Guidelines for Optimizing Vibration Mass Dampers

Auxiliary mass vibration dampers are being used to reduce unwanted steering column/wheel shake in four cylinder automobiles. Optimizing the vibration damper to a particular application involves adjusting three physical parameters; the mass ratio of damper to column, the frequency ratio of damper to column and the resilience level of the elastomeric supports. To date this optimization procedure has been largely a “cut and try” approach handled between damper product developers and vehicle ride evaluation engineers. This paper presents the results of laboratory tests designed to show the effects of the above mentioned parameters on steering wheel/column response. Two novel approaches for estimating elastomer resilience are presented as alternatives to ASTM D945.