim 25    wherein the vibration amplitude of the structure is reduced by at least about 10% in one mode.  
     
     
         27 . The method of    claim 25    wherein the structure is selected from the group consisting of disk drive assemblies, optical disk drives, compact disk assemblies, appliances, transport vehicles, automobiles, doors, drawers, hoods, computers, printed circuit boards, and test equipment.  
     
     
         28 . The method of    claim 25    wherein the structure is a disk drive assembly, wherein the article is positioned between and in contact with a magnet plate of an actuator voice coil motor assembly and at least one of the following:(i) a disk drive cover; (ii) a disk drive base.  
     
     
         29 . The method of    claim 25    wherein the structure is a disk drive assembly, wherein the article is positioned between an actuator and a surface opposite the actuator such that the article can be contacted by the actuator during actuation.  
     
     
         30 . The method of    claim 25    wherein the structure is a door and door frame assembly wherein the article is positioned between the door and the door frame such that the door will contact the article during actuation.  
     
     
         31 . The method of    claim 25    wherein the structure is a drawer and a drawer frame assembly wherein the article is positioned between the drawer and the drawer frame such that the drawer will contact the article during actuation.  
     
     
         32 . A structure having an attenuating article positioned in relation to the structure such that the attenuating article is capable of attenuating the vibration of the structure in at least one vibrational mode, wherein the article comprises (a) a vibration attenuating material, wherein the vibration attenuating material has a storage modulus greater than about 6.9×10 3  Pascals and a loss factor greater than about 0.01 at 25° C. and 1 Hertz, wherein the vibration attenuating material has a surface and an interior; 
 (b) an exterior film covering, wherein the exterior film covering film has a tensile modulus greater than about 6.9×10 3  Pascals at 25° C. and 50% relative humidity, wherein the exterior film covering comprises one or more of the following: 
 (i) a film;  
 (ii) a film segment;  
 wherein the vibration attenuating material surface is at least partially enclosed by the exterior film covering;  
 wherein an inner surface of the exterior film covering substantially conforms to the surface of the vibration attenuating material that it is at least partially enclosing;  
 wherein at least a portion of the surface of the enclosed vibration attenuating material has a three dimensional shape;  
 
 (c) optionally one or more interior film dividers, wherein each interior film divider has a tensile modulus greater than about 6.9×10 3  Pascals at 25° C. and 50% relative humidity, wherein each interior film divider comprises one or more of the following: 
 (i) a film;  
 (ii) a film segment;  
 wherein each interior film divider separates at least a portion of the vibration damping material from another portion of the vibration damping material; and  
 
 (d) optionally a layer of adhesive coated on one or more of the following: 
 (i) at least a portion of a surface of the exterior film covering;  
 (ii) at least a portion of a surface of any interior film divider, if present;  
 (iii) at least a portion of any vibration attenuating material which is not enclosed by the exterior film covering.  
 
 
     
     
         33 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the interior film divider comprises film layer(s) and/or film segment(s) each independently selected from the group consisting of crystalline polyester, amorphous polyester, polyimide, polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylic, phenolic, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, polystyrene, fluorinated polymer films, polyvinyl acetates, and nylon.  
     
     
         34 . The article of    claim 1    wherein at least one interior film divider comprises film layer(s) and/or film segment(s) which are non-woven materials.  
     
     
         35 . The article of    claim 1    wherein at least one exterior film covering comprises film layer(s) and/or film segment(s) which are non-woven materials.  
     
     
         36 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the exterior film covering has been subjected to one or more of the following:(i) corona treatment; (ii) metalization.  
     
     
         37 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the exterior film covering has multiple layers, wherein at least two of the layers have differing chemical compositions.  
     
     
         38 . The article of    claim 1    wherein at least one interior film divider has multiple layers, wherein at least two of the layers have differing chemical compositions.  
     
     
         39 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the vibration attenuating material comprises one or more additives selected from the group consisting of particulate, fibers, and objects.  
     
     
         40 . The article of    claim 1    wherein the interior film divider has a thickness of about 0.005 to about 1.25 mm.