| As a $9.25 million State Highway Administration (SHA) | | | | making. For almost 40 years, the product line has |
| plan to improve Route 24 in Maryland gets underway, | | | | served as the main focal point of research and |
| engineers promise that "the detonations and | | | | development for one of the leading producers of |
| subsequent vibrations should have no impact on | | | | custom-molded rubber and rubber-to-metal bonded |
| Harford County's most recognizable natural feature - | | | | parts for noise and vibration control. The variety of |
| the 190-foot tall King and Queen Seat." | | | | fail-safe mounts with interlocking metal designs that |
| Residents and park enthusiasts have reason to be | | | | are included in the lineup can be used on static or |
| wary. The plan to "widen and shift Route 24 away | | | | dynamic loads, and have a competitive selling price. |
| from the eroding Deer Creek stream bank through | | | | They are sold through distributors around the world. |
| Rocks State Park will involve dynamite blasting the | | | | Over the years, Vibro-Insulator mounts have been |
| famous geologic structures which give the popular | | | | awarded numerous patents for having these features. |
| park its name." Hence, the project could quickly | | | | In more recent years, many of the neoprene and |
| become an explosive one. | | | | natural rubber compounds used to make that |
| How does the State Highway Administration plan to | | | | award-winning technology have been reformulated to |
| allay their fears? "SHA will provide the contractor | | | | improve the tensile strength of the various elastomers |
| blasting provision as a guide to efficient blast design | | | | and the overall rubber-to-metal bond of the product |
| and vibration control," reports Harford County News's | | | | line. There were also design improvements made to |
| "The Dagger." | | | | increase the strength of the metal hardware used in |
| The administration considered a variety of options for | | | | the Vibro-Insulators. |
| the improvement project, and while dynamite | | | | The end result is a series of vibration control mounts |
| detonation was not its first choice, "it was deemed the | | | | that can handle even the most explosive blasts. |
| least intrusive to the environment of the available | | | | Available in a variety of styles and sizes to handle |
| options." As strange as this assertion may sound, if the | | | | most vibration isolation problems, the Vibro-Insulator line |
| right vibration control initiatives are put in place, it may | | | | should have no trouble standing up to the test of the |
| very well hold true. | | | | Route 24 dynamite detonations. |
| A consultation with a producer of custom-molded | | | | When selecting the proper Vibro-Insulator, the State |
| rubber and rubber-to-metal bonded parts for noise and | | | | Highway Administration need only keep these |
| vibration control may be just the proof the State | | | | considerations in mind. |
| Highway Administration needs for its claim to hold | | | | |
| weight with the Harford County public. And if the | | | | 1. The maximum load that must be supported. |
| detonation equipment the project uses is equipped with | | | | 2. The number of mounts supporting the load. |
| the Vibro-Insulator line of vibration controls, the | | | | 3. The frequency of the disturbing vibration. |
| administration has nothing to worry about. | | | | 4. Any restrictions on the size or style of the mount |
| The Vibro-Insulator line of noise, shock and vibration | | | | based on space limitations or assembly considerations. |
| controls is a concept that is nearly four decades in the | | | | |