When sound waves hit a medium, the reflection of that sound is dependent on the dissimilarity of the surfaces it comes in contact with. Different widths and densities in soundproofing material reduces sound within a variable frequency range. Materials include mass-loaded vinyl, drywall, soundproof sheetrock, plywood, fibreboard, concrete or rubber. In a normal three-dimensional setting, with a point source and point receptor, the intensity of sound waves will be attenuated according to the inverse square of the distance from the source.Īdding dense material to treatment helps stop sound waves from exiting a source wall, ceiling or floor. The energy density of sound waves decreases as they become farther apart so that increasing the distance between the receiver and source results in a progressively lesser intensity of sound at the receiver.
Damping can reduce the acoustic resonance in the air, or mechanical resonance in the structure of the room itself or things in the room.Ĭreating separation between a sound source and any form of adjoining mass, hindering the direct pathway for sound transfer. Absorption will reduce the overall sound level, whereas redirection makes unwanted sound harmless or even beneficial by reducing coherence. Unlike porous absorbers, resonant absorbers are most effective at low-medium frequencies and the absorption of resonant absorbers is matched to a narrow frequency range.ĭamping means to reduce resonance in the room, by absorption or redirection (reflection or diffusion). Resonant panels, Helmholtz resonators and other resonant absorbers work by damping a sound wave as they reflect it. The exact absorption profile of a porous open-cell foam will be determined by a number of factors including cell size, tortuosity, porosity, thickness, and density Performance can be less impressive at lower frequencies. Porous open cell foams are highly effective noise absorbers across a broad range of medium-high frequencies. Porous absorbers, typically open cell rubber foams or melamine sponges, absorb noise by friction within the cell structure. Both fibrous and porous absorption material are used to create acoustic panels, which absorb sound reflection in a room, improving speech intelligibility. Synthetic absorption materials are porous, referring to open cell foam (acoustic foam, soundproof foam). Fibrous absorption material such as cellulose, mineral wool, fiberglass, sheep's wool, are more commonly used to deaden resonant frequencies within a cavity (wall, floor, or ceiling insulation), serving a dual purpose along with their thermal insulation properties. Sound absorbing material controls reverberant sound pressure levels within a cavity, enclosure or room. Soundproofing can reduce the transmission of unwanted direct sound waves from the source to an involuntary listener through the use of distance and intervening objects in the sound path. Soundproofing can suppress unwanted indirect sound waves such as reflections that cause echoes and resonances that cause reverberation.
Acoustic quieting and noise control can be used to limit unwanted noise. Two distinct soundproofing problems may need to be considered when designing acoustic treatments-to improve the sound within a room (see reverberation), and reduce sound leakage to/from adjacent rooms or outdoors (see sound transmission class and sound reduction index). Acoustic panels can play a role in treatment only after walls, ceilings, and floors have been soundproofed, reducing reflections that make the overall sound in the source room louder. Absorption in this sense only refers to reducing a resonating frequency in a cavity by installing insulation between walls, ceilings or floors. The absorption aspect in soundproofing should not be confused with sound-absorbing panels used in acoustic treatments.
There are five elements in sound reduction: absorption, damping, decoupling, distance, and adding mass. There are several basic approaches to reducing sound: increasing the distance between source and receiver, using noise barriers to reflect or absorb the energy of the sound waves, using damping structures such as sound baffles, or using active antinoise sound generators. Soundproofing is any means of reducing the sound pressure with respect to a specified sound source and receptor. A pair of headphones being tested inside an anechoic chamber for soundproofing