Cinema vibration protection as good as new 15 years on

Buers (AT), Tokyo (JP): in order to provide the famous Grandberry Mall in Tokyo with effective protection from disruptive noises and vibrations, back in 2005 Getzner installed elastic point bearings. The equipment has certainly stood the test of time: fifteen years on, the vibration protection is working just as well as when it was first installed. As a result, Getzner has now been awarded the contract to outfit the refurbished building after a temporary closure of the area.

The Grandberry Mall, one of the top 3 shopping and entertainment outlets in Tokyo, opened in 2000. Alongside more than 60 businesses, restaurants and an extensive outdoor area, the centre has been home to the 109 Cinemas Grandberry Mall & IMAX Theatre since 2006. In order to offer visitors an uninterrupted cinema experience and to eliminate interference from external noises, the operators were looking for an effective vibration and noise isolation system. Nihon Getzner, the Japanese daughter company of the Austrian vibration isolation experts Getzner Werkstoffe, delivered a unique solution to provide isolation of low-frequency vibrations based on their internally developed polyurethane Sylodyn®. The operators had approximately 60 made-to-measure point bearings installed using the Austrian-made material. The pre-stressed polyurethane bearings decoupled the steel substructure of the rows of seats. Since the vibration protection worked so well for 15 years, Getzner has now been awarded the contract to outfit the renovated building.

Durable and resistant materials
Due to the extensive renovation of the area, the Grandberry Mall closed its doors in 2018. During this time, Getzner dismantled the previously installed Sylodyn® pads, before testing their long-term properties. “In recent months, we have performed in-depth analysis of two of the dismantled point bearings. We have compared the Sylodyn® specifications with the previous ones and determined to what extent the material has changed over the years,” explains Hideki Uryu, the General Manager of Nihon Getzner. The assessment showed that the two samples were both in good condition, with only minor signs of use in terms of the colour, shape and dimensions.

The material testing produced no significant deviations from the 2005 data sheets. Hideki Uryu explains in more detail: “We tested the specific weight and the Shore Hardness, as well as the static and dynamic stiffness. The results were excellent: with a vibration isolation efficiency of 96 percent or 29 decibels, the material perfectly meets the requirements of decoupling.” After 15 years in use, Getzner’s anti-vibration Sylodyn® material showed no significant change in its functionality compared to the day of installation. “Our tests prove once again the outstanding long-term behaviour of Sylodyn®. The material is ideally suited to isolating noise between walls, floors and ceilings, as bearings for buildings or machines, and for minimising impact noise on floors and stairs,” summarises Hideki Uryu. For this reason, Getzner again chose to install its Sylodyn® point bearings during the refurbishment of the Grandberry Park Shopping Mall. “The tests assure the operators that the installed vibration protection works in the long term and improves the comfort of their guests – and it reduces costs,” concludes Hideki Uryu.