|
Rockbox mail archiveSubject: Re: High tech shock absorber dreamsRe: High tech shock absorber dreams
From: Neon John <johngd_at_bellsouth.net>
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 14:51:42 -0400 I haven't seen the commercial but I am familiar with the technology. The materials are all of a class called high hysterises polymers. That is, materials with high internal friction (damping) such that the energy of deflection is dissipated as heat instead of being restored to the impacting body on rebound. The extreme opposite of a high hysteresis material is the common superball which uses a silicone rubber with practically no internal friction. At the top of the heap is probably Sorbathane. This is a rubber-like material that has practically no rebound. It is popularly used in athletic shoe inserts to absorb some of the pounding energy delivered to the foot during running. It is also popular amongst vinyl enthusiasts as padding for turntables and records. It is very effective at absorbing even low frequency vibration. The major disadvantage is that it is very easy to tear, having little tensile strength. It would be much too fragile for bumpers, though it would work well as internal shock mounts for the hard drive. To be used as a bumper material it would have to be encased in something tougher which would make it expensive. The basic problem here, as with most every mass produced consumer good, is cost. Using the rule of thumb that every dollar involved in production reflects 4 dollars at retail, adding even a few dollars' worth of added bumper material would raise the cost of the end unit considerably. Archos (or their Chicom surrogates) had to make the tradeoff between the cost of shock absorption and cost. None of us probably agrees with that point but given that we alpha geeks are only a small part of the market.... John On Thu, 25 Sep 2003 12:49:49 -0500, LoveLearn <LoveLearn_at_iw.net> wrote: >Archos products have four deformable plastic wrap-around corner bumpers >apparently present for mechanical impact protection. I'm sure they >increase impact measurements necessary to damage both spinning hard >drives and comparatively less elastic outer cases. While their >appearance causes a few negative aesthetic opinions, even Archos seems >quiet about their shock protecting capabilities. That makes me think >their design and material selection were never optimized. > >I'm sure lots of us have seen TV demonstrations showing an egg dropped >onto a hard surface and breaking, then another egg dropped from the same >height onto a little blob of super shock absorbing material lying on >that same surface without breaking. --- John De Armond johngdDONTYOUDARE_at_bellsouth.net http://bellsouthpwp.net/j/o/johngd/ Cleveland, Occupied TNReceived on 2003-09-25 Page template was last modified "Tue Sep 7 00:00:02 2021" The Rockbox Crew -- Privacy Policy |