The campus is alive with the sound of heavy machinery

Although finals are over at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, the campus is anything but quiet.

It's alive with the beeps, clanks and chugs of heavy machinery involved in more than $75 million in construction.

A giant hole has been dug for the largest building project, a $53.1 million science and engineering building, said Dave Schnabel, director of facilities. At 160,000 square feet, it will be one of the largest buildings on campus. It's scheduled to open in August 2008.

The renovation of Dwire Hall, partially inspired by a concrete chunk that crashed down in a hallway, is 30 percent complete, Schnabel said.

Nearly everything -- walls, windows, ventilation and wiring -- is being replaced. The $10 million project is scheduled for completion in August 2007.

For passers-by who've wondered about the towering white walls near the campus apartments, they mark the beginning of the $12 million student recreation center.

It's being built for energy efficiency, Schnabel said. Concrete poured into Styrofoam-like blocks will make it one of the campus's most efficient structures. It's 10 percent complete and paid for by student fees.

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Vibro-acoustic fine-tuning for heavy machinery

Optimising heavy machinery in terms of vibration control and acoustics is a particularly difficult technical challenge.

Optimising heavy machinery in terms of vibration control and acoustics is a particularly difficult technical challenge.

To achieve the greatest possible degree of comfort for construction machinery or agricultural machinery workplaces and to meet the strict legal requirements and standards of comfort in terms of acoustics and machine vibrations, heavy machinery must undergo comprehensive fine-tuning.

Viewing the entire system as a whole is the basis of this optimisation process.

Freudenberg's Technical Development Centre has an outstanding international reputation in this field and has the technical equipment needed to fine tune these machines in this special way.

The transmission paths for vibrations and structure borne noise in heavy machinery such as combine harvesters or wheel loaders are highly complex.

The sources of vibration in the vehicle itself and the actual excitation caused by moving tools are many and varied.

Noise pollution and vibrations can distract the driver or the operator and thereby reduce the quality of their work.

This explains why vibration control and acoustics are one of the most important features which set high-quality heavy machinery apart from the rest.

Both of these factors are influenced by the vibro-acoustic fine-tuning of the entire system.

With a range of elastomer bearings, hydro mounts as well as passive, adaptive and active absorbers, Freudenberg has the right technological component for every application.

In order to reduce the sound pressure level in the driver's cab to well below the legal limit values and to decrease the vibrations to the comfort levels required by the customer, the entire vehicle has to be taken into account.

This procedure includes: experimental vehicle analysis; modelling and optimisation using computer-based simulation tools; and implementation of changes using specific product designs.

These steps include the selection of the bearing concept, followed by the selection of specially adapted unit and cab bearings, pneumatic springs, shock absorbers and hydro mounts.

These are then supplemented by acoustic measures such as double insulation, acoustic improvements to the machine structures, use of absorbent materials and the reduction of structure borne noise bridges.

In co-operation with the Technical Development Centre, Freudenberg offers the entire portfolio of services from the system development with an in-depth knowledge of the entire system right up to the ability to supply top-quality components anywhere in the world.
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