Rubber-metal mounts are the default choice for a good reason: they are compact, economical and isolate well. But there are applications where rubber is the weak point. Stainless steel wire mesh, the elastic element of all-metal mounts, was developed for exactly those cases.
What a wire mesh cushion is
A wire mesh cushion is made of stainless steel wire (AISI 304, or AISI 316 for corrosive atmospheres) knitted, formed and pressed under high pressure into the required shape. Friction between the wires dissipates energy on every cycle, and the density of the pressing sets the stiffness. Silentflex® manufactures more than 950 standard cushion references.
Side by side
| Natural rubber | Silicone | Stainless steel wire mesh | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature (Silentflex® datasheets) | −20 to +80 °C | −50 to +200 °C | −70 to +300 °C (+500 °C some models) |
| Damping | Moderate | Moderate | High: 15–20% of critical |
| Oil, fuel, ozone, UV | Ages | Better | Not affected |
| Creep (height loss over time) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Fire | Burns | Resists better | Non-combustible |
| Natural frequency (Silentflex® range) | 4–25 Hz | 6–25 Hz | 15–25 Hz on most models (3–9 Hz combined with springs) |
When all-metal is the better choice
- Heat and cold: engines, exhaust systems, boilers, turbines, outdoor equipment in cold climates.
- Oil and chemicals: machine rooms, compressors, hydraulic units, the chemical industry.
- Long life without maintenance: metal does not age. The Silentflex® floor shock absorber for high-speed trains was fatigue-tested to 3 million cycles; the 100% metal flexible bush to 3.4 million cycles at three loads.
- Overloads and shock: wire mesh stiffens progressively instead of bottoming out. The floor shock absorber withstands ten times its nominal load without cracking or permanent deformation.
- Fire safety: data centres, ships and tunnels often require non-combustible materials.
When rubber is the right choice
- Moderate temperatures, indoors, without oil.
- Light equipment where cost and size matter most.
- Low loads that need a soft mount but where a spring would be oversized.
Rubber hardness changes the behaviour a lot. In our laboratory, the same traction-compression mount absorbed between 0.3 and 5 joules per cycle depending on the elastomer, from 30 Shore silicone to 75 Shore natural rubber (see the test on the traction-compression product page).
Combining both worlds
Where very low natural frequencies are needed together with metal durability, Silentflex® places a wire mesh cushion inside a steel spring. The spring gives 3–9 Hz; the cushion adds the damping a bare spring lacks and prevents it from blocking under overload. That is the principle of our single, double and multiple spring mounts and of the Container Pad.
Not sure which one fits your machine? The calculator filters by environment: tick “harsh environment” and it only proposes all-metal families.
