Highly Targeted, Highly Effective Damping

Customers' requirements are specifically geared towards eliminating or reducing low-frequency background noise, to increase acoustic comfort during driving, in fact, “comfort” remains a continuous ranking in vehicle quality ratings. At the same time, the added value for our customers is in the cost-effectiveness of the materials used and their weight-reducing effect. With their increasing emphasis on lightweight strategies, modern steel body panels are becoming thinner and thinner, or are being replaced by aluminum. These lightweight structures typically come with a loss in stiffness, which increases vibrations in the body structure and increases occupant compartment noise. Through selective application to the vibrating surface, SikaDamp® allows engineers to effectively provide panel vibration damping while still achieving the overall weight reduction they need.

Structure-Borne Noise & Vibration Damping in Automobiles: Comprehensive Design Guidelines for Development and Practical Applications

DOWNLOAD THIS FREE E-BOOK

Learn all about structure-borne noise and vibration damping in automobiles. This comprehensive e-book provides design guidelines for practical application in vehicle design. It describes problems encountered in automobile development and provides an overview of the most important body-in-white noise reduction and vibration damping solutions. 

Chapters Include:

  • Fundamentals of acoustics
  • Structure-borne noise in vehicles 
  • Structure-borne noise damping 
  • Quantification of the performance
  • Design of damping concepts

Damping Materials

SikaDamp® solutions comprise a broad family of vibration damping deadeners based on elastomers or bitumen, which can also be coupled with a constraining layer. Designed for best-in-class weight-to-performance ratios, while still providing industry-leading vibration damping performance, SikaDamp® can be applied at any point during vehicle assembly or be installed at the stamping location. The family of products is versatile in the application as magnetic, self-adhesive, melt-adhesive, or peel-and-stick formulations in standard and custom shapes. Placement and shape of parts can be highly tuned through laser-vibrometer analysis of the entire body panel system, which allows for targeted, cost-efficient use while achieving maximum vibration damping effect. Customized analysis and a tuned combination allow for the right product in the right place.

Custom die cut monolayer SikaDamp material
MONOLAYER DAMPING

Highly versatile for flat, curved, crimped, vertical and overhead use. Can be applied throughout the body production process.

Body in white door cavity with a piece of SikaDamp Constrained layer damper applied
CONSTRAINED LAYER DAMPING

Best-in-class acoustic performance, highly effective on doors and panels. Hybrid versions combine vibration damping and panel stiffening in a single product.

Close up image of ultra lightwieight SikaDamp material
ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT DAMPING

Constrained layer expandable material system which achieves up to 80% weight savings with exceptional vibration damping performance possible.

custom die cut hybrid SikaDamp material
HYBRID DAMPER STIFFENER

SikaDamp® Hybrid is an advanced material system that adds stiffness and improves the structural noise performance of the treated components such as door panels. It combines the high vibration damping performance of SikaDamp® with the panel stiffening effect of SikaReinforcer®.

robotic application of butyl-based SikaDamp material
ROBOTIC APPLICATION

SikaDamp® Autopad is an efficient manufacturing system designed for automated and targeted application of vibration damping deadeners.

SikaDamp product portfolio chart

Applications

From body shop to the assembly line large and thin panels including:

  • Door, hood, and roof
  • Floor pan
  • Wheel house
  • Trunk, quarter panels

Benefits

  • High-performance structure-borne noise attenuation
  • Contributes to overall lightweight strategy
  • Increases body panel stiffness
  • Automated application possible
  • Best in class performance to cost ratios

Further Reading

Acoustic Test Centers

In the Sika Acoustic Test facilities, Sika Engineers and Application
Experts perform virtual and physical testing, analyze the results, and
propose solutions that deliver optimal weight-to-performance ratio for
each specific application.