Project Type: Labs & Medical Research Facilities

Project Detail: Material Research- Vibration

Dupont Experimental Station/Labs
Wilmington, DE

We worked with Dupont on a feasibility study at their headquarters in Wilmington, DE. The campus was being renovated and new equipment installed. They were installing a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) device and considered several locations in two buildings as possible candidates, and needed to determine the viability of the spaces to house the machine. Several of the proposed locations were in rooms built on elevated slabs which were of immediate concern due to the requirements of the equipment.

We performed long-term vibration testing on site to monitor and log typical vibration in each location and capture any isolated unexpected vibration-causing activities. We measured frequencies from 0.5 Hz to 120 Hz, and amplitudes from 0.01µg to 500µg which are the required thresholds for this equipment. Unfortunately, the preferred locations for the new laboratory were not those which our testing revealed as the ideal candidates due to unacceptable levels of vibration in the z-axis at several frequencies. We provided recommendations to reduce vibration transmission to acceptable levels using a combination of pad isolators and metal coil springs which were suitable for certain models of equipment under consideration for use in the proposed locations. Follow-up testing after the recommended isolation measures are properly addressed are necessary to ensure that the chosen location is adequate for the equipment that will be used.

In a situation like this, long-term or even permanent monitoring is something to consider when the possibility that the building will undergo more renovations which may introduce additional or different vibration-causing systems into the environment.