Material Sciences Corporation

Richard K Williams

Daniel Boss

Scott R Dobrusky

A disc drive assembly is provided including a head disc assembly, a housing having a base and a cover cooperating with one another to form a chamber in which the head disc assembly is housed, and a damper structure in operative association with the housing for dampening noise and/or vibration emanated from the head disc assembly. The damper structure includes a viscoelastic damper layer and a continuous, polymeric constraining layer intimately contacting and encasing the viscoelastic damper layer. The constraining layer has a greater stiffness and higher modulus of dynamic shearing elasticity than the viscoelastic damper layer, and is molded from a high density filler and a moldable compound that is immiscible with the viscoelastic damper layer to provide a discrete interface between the constraining layer and the viscoelastic damper layer.

Damped disc drive assembly, and method for damping disc drive assembly

A laminate comprises first and second metal layers, and a metallic felt layer disposed between the metal layers and attached to each to provide vibrational damping and thermal insulation. In one embodiment, the layers are tubular in shape and form an automotive exhaust pipe. In another embodiment the layers are annular in shape and form a disk of a brake rotor. In another embodiment the laminate is a damping structure for a brake pad assembly, wherein the first metal layer may either be the backing plate of the brake pad assembly or be attached to the backing plate. The damping structure may include additional metallic felt and metal layers. Various modes of attachment of the metallic felt layer to the metal layers are disclosed. The metallic felt layer may be completely surrounded by metal.

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Aurora, IL, United States of America

Richard K Williams