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Isolation Hardware Sorter

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About This MicroSim

An isolation line on a specification names hardware by its features: what encloses the spring, which way the load hangs, and where the brackets attach. This MicroSim deals eleven job-site descriptions, one at a time and in a shuffled order, and asks you to place each one in the bin for the hardware FanPedia calls for. There are ten bins:

  • Spring types: open, housed, restrained and seismic spring isolators.
  • Motion limiters: snubber and thrust restraint.
  • Mounting styles: isolation hangers (ceiling hung), isolators directly under the fan, isolation rails and isolator mounting angle.

Each description has exactly one correct bin, and one bin (isolators directly under the fan) receives two descriptions: a 30-inch impeller (an illustrative size within FanPedia's 36.5-inch limit) and the swingout housed centrifugal exception on flat pads.

Each card allows two attempts. A correct placement reads "✓ Correct. ". A wrong first placement reads "✗ Not quite. Look for ." and the card comes back for a second try; the bin you chose is marked "not this one". A second wrong placement shows the right bin and the reason, and the card moves to its correct bin as a ✗ chip with a dashed border. Placed cards appear in their bins with their deal number. The running line reads "First-attempt correct: n of 11; mastery at 9." Mastery is 9 of 11 on the first attempt; a card right on the second try is placed but does not count.

After the eleventh card, a summary shows the first-attempt score, the mastery line and every description you missed on the first attempt with its correct bin and reason. When the list is long, More missed turns its pages.

The definitions, the 36.5-inch limit, the swingout exception and the thrust restraint details come from FanPedia pp. 133–135 and 196–197, as summarized in Chapter 23.

How to Use

  1. Read the job description on the card and decide which hardware it calls for.
  2. Press the bin's button (or its key: 1 to 9, and 0 for the tenth bin). The verdict appears at once.
  3. If the verdict says "Not quite", look for the named feature and place the card again.
  4. Press Next card (or Enter). After the eleventh card, press Finish and read the summary.
  5. Start over deals all eleven cards again in a new order and clears the score.

Keyboard: keys 1-9 and 0 place the card in a bin; Enter goes to the next card; Tab reaches every button.

Data label: "Source: FanPedia pp. 133-135, 196-197 · Item 5 impeller size is illustrative", shown at the bottom left of the drawing.

Iframe Embed Code

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

<iframe src="https://moroshek.github.io/FanTASTIC-textbook/sims/ch23-isolation-hardware-sorter/main.html"
        height="687px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Learning Objective

The learner will classify eleven job-site descriptions by the isolation hardware FanPedia calls for, with at least 9 of 11 correct on the first attempt (Bloom: Understand, verb: classify).

Audience

Adult professional development: new application engineers, sales staff, representatives and facilities staff.

Duration

10-15 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Open, housed, restrained and seismic spring isolators (Chapter 23)
  • Ceiling hung isolation, direct mounted isolators, isolation rails and the isolator mounting angle (Chapter 23)
  • Snubber and thrust restraint (Chapter 23, "Snubbers and Thrust Restraints")

Activities

  1. Sort (6 min): Place all eleven cards. Before each placement, name the one feature in the description that decides the bin.
  2. Review (3 min): Read the summary. For each missed description, write the feature you should have looked for.
  3. Discuss (4 min): Which two bins hold motion limiters rather than springs, and why can a fan need both springs and a snubber?

Common Misconceptions Addressed

  • A snubber and a seismic spring are the same device. The snubber card (two brackets with elastomer, used along with the isolators) and the seismic spring card (a housing that nearly surrounds the spring) go to different bins.
  • Any spring restrains a fan against airflow forces. The open spring card says the spring does nothing to resist aerodynamic forces, and the thrust restraint card shows what a fan that slides back at start-up needs.
  • Every fan can sit on isolators bolted directly under it. The direct mounting card names the 36.5-inch limit, and the swingout card shows the one exception, on flat pads only.

Assessment

  • First-attempt score shown in the summary as "First-attempt score: n of 11"; mastery is 9 of 11 on the first attempt. The running line reads "First-attempt correct: n of 11; mastery at 9."
  • Follow-up question: a high-pressure fan with horizontal discharge is quoted on open springs. What two changes could the order desk suggest?

References

  1. FanPedia: The Fan & Blower Encyclopedia (PDF) - Twin City Fan & Blower; pp. 133–135 (mounting styles, spring types, snubbers, the 36.5-inch limit and the swingout exception) and pp. 196–197 (spring isolator and thrust restraint descriptions).
  2. FanPedia online - Twin City Fan & Blower's online version of the encyclopedia.
  3. Chapter 23: Spring Isolators, Restraints and Field Measurement - the sections "Open, Housed, Restrained and Seismic Springs", "Where the Isolators Go" and "Snubbers and Thrust Restraints".
  4. Vibration isolation (Wikipedia) - background on passive isolators and why they are paired with motion limiters.