Acoustical Materials

• Topic: Acoustical Materials: Porous materials, panel absorbers, membrane absorbers, acoustical plasters,
diffusers, cavity or Helmholtz resonators. Role of functional absorbers, Adjustable acoustics and variable
sound absorbers. Acoustical correction and retrofits to existing spaces.
Acoustical material should be
• Durable
• Efficient over wide range of frequencies
• Fire resistant
• Heat insulating
• Sufficient structural strength
• Vermin proof
Acoustical material

Absorber Diffuser Noise barriers

Porous absorber
Membrane absorber
Resonance absorber
Porous Materials for Sound Absorption
• They convert sound waves into heat.
• Sound-absorbing materials absorb most of the sound energy striking them and
reflect very little.
• sound-absorbing materials have been found to be very useful for the control of
noise.
• They provide absorption properties dependent upon frequency, composition,
thickness, surface finish, and method of mounting.
• materials that have a high value of sound absorption coefficient are usually porous.
• A porous absorbing material is a solid that contains cavities so that sound waves are
able to enter through them.
• It is possible to classify porous materials according to their availability to an
external fluid such as air.
• The pores that are totally isolated from their neighbors are called “closed” pores.
They have an effect on some macroscopic properties of the material such as its bulk
density, mechanical strength and thermal conductivity. The closed pores are
substantially less efficient than open pores in absorbing sound energy.
• open pores have a continuous channel of communication with the external surface
of the body, and they have great influence on the absorption of sound. Open pores
can also be “blind” (open only at one end) or “through” (open at two ends).
• Porous absorbing materials can be classified
1. cellular
2. Fibrous
3. Granular
• This is based on their microscopic configurations
Porous Fibrous Materials
• Most of the porous sound-absorbing materials
commercially available are fibrous.
• Fibrous materials are composed of a set of continuous
filaments that trap air between them.
• They are produced in rolls or in slabs with different
thermal, acoustical, and mechanical properties.
• Fibers can be classified as natural or synthetic (artificial).
• Natural fibers can be cotton, kenaf, hemp, flax, wood, kenaf Hemp flax
etc.), animal (wool, fur felt) or mineral (asbestos).
• Synthetic fibers - fiberglass, mineral wool, glass wool,
graphite, ceramic, etc.), or polymer (polyester,
polypropylene, Kevlar, etc).
• Synthetic fibrous materials made from minerals and
polymers are used mostly for sound absorption and
thermal isolation.
asbestos Mineral wool Glass wool
• since they are made from high-temperature extrusion
and industrial processes based on synthetic chemicals,
often from petrochemical sources, their carbon
footprints are quite significant.
Absorber - Acoustic fiberglass
1200mm X 600mm X 30mm – Rs. 450/- per panel
Absorber - Acoustic foam
Absorber - Echo Absorber Acoustic Cotton.

• Echo Absorber natural blend paneling is made from genuine cotton fibers, as much
as 80% of which are recycled.
• It contains no hazardous materials and has a Class A fireproof rating.
• it can be installed in locations where strict building code requirements prohibit the
use of polyurethane or other synthetic materials.
• Use them to deaden recording spaces and prevent outside noise from bleeding in.
Absorber - Acoustic Partitions
Absorber - Quiet Board Water Resistant Panels.
• It is comprised of porous expanded polypropylene beads, which are
formed into a semi rigid, water resistant panel.
• The cylinder shaped beads are nonporous, but the hollow cores and
cracks between adjacent beads allow sound to travel into the panel
where it is absorbed.

• Application
• IT can be installed as a wall panel, ceiling tile and hanging baffle.
• Due to its water resistant properties, it may be used in marine
applications.

• INSTALLATION:
Panels are placed directly on walls for sound insulation.
The surface on which the panels are placed is made rough for the
panel to get stuck to the surface.
Placing of the panel starts from the bottom of the wall.
The panels are stuck to the wall with the help of adhesives.
The top panel sizes are cut according to the required dimension
with the help of knife.
• Bass traps are acoustic energy absorbers which are designed to damp low frequency sound energy with the goal of
attaining a flatter low frequency room response by reducing Low Frequence resonances in rooms
Absorber - Hanging Baffles.

•
Membrane absorber
• It is installed on a solid backing but separated from by air space.
• Wood and hardboard paneling, gypsum boards, suspended plaster ceiling, furred out plasters, rigid plastic
boards, windows, glazing door, wood floors and platforms.
Resonance absorbers
• The third main type is resonance absorbers. They work on the same principle as when you blow across the mouth of a
beer bottle to produce a note.
• The tone occurs when the oscillating system, which comprises the air in the bottleneck, oscillates on the spring formed by
the air in the bottle.
• The mechanism is called a Helmholtz resonator, and you find it in many systems, among other things clarinets, hydraulic
silencers and ventilation ducts.
• Real acoustic resonance absorbers take the form of, for example, perforated plasterboard, perforated metal corrugated
sheets and metal boxes. Here, the holes in the surface correspond to the bottleneck, and the space behind the sheet to
the bottle container.

They work best in areas of high room sound pressure not high sound velocity areas like porous absorbers which
handle middle and high frequencies.
Helmholtz resonance
• Helmholtz resonance or wind throb is the phenomenon of air resonance in a cavity, such as when one blows across the top of an empty
bottle.
• A Helmholtz resonator or Helmholtz oscillator is a container of gas (usually air) with an open hole (or neck or port). A volume of air in and near
the open hole vibrates because of the 'springiness' of the air inside. A common example is an empty bottle: the air inside vibrates when you
blow across the top.
• The air in the body of a guitar acts almost like a Helmholtz resonator.
Cavity/Helmholtz resonance

• A resonant absorber is a vibrational system that “runs” on sound pressure.

• The mass is the cabinet and front wall or diaphragm. The spring is the air inside the cavity of the resonant absorber.
• It consist of an enclosed body of air confined within rigid walls and connected by a narrow opening with the surrounding
space in which the sound waves travels.
• A cavity resonator of this type will absorb maximum sound energy in the region of its resonance frequency.
• Confined for narrow frequency band.
Sound diffuser
• Kinetic Geometric Diffusers are perfect for band and choral rehearsal rooms
and performance spaces.
• The shaped surfaces of the Diffusers break up direct sound reflections and
disperse them evenly throughout the listening space. Auditoriums will benefit
with the use of Diffusers on the rear and side walls.
• Available in two standard shapes, offset pyramidal and radius.

APPLICATIONS
• Areas where more consistent sound levels across a wide frequency range are
desired
• Auditoriums/Lecture Halls
• Band/Choral Rehearsal Rooms (Walls/Ceilings)
• Music Performance Spaces

Geometric Diffusers are available in three finishes and a variety of sizes.

• White thermo-molded copolymer, standard
• Painted, optional
• Fabric-faced, optional
• NRC: 0.10 to 0.30
Sound diffuser

Application
Double duty diffuser L-Brackets for direct mount
to wall or manufactured to
fit into standard T-bar grids

Size: 2’x2’, 2’x4’, 3’x3’, 3’x4’,

3’x5’, 3’x6’, 4’x4’, 4’x6’, 4’x8’

Fabric Covered White Thermoplastic

Noise barriers
Material

• Concrete
• Wood
• Metal
• Masonry
DIY
Retrofit :add to something that did not have it when manufactured.

Floors
• A hard surfaced floor, be it tile, hardwood or ceramic is not only going to reflect any sound generated within the space but will
also magnify the sounds generated by the floor such as footfall or the scuffling of furniture.
• If the space is voluminous in nature due to high ceilings the sounds are going to be even louder and more intrusive.
• Carpeting with under padding on the other hand will suppress the floor-generated noise and will reduce the reverberation or
hollow echoes within the space.
• Carpeting also provides far better impact sound isolation between you and your neighbors below.

Acoustical mat
Walls
• Walls generally constructed of gypsum drywall make up the majority of the boundary surfaces surrounding a space and
will reflect in the order of about 95% of the sound waves striking them.
• Some of the wall space will likely include windows and contrary to the popular belief that curtains will add to the
acoustical absorption, they do so only to a negligible degree. Curtains or drapes lack sufficient thickness to act as good
sound absorbers.
• Walls can be acoustically treated in several ways, after the fact. Walls can be furred out and faced with perforated plywood
paneling with a sound absorbing material behind the perforated plywood paneling. This is an expensive proposition but
then there are no cheap solutions to acoustical correction in a residence. Another alternative to introducing acoustical
absorption is by way of decorative fabric covered acoustical panels. Available in sizes up to 4′×10′ decorative acoustical
wall panels employ the use of a fiberglass acoustical core wrapped in an acoustically transparent decorative fabric. The
panels can be glued or clipped to wall surface
• In large spaces where large wall surfaces permit, large decorative wall hangings can be employed such a decorative quilts
or decorative oriental rugs and the like.
• However when using these large hangings it is also best to reinforce the hanging with an acoustical absorber behind to
boost the acoustical performance significantly.
Ceilings
• the ceiling can be sprayed with an acoustical plaster. In both cases the appearance will have something of a commercial
look to it, which prompts the homeowner to choose between form or function.
• Before selecting either a ceiling tile or an acoustical plaster, investigate the acoustical performance that will be achieved.
The reduction of excessive reverberation in a space is dependent only on the volume of the space and the amount of
absorption present. Since acoustical absorption is dependent to a large extent on the thickness of the absorbing material it
would be wise to determine if the material selected will resolve the problem. This can be accomplished through a simple
mathematical formula.
• For large high vaulted ceilings the owner might want to consider the use of a fabric covered false beam approach. A false
beam design can be implemented where the beams are constructed of fabric-covered fiberglass resulting in a high degree
of acoustical absorption.
• Another solution would be to apply a white melamine acoustical foam acoustical ceiling tile glued directly to the existing
ceiling. These tiles are available in a variety of designs and are extremely lightweight and easy to install. The natural white
color provides a high degree of light reflectivity. The melamine foam is a Class A fire safe product.
Furniture and Furnishings
• In assessing the acoustical characteristics of your dwelling it is important to look at the furniture and furnishings. Soft padded furniture will add
to the acoustical performance in your dwelling. Hard surfaced furniture and furnishings will do very little if anything to improve the acoustical
environment.