What is a furniture damper, what are they, how to install

Furniture and fittings are two related concepts. It is difficult to imagine furniture that does not contain fittings. A furniture damper is designed for doors that open, lift or even slide out, providing softness when closing. Thanks to dampers, everything in the house stops rattling and knocking.

What to consider when choosing gas lifts for furniture

What to consider when choosing gas lifts for furniture
To silently open the wide facades of cabinet furniture, gas lifts, or gas springs, are provided to lift them upward. These are compact cylindrical lifts that lift the door using gas pressure.

When the valve is activated, when we slightly lift the door, gas enters the piston cavity of the device, acts on the piston, which in turn causes the rod to extend. In this way, the facade rises to the maximum level of the stem exit. To lower the door, we also apply a little force, the bypass valve is activated. Then the gas slowly leaves the piston chamber, the rod is smoothly recessed into the body.

Gas springs are available in different types. When choosing the right lift, there are several parameters to consider.

Illustrative examples of application

The damper can be seen in acoustic speakers; these systems are presented in the form of a metal rim, which is mounted on a membrane frame. If the equipment is high-frequency, then polymer materials are used to make the device; for low frequencies, foam rubber or rubber can be used.

The purpose of the part is to eliminate the residual vibrations that come from the sound membrane, then the sound will not be mixed.

Musical string instruments also cannot be imagined without a calming device; the tension elements must be damped in time so that the sound becomes clear, because peculiar vibrations cannot be avoided.

Some parts of musical instruments are glued over to achieve maximum results; such performance can be seen in the piano if you look inside.

Engine damper

A damping device for damping vibrations of a power unit first appeared in tuning studios as one of the important attributes of sports cars. But, as often happens with many innovations used in motorsports, they gradually migrated to production cars. Today this is still a rarity, but finding a motor damper in the most seedy auto shop is no longer a problem.

It is well known that vibrations with maximum amplitude on the engine occur during gear shifts. This behavior is especially typical on high-speed engines installed in luxury and sports cars.

This is largely facilitated by the aggressive driving style, when a sharp change in the amount of torque is followed by a “sharp” pressing of the clutch and an equally rapid gear change. The result in most cases is a very noticeable and at least unpleasant jerk. On a regular car in city mode, such switchings are rare, but on the race track this is quite an ordinary occurrence.

Standard pillows are powerless against it, regardless of their design. In addition, frequent jerks accompanied by shaking provoke accelerated wear of the pillows. An engine damper helps to avoid all these troubles.

So if you are asked what an engine damper is, you can safely answer: it is a miniature additional shock absorber that functions exactly like its larger brother, and is tailored specifically for the power unit. That is, vibration damping occurs due to the fact that the rod, together with the upper mount, moves in a chamber filled with oil under decent pressure, according to an inverse exponential relationship: first quickly, and then rapidly slowing down.

The principle of installing engine dampers is the same for all models, although the size and shape of the mounts are slightly different. Typically, these devices are attached to the studs of the body cups, at the location where the support bearing is mounted. The upper end of the damper is fixed to the block, most often in the area of ​​the pillow.

When purchasing such a mini-shock absorber, you should take into account that they are manufactured focusing on a specific model or series, which allows you to take into account the parameters, shape, dimensions and features of the location of the motor. But you can also find universal products equipped with adjusting bolts that allow you to customize the damper to suit your needs.

Since installing a damper assembly is a one-time operation, it is best to do this at a service station. But if you want and have the appropriate skills, nothing prevents you from doing it yourself. The degree of rigidity is adjusted after installation in accordance with the individual preferences of the driver. The installation task is simplified if the kit includes fasteners - such kits are not uncommon.

Important! Before installing the engine damper, make sure that the cushions are in satisfactory condition. If this is not the case, it’s worth replacing them first - perhaps the shaking problem will go away immediately, and then installing a damper will not bring any tangible benefit.

How to choose furniture hinges with closers?

Furniture hinges with closers, just like regular ones, can be overhead, semi-overhead, internal, etc. You can read more about the types of furniture hinges here.

Regarding the quality control of furniture hinges with closers, no global tests have been carried out. Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally which brand and which model is trustworthy and which is not. The mark of conformity with GOST requirements for the quality of furniture hinges (as well as guides for drawers) begins with a resource of 20.

Manufacturers of furniture hinges provide a much longer service life for their products, on average from 80,000 cycles. Therefore, there is no particular point in focusing on GOST.

Fastening rules

To prevent the closet door in a child's room, bedroom, living room or hallway from knocking on the furniture frame, special fittings are used. The type of shock absorber selected determines the specifics of its installation, so before purchasing it is important to understand whether you can install such an element on the furniture yourself.

Silicone products are the cheapest and most accessible type of shock absorbers, which are very easy to stick to the surface of furniture. To do this, you simply need to remove the protective film and press the product onto the surface. After just a couple of seconds, the furniture can be used, and the process of closing the door will be almost silent.

Installing a furniture damper on a hinge for furniture doors can cause some difficulties for a person without experience in such matters, since the fastening process must be carried out strictly according to the rules. Shock absorbers are installed after installing the furniture structure, for which the hinges must be equipped with a special groove for the shock absorber. Select hinges and shock absorbers from the same manufacturer at the same time. Then you can be sure that the products will be securely connected into a single structure.

Overhead and mortise products are not related to the design and type of hinge. The first dampers have a mounting pad, the second ones do not. Their installation is also not as simple as it might seem at first glance. The overhead product is fixed on the inner surface of the box using special fasteners. For the mortise, you need to prepare a hole in the end of the box wall, where a damper is subsequently installed and secured with hardware.

The simplest shock absorber options

It is impossible not to hear a loud sound, a clap, when closing the facades strongly or even normally in old and even new furniture. Over time, the flapping becomes quite boring, and besides, with constant, so to speak, forceful contacts of two surfaces, the strength of the box decreases, and the vibrations that occur upon impact are reflected in all the contents, especially if they are fragile. Universal mechanical shock absorbers - dampers - help solve this problem. Details that soften the contact between the surfaces of the base and the sash, thereby eliminating the loud characteristic sound. In other words, they will not allow you to close the door effectively, with a powerful sound accompaniment.

Kinds

If you need to buy furniture dampers for facades and doors, you will probably have questions about what exactly to choose. After all, there is an impressive range of different designs. Just go shopping for furniture fittings in Moscow or visit Leroy Merlin or any other furniture store. You will be surprised how many different MDs there are.

If we rely on the mechanism of operation of the elements, they are divided into 2 categories:

• Hydraulic. Externally they look like a cylinder with protruding pistons;
• Pneumatic. A much more complex mechanism that is part of the furniture lift.

There is also a special classification depending on how the installation is carried out. As a result, the MD element can be applied, self-adhesive, mortise and hinged.

The door closes softly

In favor of invoices, I will say that they can be easily and quickly replaced in case of malfunctions. But mortise dampers remain almost invisible during installation. From an aesthetic point of view, this is much more interesting.

The difference in power is also determined. The choice of power depends on how narrow or wide the doors the damper will have to serve. If the door width is no more than 50 centimeters, fittings with a power rating of 60 Newton will suffice. If it is a wider type of structure, a power of at least 100 Newton is required.

When a hinge with a built-in damper-closer is installed on the façade, there is no need to select power. The required number of hinges on the door automatically solves this issue.

Varieties

The purpose of such devices is the same, but the types may differ. They differ in design, appearance and installation features. Furniture shock absorbers are classified based on their operating mechanism:

• on hydraulics - they look like a cylinder with protruding pistons;
• on pneumatics - they are a complex mechanism that is used in combination with lifts.

Hydraulic products, in turn, are divided into:

• flow stabilizers;
• pulsation products;
• hydraulic shock mufflers;
• dampers.

Based on the installation features, there are overhead shock absorbers, mortise shock absorbers and hinged shock absorbers. A big advantage of overhead structures is the ability to replace them if they break. But the mortise shock absorber is almost invisible, which makes the furniture more aesthetically attractive.

Based on power, dampers are distinguished for narrow and wide furniture facades. For example, a door up to 50 cm wide should be equipped with a product with a power of 60 Newtons, and wider options should be equipped with a mechanism with a power of about 100 Newtons.

An indispensable damper (what is it in avionics)

Modern on-board electronic equipment is unable to operate without an aeroelastic vibration damper. Every aircraft tests them. The damper is designed to dampen short-term vibrations of the aircraft in automatic mode. In this case, its role is extremely important, since it is necessary to prevent the aircraft from swaying, leading to overloads and destruction of all its structures. Such a damper is a whole system of gyroscopic sensors that control the angular movements of the aircraft, an electronic circuit for processing and amplifying signals. But this is not a complete list of the elements of this device. There are also actuators included in the mechanical control wiring that allow you to control the damper. What does this give the pilot? Thanks to these units, the damper signals do not mix with other sounds of the automatic control system (automatic control system).

Materials used

To make a damper, you can use different materials that have certain performance characteristics.

But to ensure a long service life, silent operation and decent functionality, the optimal solution is the use of rubber and silicone.

• Rubber bumpers. Such products are structurally mortise elements that are mounted on areas of constant collision of two surfaces. A striking example is installation on the end side of a shelf, which is closed by a door. Rubber MDs absorb shock, dampen impacts, and additionally serve as seals for the rebates on door facades;
• Silicone dampers. If we talk about the silicone version, then in fact it is an ordinary circle, characterized by increased softness. There is an adhesive surface on one side of the silicone fittings. It is used for installation. Silicone shock absorbers are made in different colors, which allows you to ideally combine this element with already purchased furniture. Separately, it is worth noting the protection function for children who may accidentally press their fingers against doors and drawers.

Rubber and silicone shock absorbers, or dampers, last a long time. But sometimes they break, fly off and get lost. In such a situation, there is nothing difficult to purchase new MDs and install them yourself. The price is very affordable, and the benefits are incomparable.

Lifting façade with soft closing

Steering damper

What is a steering damper for? The reasons are the same: dampening the shaking of the steering column when driving over uneven roads. Such a buffer device is capable of effectively absorbing both vibrations and shocks, which are transmitted to the steering thanks to its rigid connection to the vehicle’s suspension.

The secondary function of such a device is to return the steering wheel to the zero position, which helps maintain a straight trajectory of the vehicle. It is after falling into holes that the car usually goes off the track. The damper in this regard simplifies the driver’s task, but at the same time, without the presence of power steering (regardless of the type), quickly turning the steering wheel will definitely become more difficult.

As in the case of a damping device for the power unit, the steering vibration damper is structurally a smaller copy of the shock absorber. If it is a single-acting device, it is usually equipped with a spring. When assembled, such a kit resembles a shock absorber strut, but with much smaller dimensions.

The target audience for the steering damper is clear - these are cars that often drive on frankly bad roads (a fair question arises, where are our good roads?). Jeeps and other fairly heavy vehicles are characterized by increased hand fatigue, so for these categories of vehicles, steering shock absorbers will also be useful.

Installing a gas furniture shock absorber on a kitchen cabinet

A gas shock absorber for horizontally opening doors is one of the most common options for attaching facades to furniture frames.
It is distinguished by its affordable price, simple opening mechanism and ease of installation. For different sizes of facades, there are different furniture gas lifts, differing in the degree of load.

Due to the fact that such a lift has a smooth move, the door opens without much effort, easily and simply, in addition, the entire contents of the cabinet become visible. This is especially true for kitchen sets, in which such a mechanism can be used, first of all, for a cabinet with a built-in drying rack for dishes.

So, let's look at the main technical characteristics of a furniture shock absorber:

• operates using inert gas (nitrogen);
• often made of steel or chrome alloys;
• the cylinder (in other words, the working chamber) is made of steel;
• the working chamber has a wall thickness of 1 mm;
• the temperature range at which the device is capable of functioning is from - 35 C to +80 C;
• the number of lifts that are recommended to be installed on one façade is 2 pcs.