Project title: Nonlinear memory in elastomers

Description: Rubbers are used in both loudspeakers as well as in hearing aids, where they play an important role of vibration insultators. In loudspeakers they are used for suspensions, while in hearing aids rubbers are a vital part of the feedback chain, which makes their behaviour important for the performance of the device. In a hearing aids the tolerances are small and the rubber is exposed to audio frequencies as well as DC forces due to gravity. Currently basic viscoelastic models provides an approximation of the rubber behaviour, but more insight and model improvements are needed to cover reliably such a broad frequency range and level.
This project will investigate how these frictional effects play a role in loudspeakers (i.e. macro scale) and well as hearing aids (at micro scale) and from the two diverse use cases a better common understanding of rubber in the two different size scales will be pursued, and methods for measuring and characterizing the nonlinear memory will be developed.

Duration:

Start: 1 January 2023
End: 31 March 2023
Funding: 216.353 DKK