kitty litter - Owen - Tweakers' Asylum

kitty litter

Posted by Owen (A) on May 28, 2002 at 03:06:10

In Reply to: kitty litter instead of sand posted by Duster on May 26, 2002 at 09:46:06:

OK. so this will be controversial.

I can not see a reason why kitty litter could not be used as a damping agent. If I were to choose, I would opt for the sintered white stuf (retails in the UK as Catsan).

Now to the why.
The bulk density of kitty litter is less than that of sand. If you want to mass load your stands (sometimes needed to assist in stability), then look at sand / shot etc. but not kitty litter. Now, kitty litter has good granularity, poor spherocity (roundness), and a highly irregular surface. These are all good things for contact dissipation of vibration as heat. In addition, the interface between the litter and the stand will be better than sand or shot (more likely to have more contacts per square cm/inch, as the number of contacts is less dependant on the 'packing' density unlike shot or sand). Ultimately, the litter also has a lower modulus of elasticity, and so, is more likely to fracture to dissipate high energy levels which sand and shot cant do. This last feature will result in a gentle settling over time (as the dust will migrate to the base of the stand and the dust occupies a much smaller volume than the granules), so topping up from time to time will be needed. Don't worry about the dust, as filling stands with dry cement is HIGHLY effective at damping...

I'd say, if you want a really cheap fill material then do try it - it will work, but if you want extra mass in those stands, then look elsewhere..

Just a few thoughts..

Owen

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - kitty litter instead of sand - Duster 09:46:06 05/26/02 (20)

Re: kitty litter instead of sand - john223309@cs.com 19:56:22 06/09/02 (0)

kitty litter - Owen 03:06:10 05/28/02 (1)

Re: kitty litter - Duster 08:33:58 05/28/02 (0)

Re: kitty litter instead of sand;too light - fmak 00:03:49 05/27/02 (0)

New or used? - Bare 22:07:24 05/26/02 (3)

Used is quite a bit cheaper (nt) - rcrump 08:12:03 05/27/02 (2)

And as a bonus, gives a good aroma to your room...(nt) - eagle1 10:43:06 05/27/02 (1)

Re: Kitty Nuggets if you are hungry (nt) - big lobsta 13:15:19 05/28/02 (0)

Silica sand - s.hum 18:18:45 05/26/02 (6)

Re: Silica sand - Gene W 14:36:12 05/30/02 (0)

Careful about use of Silica Sand - zorpman 12:29:39 05/27/02 (4)

Pouring it into speakers stands is a one time event........... - Cut-Throat 09:44:09 05/28/02 (1)

Pouring it into speakers stands is a one time event........... - Owen 02:11:29 05/29/02 (0)

Careful about use of All DRY Sand - Owen 04:39:19 05/28/02 (1)

Not Play Sand - Jon Risch 20:07:25 05/28/02 (0)

Mass density - Poindexter 17:29:43 05/26/02 (2)

Shouldn't that be Bulk density?..(nt) - Owen 02:51:45 05/28/02 (1)

Yes. No. Maybe. - Poindexter 09:19:44 05/28/02 (0)

Re: kitty litter instead of sand - libor 10:30:38 05/26/02 (1)

Re:keeping kitty away from your speakers - agram 16:08:39 05/27/02 (0)

Follow Ups

kitty litter - Owen 03:06:10 05/28/02 (1)

Re: kitty litter - Duster 08:33:58 05/28/02 (0)

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