Feature

Noise reduction for hydraulic equipment: original equipment or retrofit

R+L Hydraulics' NRS hydraulic equipment noise emissions reduction system consists of a textile shrouding for hydraulic unit bell housings. The system can reduce acoustic output by up to 50 percent - equivalent to about 10dBA.

20/01/2014 09:01:23

The NRS system, which is available in the UK from JBJ Techniques, can be fitted without dismantling the hydraulic unit to original equipment and for retrofitting to existing hydraulic equipment.

The pulsation of hydraulic pumps generates very strong vibrations that are not damped sufficiently by the aluminium bell housings commonly used today. Moreover, rigid bell housings do not provide acoustic insulation against structure-borne sound between the electric motor and the hydraulic pump.

In unfavourable circumstances the thin-walled aluminium bell housing even acts as a resonance chamber that further increases the oscillation amplitude and thereby amplifies the pump’s running noise.

R+L Hydraulics was involved in a joint project aimed at developing a solution to this problem. The brief was to develop a practical, cost-effective system that could also be retrofitted to existing equipment with poor sound and vibration insulation.

The housing consists of a novel recyclable 3D “high distance” polyester fabric that is tear resistant, resistant against all commercially available hydraulic fluids and temperature resistant from -40°C to +120°C. The NRS system is available in four different widths and three lengths both as original equipment and as a retrofitting kit.

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.