machine foundations on vibrating floor

[miguelandrade]

Hello,

We are going to install 4 plastic film extruders and 3 sealers over a floor which vibrates. The warehouse next to ours produces calcium carbonate with mills with no proper vibration absorbers. I am sure this situation will end up causing problems in our machines.
All the information I have found on foundations is to insulate the ground from machine vibrations and not the opposite.
Can anyone tell me what kind of foundations shall I use? Wich are the special cares I shall look for?

Thanks a lot folks!

 

[MikeHalloran]

You want to use foundations that are a couple of miles away.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[miguelandrade]

Is it that bad? there is no way to get the problem solved?

 

[msquared48]

Why wouldn't spring isolators work? If the isolators work to lessen the transmission of a vibrating machine to the slab, then why not the opposite direction?

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)

 

[boo1]

Perform vibration tests in your facility to determine existing background vibration levels exceeds your equipement requirements. To reduce the levels to a acceptable amplitudes of vibration at the source or recipient, it becomes necessary to make the support structure independent (isolated) from the rest of the environment. This separation prevents vibration from being transmitted directly through the support structure. Select the level of Vibration Isolation and associated mass that is required based on your background vibration and your equipment operating parameters. Design and fabricate foundations or base support systems to meet stiffness or deflection requirements.

Isolated foundations and inertia masses are typically free-floating concrete and/or steel masses that are supported by vibration and shock isolators. Isolated foundations are typically used to protect precision machinery or equipment from incoming vibration and shock. Whereas, inertia masses are typically used to add mass to a machine to control motion and to improve isolation of transmitted forces to surrounding areas.

 

[racookpe1978]

You can re-build your own foundations two ways.

Obviously, you have to isolate the frame and machinery (that which you want steady) from the vibration.

Then you can either use a massive poured foundation and extra-heavy mass under each machine on those foundations to slow the movement and change the natural frequency. Note; You might want to allow higher frequencies, or allow lower frequencies to be present.

but testing and trials are expensive to setup and run.

Or you can create a single larger super-rigid frame for the machinery (to keep everything in alignment and at the right distances and tension with respect to the "row" of production machinery processes). Source, heater, extrusion feeder, extruder, cooler, wrapper for example probably cannot be allowed to movement or vibrate against each other, but the whole row can move slowly as a single assembly on a single frame.