Shock, Vibration and Noise Blog

Current complications in the fragile oil refinery sector seem more like planned delays rather than real problems. Hurricane Ike certainly did some damage, but to need months to bring the facilities back on line brings up considerable questions as to the efficiency of the disaster recovery planners. Who can step in or what can be done to speed recovery efforts? Or have we simply become too complacent?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Shock, Vibration & Noise, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Shock, Vibration & Noise today.

After the recent 'mild' California earthquakes, it seems life simply goes on as normal. While state building codes do help to prevent some damage in low level seismic events, they may not be as effective or even be completely ineffective in much larger quakes. Does it give the population a false sense of security and leave them vulnerable in the event that the 'big one' hits? What's the best option for quake prone areas? Better building codes? A zero building policy? The same could apply to hurricane prone areas built below sea level. Is there a common sense solution for all?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Shock, Vibration & Noise, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Shock, Vibration & Noise today.

Many articles have recently surfaced regarding the noise generated by wind turbines. Is this just a passing phenomenon as we adjust to a new technology? When the first automobile hit the streets in 1903, it was greeted with plenty of scowls and negative reviews about its noise. Today we live next to roaring highways with little complaint, so why are wind turbines too noisy? How would you deal with the vibration and noise issues of wind turbines?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Shock, Vibration & Noise, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Shock, Vibration & Noise today.

Technology is usually our friend, but problems can arise in the way the general public uses certain technologies. Two pieces of modern technology that mix as well as oil and water are the automobile and the cellular telephone. And if an experience last week is any indication, we can add fast food and possibly tobacco to the mix. How often have you witnessed a driver blowing a stop sign while making a left turn and on a cell phone call — all while smoking and drinking a milkshake? I think it is fair to say that middle age to older adults are much less likely to be technologically distracted while driving. Should laws be enacted to prevent what technically amounts to drunk driving?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Shock, Vibration & Noise, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Shock, Vibration & Noise today.

We've all seen it before: you buy a product, get it out of the box and it works for 90 days. Then suddenly, the day after the warranty expires it breaks. Not seem naive, but why would a company sell a product that breaks, rather than a good quality product with a reasonable lifetime — like they use to do? Sure it's cheaper to build cheap, but is this good for the long term reputation of the manufacturer? Do manufacturers actually design products to break after warranty simply to improve their margin and keep us coming back for more abuse? Would your company consider this practice? Fire away!

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Shock, Vibration & Noise, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Shock, Vibration & Noise today.