Vibration isolation performance of an elevator motor using Nitrile-Butadiene Rubber /Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube composite machine mounts

Laboratory for Machine Tools and Manufacturing Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.

^* Corresponding author: ktsongas@auth.gr

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the vibration isolation performance of an elevator motor mounted on elastomeric nanocomposite mounts. A series of conventional acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) mounts have been reinforced with 20wt% concentration of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The vibration isolation capacity of the machine mounts was calculated through the transmissibility of an elevator motor test system. A Finite Element Model (FEM) was introduced and a harmonic analysis based on the ANSYS code has been utilized to investigate the modal behavior of the nanocomposite machine mount/elevator motor system and extract a representative model of the vibrational behavior. The cyclic compression results have revealed that the stiffness and damping capacity of the conventional elastomers can be modified by adjusting the proportion of MWCNTs. Elastomers’ vibration isolation performance of the motor was ameliorated with the inclusion of MWCNTs, signifying that the enhancement of the elastomers with MWCNTs was rather effective. The vibration level of the elevator motor was decreased to 90% by incorporating the optimal concentration of MWCNTs in NBR mounts.