ENGINEERING
microscope. Luckily for the contractor, the acoustic consultant had crafted quite a tight specification that required continual submissions of evidence to demonstrate that the requirements had been met. The normal methods of isolation would
not work, so instead we designed a bespoke system of air springs. Each air spring is a rubber carcass, and pressure is supplied via gas cylinders. Air springs have very little resonant response, thus providing a high level of stability and higher levels of isolation than could be provided by rubber springs. Air springs typically achieve natural frequencies of 2 Hz, but it is possible for well-engineered systems to surpass this level of isolation. Once complete, the entire system is raised on these air springs, interrupting the transmission path for ground-borne sources of vibration.
‘Niche’ solutions The above example is a highly specialised, niche area of engineering, but without solutions such as these it would be difficult to operate sensitive equipment in areas where there is substantial traffic, or in buildings with high levels of footfall. I suspect that across the country there are many scientists who choose to carry out experiments using sensitive equipment at unusual hours to avoid the interference caused by vibration-generating activities.
Adam Fox
Mason UK provides products, solutions, and expertise for vibration isolation problems.
Adam Fox CEng, MIMechE, AMIOA, is an engineer with long experience in vibration control. After graduating from university with a degree in Engineering, he began working in defence research for the automotive and aerospace industries, before moving to Mason UK, the exclusive UK agent for Mason Industries. Here, he has since gained significant experience in the engineering of building acoustics, structural isolation, and isolation of mechanical systems, which includes seismic and blast criteria. He has also worked on multiple projects involving highly sensitive equipment for scientific and high-precision manufacturing applications. He has been a director at Mason UK since 2018, and, in addition to his work as an engineer, helps deliver RIBA-approved CPD seminars on a wide range of acoustics and vibration control-related matters.
However, most don’t realise that engineering solutions do exist to these problems. The first step is the writing of a tight specification, and the next is working with an engineering team who are willing to embark on the continual back-and-forth process that is typically involved in making sure that the ‘specs’ are fully satisfied.
Conclusion If you make sure that you are addressing the ‘how’ question, and doing so with the appropriate level of detail in your criteria, you will have a tight specification.
If you go to the additional length of requiring the contractor or supplier to provide evidence that the specification has been met, you then ensure that your original intention is not lost along the way. Although it might entail slightly higher upfront costs, the risk to your project will be reduced, and the whole-life costs to the end-user will likely be lower too. However, when it comes to healthcare facilities, where the challenges of isolation can throw up unusual requirements, the specification is often simply the start of a long process.
Twyford. Perfect solutions for every healthcare space
Download our NEW Everything Healthcare brochure from our website
Made for professionals
Our supply and drainage pipes are the veins of any hospital, reliably supporting and maintaining every aspect of life in healthcare and care homes. Together, Geberit and Twyford can provide innovative, fully integrated solutions which keep everything running smoothly, effi ciently and economically, every day.
For more information visit:
www.twyfordbathrooms.com May 2022 Health Estate Journal 71
FLUSH PLATES
WASHBASINS URINALS WALL FRAMES BRASSWARE
SPRINKLER SYSTEMS
LESS ABLED & DOC.M
FIRECLAY & STAINLESS STEEL
PIPING
TOILETS
DRAINAGE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
