Microcellular Polyurethane (MCU) for NVH Solutions 2011-01-1621

While the microcellular urethane is widely known in the automotive industry for its use in jounce bumpers, its use in Noise Vibration Harshness (NVH) applications is often not as well recognized. Even though there are some NVH parts in the market, rubber still dominates it. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the material properties of MCU and their relevance for NVH applications in chassis and suspension components. It will also demonstrate the importance of package design to suit the use of the MCU material. This is especially important to not only achieve the best performance but also keep overall cost and weight under control. Several application types will be introduced with general design suggestions. A detailed design guideline for these applications is not part of this paper. Each application has a large variety of parameters to be considered in the design. They need to be selectively applied based on customer performance targets.