Firestone, which is distributed by Air Springs Supply, has introduced two new isolators as solutions to noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) issues emanating from compressors, pumps and rotating equipment in the refrigeration and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems of commercial and industrial buildings.

The Airmount isolators are capable of virtually indefinitely supporting weights from a few kilograms up to 40,000kg each and work as passive or semi-passive isolators. They can provide isolation efficiencies of up to 99% for applications including HVAC and chiller equipment, nearby computer and data processing floors, floor mounting of delicate automation equipment, emergency generators and scientific research equipment.

Airmounts have been used beneath laboratory, educational and testing equipment, including an entire 500 tonne sonar testing tank, where they continuously achieved an isolation efficiency of 99.7% at 1500 cycles per minute (CPM).

“A great virtue of our single, double and triple-convoluted Airmount isolators is low-or no-maintenance simplicity. They are highly engineered balloons, carefully constructed to deliver a range of outstandingly sensitive NVH performance across a very broad spectrum of needs,” says Air Springs Supply technical product manager for pneumatic isolation specialists James Maslin.

The second solution, Marsh Mellow isolators, are solid rubber and fabric isolators that can be used beneath vibrating screens in stone quarries and mining facilities, as well as agricultural product materials handling facilities. They solve vibration and isolation problems and enable the quiet isolation of machinery vibration, as well as general shock absorption throughout industry.

Unlike steel spring, Marsh Mellow springs are quiet in operation and tolerant of overload. The isolators are also water and grit resistant, making them ideal for applications where high levels of workplace safety and hygiene are essential.