Building and Construction

Architects, structural engineers and contractors around the world cooperate with Fabreeka International. They value the engineered material solutions as well as the company's expertise in reducing structure-borne noise, vibration and thermal bridging.

 

Fabreeka routinely provides a dynamic analysis of steel support structures, including a vibration survey and analysis, to determine current vibration levels and finite element analysis (FEA) to predict resultant vibration for a recommended solution. Add an extensive product portfolio to these services and Fabreeka can offer one-stop vibration control and structure-borne noise solutions for a myriad of applications relative to building and construction. They include elevator isolation, stack vibration dampers to reduce vortex shedding on stacks or towers, fixed or expansion bearings for bridges and buildings, structural and non-structural thermal bridging solutions, and foundation isolation.

 

Bridges

 

Flexibility and movement are a necessity in bridge construction, whether a steel-bridge, a concrete highway overpass, or a bridge for a railroad. Without the ability to flex and move, the structural integrity of the bridge can be compromised, and eventually lead to failure. Fabreeka supplies bearing pads, both fixed and sliding, for bridges around the world.

 

Fixed bearing pads, such as Fabreeka preformed fabric bearing pads and SA-47 random oriented fiber bearing pads are used on bridges to support uneven load and rotation on steel to steel or steel to concrete connections. These bearing pads, also known as bedding pads, provide uniform load distribution on highway and railroad bridges and reduce vibration by adding damping to steel structures.

 

Fabreeka’s expansion bearings, or slide bearings, can be used on steel and precast concrete bridges. They offer a durable sliding surface with a low coefficient of friction to allow for thermal expansion and contraction in bridges to minimize structural stresses. Fabreeka type SBX expansion bearings include the company's own preformed fabric bearing pads to allow beam rotations created by loads. SBX expansion bearings also provide an even distribution of loads between members, and vibration is reduced by adding damping to steel structures.

 

Fabreeka designs and manufactures custom expansion bearings to your specifications, including bearings with ultra-low coefficient of friction and bearings for high temperature applications.

 

Fabreeka’s Bridge Rail pads have simplified the installation of railings as our SA-47 pad is supplied to the exact size and shape of the rail support contact area. This pad evenly distributes the loading and hold-down forces from the bolts by conforming to the irregularities of the surfaces in which it makes contact. Durable and dependable, Fabreeka bridge rail pads exhibit high compressive strength and a limited creep characteristic. These differentiating factors set them apart from the standard unreinforced neoprene pads, as well as making them a great alternative to epoxy and grout installations.

 

Fabreeka’s Lamp Post pads are an excellent and economical way to reduce shock and vibration induced by wind and traffic. Depending on the height of the pole and state specifications, pads made of either Fabreeka pad or SA-47 are supplied to the exact size, shape and bolt hole-pattern of the lamp post base. Lamp post pads help to evenly distribute loadings and adapt to any irregularities in the concrete mounting surfaces while providing damping to reduce post motion. Additionally, Fabreeka washers and bushings are utilized to completely isolate the lamp post from transmitted vibration.

 

Fabreeka’s Drain Trough material is manufactured into a flexible water drainage system for use on bridges and overpasses. Designed for installation under the expansion joint fingers, these flexible troughs channel water into rigid down spouts and avoid water dripping on vehicles passing under bridges.

 

Buildings

 

For decades, Fabreeka International has been successful in vibration isolation and reducing structure-borne noise in buildings. With the combined effort of our expert engineering staff and an extensive selection of materials, we provide solutions to the many needs and challenges facing construction in the modern world.

 

Our fixed bearing pads, whether Fabreeka or SA-47, support uneven load and rotation in steel to steel or steel to concrete connections, and provide even load distribution between members. Bearing pads reduce vibration on building floors, diminish structure-borne noise, and protect structural integrity by absorbing movement and deflection caused by movement.

 

Fabreeka provides structural expansion bearings, or slide bearings, for numerous building applications. These expansion bearings allow thermal expansion of beams and other members, and they permit beam rotations caused by loads and have a low coefficient of friction which minimizes structural stresses.

 

A building’s foundation can also require isolation from external vibrations such as traffic, trains, subway cars, or nearby construction. Fabreeka has several foundation isolation products to isolate the building base from these disturbing influences.

 

Internal sources of structure-borne noise and vibration in buildings can come from mechanical rooms or elevator rail cars. Fabreeka reduces these noise and vibrations to provide a more serene environment for adjacent penthouses, offices, hotel rooms, or any other living spaces that could be adversely affected.

 

Today’s engineers and architects are well aware of the benefits of energy efficiency. One way to enhance energy performance is by adding a Fabreeka-TIM structural thermal break, which is a load bearing thermal break that is used between flanged steel connections. This energy saving product maintains structural integrity while reducing energy transfer through the building envelope. This thermal bridging solution can be used on balconies and canopies, or other steel members protruding through the building envelope. For structural connections in compression, such as column bases, roof equipment, dunnage post support, and foundation connections, Fabreeka-TIM RF can be used to reduce thermal energy transfer. Additionally, Fabreeka-TIM series products can bring you a step closer to achieving LEED certification.

 

Towers

 

Steel stacks and towers have relatively low inherent structural damping; therefore, excessive top-of-stack deflection can happen at critical wind speeds due to vortex shedding. To keep deflection within acceptable parameters, damping must be added to the “stack-foundation-soil” system. One way to achieve this is with stack foundation dampers. A ring of Fabreeka preformed fabric pad is placed between the stack base plate and concrete foundation. Additionally, Fabreeka washers are installed between steel washers/plates under the anchor bolt nuts. Introducing damping to the structure minimizes amplification at resonance, therefore creating a more stable structure.
Energy

 

Engineers in almost all industries and many applications have to deal with unwanted vibrations. The energy sector is no exception, and with our increasing environmental awareness the demand to reduce noise and vibrations increases. Fabreeka is an established partner in this field. The company has developed and supplied solutions against transformer vibration and for transformer noise isolation for decades as well as consulting customers all over the world in finding the right products for pipe isolation, gas compressor isolation and the isolation of components of wind turbines.

 

Turbines, transformers or pipes equipped with Fabreeka products perform more efficiently and have a longer life while work crews can operate in safer, quieter environments. Fabreeka components help protect these important systems during their extended use in often very harsh environments by isolating vibrations and protecting people.

 

Oil and Gas

 

A major problem facing companies with gas transmission and petrochemical piping is fatigue failures caused by vibration. High frequency, namely ultrasonic and hypersonic gas pulsations at natural gas transmission line compressor stations, causes metal fatigue in piping, supports and pipe clamps. To eliminate excessive vibration, a properly designed mechanical restraint is required.

 

The application of Fabreeka Preformed fabric pad with high damping within these mechanical restraints can provide isolation of piping vibrations, thermal flexibility, and reduction of unwanted noise and prevent non-uniform clamp contact pressure. Fabreeka Pad is available in a range of thicknesses to accommodate any design application and is available with a PTFE Teflon® surface for thermal expansion and insulation for high temperatures. To allow thermal expansion without fatiguing piping and clamps, Fabreeka expansion bearings are often fitted under pipes.

 

In line with the need of pipe and gas compressor isolation, vibration is also present on drilling rigs. Created by mud pumps, compressors, generators and other rotating equipment, the vibration from the equipment is transmitted to the decks on the rig. Fabreeka provides isolation materials for drilling rig equipment to make the rig as quiet as possible and reduce structure fatigue.

 

Power Generation

 

For decades, Fabreeka isolation materials have been used to control structure-borne vibration and noise generated from power and distribution transformers and reactors. With alternative energy generation on the rise, Fabreeka pads, Fabcel pads and isolation washers and bushings are now widely used in wind turbines to provide vibration isolation under gear boxes and generators. Fabreeka isolation products are also the material of choice to prevent metal to metal contact on rotating parts with the rotors to reduce wear and fatigue.

 

Moreover, Fabreeka engineers work with consultants who design power generation facilities involving steam and gas turbine foundation isolation and other turbo-machinery vibration attenuation requirements.

 

When it comes to transformer noise isolation and vibration isolation, engineers can choose from a variety of standard vibration isolation mounts for small transformers that may weigh up to 10,000 lbs. Fabreeka also offers custom solutions for large transformers in transformer yards. They all have in common that they reduce noise and vibration for both single phase and three-phase transformers and protect concrete from fatigue due to vibration. Another benefit is the reduction of noise by 3 to 5 dB on average which may be increased to a reduction of 8 dB depending on transformer configuration.

 

For turbine vibration isolation as well as for engine generator isolation countless clients in many countries have chosen Fabreeka pad, Fabreeka washers and bushings and Fabcel pad. Foundation isolation products such as FAB-EPM, FAB-EFP and Fabsorb are also in use for the isolation of engine generators. For the latter turnkey solutions are available, including demolition, foundation design and concrete construction.
Heavy Equipment

 

Much of the heavy equipment used to manufacture steel or to form metal is massive. When this equipment is in operation, heavy impacts in the form of shocks and vibrations are generated. The heavy equipment is often operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and shutdown for repairs results in reduced production and increased cost.

 

Plant operators and engineers concerned about heavy equipment vibration closely work with Fabreeka. The company has provided solutions for forge hammer isolation and the shock isolation of presses, namely forge presses, punch presses and stamping presses since 1953. Impact shock and vibration caused by heavy equipment also occurs in mining and when producing pulp and paper. Here, too, Fabreeka pads, washers and bushings have long been reliable solutions to reduce impact shock and vibration in a wide variety of operations.

 

Metal Forming

 

Metal forming equipment including forging hammers, forge presses, stamping presses and punch presses can be a major generator of impact shock and vibration disturbances in a plant, thereby causing problems for workers, sensitive equipment within the plant, offices in the building or even causing disturbances with neighbors. The main problem is shock transmission, and the secondary problem is the ensuing high frequency vibration caused by the shock.

 

Effective solutions to both problems are Fabreeka and Fabcel pads. They have been successfully used on metal forming equipment to reduce shock in the form of bumpers or mounting pads and to reduce vibration transmission as mounting pads or within a machine’s structure. The Fabreeka pad is widely used in forging hammers to absorb the energy of the blow and protect the hammer supporting structure. Fabreeka pads, isolation mounts, “soft systems” and coil spring isolators offer a solution for any hammer or press installation.

 

Mining

 

Fabreeka pads, washers and bushings have an impressive history in reducing impact shock and vibration in a wide variety of mining operations including draglines and shovels, mine cars, crushers, chutes and hoppers, grizzlies, rock breakers, feeders, screens, vibration conveyors, shake outs, pulverizers and smelting operations.

 

In these applications where foundations and structures are broken or damaged due to large impacts, Fabreeka pads are used to protect and prolong equipment use. Customers also utilize the proven Fabreeka pad material to improve the service life of the upper and lower rails on draglines and shovels by reducing the high roller load stress. A widely used choice to distribute the massive forces on the ball bearings are Fabreeka rings.

 

Another advantage for engineers is the flexibility of integrating Fabreeka's products and their material. Thus, the types of mines in which Fabreeka improves the work life of humans and their heavy equipment include aluminum, copper, iron, precious metals such as gold and silver, lime, phosphate, asbestos, uranium, salts, nitrate, gems, lithium, and beryllium.

 

Pulp, Paper and Presses

 

The initial handling of logs is the same whether they are being processed for lumber or for paper making pulp. In either case, the logs are first run over de-barker rolls to remove the bark to then be picked up by carriage rolls and fed into band mill saws. When lumber is being processed for use in the making of paper pulp, it is taken from the band mill saws on roller conveyors first into chippers, then mixing tanks and finally vibrating screens. Along with the de-barkers and chippers, mechanical and chemical pulp and paper mills both have equipment such as hogs, conveyors and pump stations in their processes which produce high levels of vibration and shock. In many of these pulp and paper applications, Fabreeka pads, washers and bushings as well as Fabcel pads have a positive track record in eliminating impact shock and vibration.

 

With the demand for higher quality and volume, printing plants use printing presses with high speeds to provide them with the competitive edge. Rotary offset presses, with standard operating production speeds of 1,400 to 1,800 rpm, can produce vibration that is transmitted through the building structure. This can negatively affect the quality of the print and the environment of the workers. When this kind of printing press vibration is involved, previous installations have shown that Fabreeka pads have reduced high frequency vibrations by as much as 80 percent in critical press applications, while remaining stiff enough to maintain press alignment and trim.

 

Steel

 

There are many applications in steel mills where Fabreeka pad protects the equipment, structure and foundations from damage by impact shock and vibration. The design and installation of Fabreeka pad greatly reduces fatigue of metal parts and deterioration of concrete supporting structures, thus lengthening their service life plus reducing downtime and cost of maintenance.

 

Fabreeka pad is currently used as a bumper to reduce impact shock on cold bar shears, mill tables and coil drops where steel ingots or coils of steel are handled and dropped, creating large forces and stresses within the equipment.

 

Fabreeka pad has also successfully replaced coil springs on ingot buggies and hot metal cars providing the necessary cushioning in the journal box area of the equipment. The pads also used to increase longevity by damping the supporting steel or concrete structures which can fatigue over time when shredders cause random vibration.

 

In every case, Fabreeka engineers work closely with consultants who specialize in steel mill production to provide shock and vibration solutions for equipment within the steel manufacturing process.
Industrial Machinery

 

Designing foundations supporting machine tools requires sound engineering procedures for a reliable result. An incorrectly designed foundation is extremely difficult to correct once installed. Consequently, many engineers use Fabreeka isolation materials and machine mounts, knowing that they provide vibration isolation and leveling for proper machine tool installation.

 

Fabreeka also provides solutions for applications when it is not desirable or feasible to mount a machine directly on vibration isolators. For example, installing vibration isolators on a machine whose frame or bed requires a stiff connection can cause bending, relative displacement or sagging and other problems, even when the floor is sufficiently rigid. For cases like this, Fabreeka recommends that the frame or bed is attached to a properly designed concrete foundation, which is then supported on appropriate isolators for the application.

 

In many cases, manufacturing and quality control must co-exist in work-cells or in close proximity to one another. For certain machine tools, the permissible amplitudes of foundation vibrations in a manufacturing environment are very low. It often is very difficult to decrease or isolate vibration amplitudes by simply pouring a new foundation on soil. It also may not be possible to increase the stiffness or rigidity of the machine support structure, often floors, itself to avoid resonance or amplification of vibration. In these cases, unacceptable vibration amplitudes can be significantly reduced by using vibration isolators provided by Fabreeka.

 

Certain types of machine tools are not inherently rigid and therefore need a rigid support to maintain their prescribed accuracy. In other types of machinery, such as printing presses, consisting of articulated components, a rigid support may be needed to maintain the proper alignment of working parts. Fabreeka is a trusted partner and supplier in those cases as well.

 

Engineering disciplines involved in the proper design procedures for isolated support foundations include theory of vibrations, geotechnical engineering or studying soil characteristics plus structural design and analysis.

 

Rotating Equipment

 

Fabreeka isolation products provide vibration control on a wide variety of rotating and reciprocating machinery and equipment that produce vibration during operation. Our engineers work closely with OEMs as well as end users to obtain the operating frequencies, dynamic or unbalanced loads, critical alignments and isolation mount specifications for a complete isolation solution.

 

In line with this, fans, blowers, motors, reciprocating and screw type pumps as well as compressors, engine-generator sets, gear boxes and generators are all applications where Fabreeka or Fabcel isolation pads, washers and bushings can be used. They are also the right choice to prevent roof top HVAC vibration.

 

Depending on the rotational speed of the equipment and its weight support area, other Fabreeka products, namely Fabcel pad or machine support foundation isolation products such as FAB-EPM, FAB-EFP and Fabsorb are qualified.

 

Turnkey solutions are also available at Fabreeka, including demolition, foundation design and concrete construction if a foundation is needed for rotating and other equipment.

 

Other Equipment

 

Fabreeka Crane Rail pad material is used to reduce vibration, stresses and mechanical wear and tear associated with bridge, gantry and ore crane operation, thereby reducing maintenance costs. Fabreeka Crane Rail pads are designed to relieve girder stress, improve load distribution, eliminate mechanical wear of flange or cover plates, dampen vibration and reduce noise.

 

The laminated thermoset plastic (LTP) surface of the crane rail pad improves wear resistance, restricts lateral movement and provides a low coefficient of friction support for the rail. Tests performed by independent sources have shown up to 40% reduction in runway beam web stress and noise levels reduced substantially when using this Fabreeka product.

 

Automation equipment such as assembly and packaging equipment can cause vibration affecting other equipment or may be sensitive to vibration coming from the manufacturing floor. Vibration isolation products such as Fabreeka or Fabcel pad plus isolation washers and Fabreeka bushings can be used to reduce the vibration to more acceptable levels, as is also the case with milling machines, CNC and other machine tools that may also be sensitive to factory floor vibration, influencing their accuracy.

 

Last, not least, injection molding machines can cause disturbing vibration to other machines when molds are opening and closing. Depending on the size, pad products supplied by Fabreeka can be placed directly under the machine or support the machine and a foundation to add rigidity.
Precision Equipment

 

Precision equipment manufacturers, end users and everybody interested in precise production or accurate measuring results find complete solutions at Fabreeka.

 

Whether in metrology with the need for CMM isolation (coordinate measuring machine) or laboratory equipment isolation for microscopes, Fabreeka is a proven and trusted partner in this and many other fields to provide customers with PAL and PLM low frequency vibration and shock isolation systems to maintain the designed accuracy of your equipment.

 

Some applications require custom systems and structural analysis and design of the support structures and frames used in conjunction with the isolation system and integrated in the machine design. Fabreeka’s experts are here to support you in those cases as well. Add their experience from countless successful projects to your task and let their customer-specific solutions together with high-quality products exceed your requirements. With decades of experience in foundation isolation, Fabreeka has all the answers to your questions from initial consultation to complete turnkey solutions.

 

Find out more reasons why Fabreeka can make an important difference in this field in which the degree of accuracy required for precision machine tools is ever-increasing.

 

Precision Manufacturing

 

Precision manufacturing is needed for many different industries such as aerospace, industrial, medical, military, semiconductor and many others. There, the equipment that cuts, turns, polishes and positions with nanotechnology can provide finishes and measurements within microns and even angstroms.

 

To achieve the best results possible with the equipment in every environment, Fabreeka has developed matching isolation and foundation products. Working with and at CNC machines or precision lathes, among many others, can be optimized by incorporating Fabcel pads, Fabcel Lev-L mounts, or Fabcel LeveLers.

 

When it comes to ultra-precision equipment being used in many industries including semiconductor wafer processing, optics and lens manufacturing and non-standard material machining processes, low frequency pneumatic Precision-Aire Leveling isolators (PAL) provide superior low frequency vibration isolation. Customers worldwide rely on Fabreeka PAL isolators, knowing that they meet the critical needs of metrology instruments, electron microscopes, inspection stations and other precision manufacturing equipment.

 

Laboratory

 

Laboratory work is a synonym for precision work where laboratory equipment isolation is a must. Professionals using tabletop microscopes and electron microscopes for biomedical research, semiconductor manufacturing or other tasks want the highest accuracy and the best resolution. To prevent human footfalls and structural vibration from decreasing performance and accuracy of their microscopes, many companies and institutions use PAL low frequency, pneumatic isolation systems which provide attenuation not only in laboratories and clean-rooms but wherever laboratory equipment isolation is on the agenda.

 

Analytical balances and precision scales also need stable work conditions for accurate measuring. Here, Fabreeka offers pneumatic isolation products and active systems for added vibration reduction to rule out that even small oscillations or vibration that can alter weight results go unnoticed by lab personnel. This could be the case when equipment is moved across the laboratory floor, heavy traffic outside affects the building or other activities in other areas of the building create vibration.

 

MRI and NMR become more and more important to study humans and materials. Fabreeka is committed to the science of MRI vibration isolation, working both ways with products that reduce the vibration coming from the environment and also the induced MRI vibration into the building. Thus, Fabreeka has provided customers with vibration isolation solutions for all types of high resolution MRI, NMR and Cryostat equipment ranging in size from 300 MHz to 900 MHz. All pneumatic isolator hardware for NMR applications is made non-magnetic using stainless, aluminum or brass and is designed to interface with the existing magnet support brackets at the desired height. MRI vibration isolation solutions include vibration measurements and the design of the support structures, including structural and dynamic analysis.

 

Metrology

 

Metrology is a fascinating field with steady increases in measuring speed and accuracy of Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) and optical equipment. Since vibration is one environmental factor which can compromise a CMM’s accuracy and repeatability, Fabreeka has extensively studied allowable vibration criteria and put a lot of work in developing Vibration Site Survey and Analysis services to help customers determine if they need CMM isolation or not. When it is the case, typically low frequency vibration of less than 50 Hz requires attenuation. Fabreeka pneumatic isolators such as PAL Isolators and PLM Mounts provide significant CMM isolation and for other metrology equipment requiring low frequency vibration control.

 

Along with the standard pneumatic isolation systems that let most CMM function properly, Fabreeka systems can also be custom-made to be integrated into the machine. When larger CMM require foundations, Fabreeka is the number one resource for pneumatic isolators or pad isolators for foundation isolation. Fabreeka can also offer a foundation turnkey solution including project management, demolition, foundation design and construction.

KEY FEATURES/BENEFITS

  • Accommodates loads up to 300 psi
  • Vertical natural frequency as low as 5.0 Hz
  • Horizontal natural frequency as low as 3.0 Hz
  • Standard Fabcel pads have a damping rate of 6%
  • Fabcel B30 pads have a damping rate of 15%
  • Effective temperature range is -20°F to 150°F
  • High energy storage rate per unit volume
  • Impervious to most oils, steam, water, mildew and brine

Fabcel pads have been used for over 60 years for mounting machinery and sensitive equipment where absorption of impact shock or isolation of transmitted vibration is desired.

 

These vibration damping pads are manufactured from nitrile rubber in a range of types and thicknesses that allows for optimal loading and isolator performance. The unique cell geometry, namely that of a waffle pad, on these Fabcel vibration isolation products is specifically designed to maintain the proper shape factor for the pads when under load. This feature allows Fabcel pads to support more load than other rubber pads of the same size and thickness.

 

Fabcel material is available as isolation washers and OEM parts that are cut to size and bonded, if needed, to achieve the proper thickness based on the application and isolation requirement.

Even higher damping rate with Fabcel B30

 

To minimize rebound and to reduce vibration near resonance, Fabcel B30 is a unique Fabcel product specifically designed to provide a higher damping of 15% compared to the standard Fabcel pads and their damping rate of 6%. Types of applications where Fabcel B30 has been effective are washing machines with their changing RPMs, grinders with random vibration and other industrial equipment where vibration needs to be decoupled from the supporting floor or other structure.