Inside Iowa State

October 22, 2004

In search of quiet

A start-up company in the Iowa State Research Park, Vibroacoustics Solutions Inc. (VSI), hopes to commercialize vibration and noise control technologies being developed at the university.

Cedar Falls dentist Ken Budke and Atul Kelkar, an Iowa State professor of mechanical engineering, founded VSI last year as a result of Budke's efforts to control dental drill noise. The company's technology is based partially on Kelkar's research. Budke and Kelkar soon realized their noise and vibration control ideas had potential applications beyond the dental office.

They now are working to develop a "smart" material that controls noise and vibrations from home appliances, office furniture, construction equipment and vehicle suspension systems.

VSI has received help from the Institute for Physical Research and Technology (Company Assistance and Technology Commercialization Acceleration programs), and ISU Pappajohn centers in Ames and Cedar Falls. It also recently received a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a natural fiber and plastic composite material embedded with noise control technology. The material, which can be molded like conventional plastics, will reduce vibration over a wide spectrum of frequencies.

"This material can lead to the manufacture of a variety of 'quiet' machinery and appliances," Budke said. "We believe it can revolutionize the design of noise-generating machinery."

Iowa State is helping a start-up company at the Iowa State Research Park develop a "smart" material that controls noise and vibrations from home appliances, office furniture, construction equipment and vehicle suspension systems.