ACOUSTIC

MATERIALS
 I N D E X

NAMRA FATIMA
SOUND ABSORBER

ANUSHKA RAJ SOUND DIFFUSER PLAY

ACOUSTIC

2:27 3:37

MANSI SAKSENA 15 15
NOISE BARRIER

ANSHUL NEGI
SOUND REFLECTOR
 ACOUSTIC

“A SCIENCE THAT DEALS WITH THE PRODUCTION, CONTROL, TRANSMISSION, RECEPTION, AND EFFECTS
OF SOUNDS. IT IS THE SCIENCE OF CONTROLLING SOUND WITHIN BUILDINGS.
 ACOUSTICAL
MATERIALS
AN ACOUSTIC METAMATERIAL IS A MATERIAL DESIGNED TO CONTROL, DIRECT AND MANUPILATE SOUND
WAVES AS THESE MIGHT OCCUR IN SOLID, LIQUID AND GASES.

AMONG THESE MATERIALS USED FOR THESE FUNCTIONS ARE POLYURETHANE AND MELAMINE FOAMS,
FIBREGLASS, WOOD, PLASTIC AND SYTHETIC TILES.
TYPES OF MATERIALS

▪ SOUND ABSORBERS
▪ SOUND DIFFUSERS
▪ NOISE BARRIERS
▪ SOUND REFLECTORS
 SOUND ABSORBERS ARE A TYPE OF ACOUSTIC INSULATION THAT TRAP SOUNDS, AN AUDIBLE
FORM OF ENERGY THAT TRAVELS THROUGH THE AIR AS INVISIBLE WAVES.

SOUND ABSORBERS ARE MADE OF FOAMS AND FACINGS AND USED AT THE SOURCE OF THE
SOUND AND AT ITS RECEIVER.

SOUND ABSORBERS ARE USED

▪ TO ELIMINATE SOUND REFLECTIONS
▪ TO IMPROVE SPEECH INTELLIGIBILITY
▪ TO REDUCE STANDING WAVES AND PREVENT COMB FILTERING

TYPICAL MATERIALS ARE OPEN CELL POLYURETHANE FOAM, CELLULAR MELAMINE,

FIBREGLASS, FLUFFY FABRICS AND OTHER POROUS MATERIALS.
▪ A WIDE VARIETY OF MATERIALS CAN BE APPLIED TO WALLS AND CEILINGS DEPENDING UPON YOUR APPLICATION AND
ENVIRONMENT.
▪ THESE MATERIALS VARY IN THICKNESS AND IN SHAPE TO ACHIEVE DIFFERENT ABSORPTION RATINGS DEPENDING ON
THE SPECIFIC SOUND ENVIRONMENTS.
 1. ACOUSTICAL FOAM PANEL
THESE FOAMS ARE USED IN A WIDE VARIETY OF APPLICATIONS RANGING FROM RECORDING AND BROADCASTING
STUDIOS TO COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES. AVAILABIE IN POLYURETHANE OR IN A CLASS 1 FIRE RATED
FOAM. THESE PRODUCTS CAN BE APPLIED DIRECTLY TO WALLS, HUNG AS BAFFLES OR USED AS FREESTANDING
ABSORBERS.
▪ STACKABLE FOAM – ENABLES YOU TO INCREASE THICKNESS QUICKLY BY NESTING LAYERS INSTEAD OF BUYING
INCOMPATIBLE PRODUCTS.
▪ TRADITIONAL FOAM PATTERNS – STANDARD PATTERNS INCLUDE WEDGE, PYRAMID, MAX WEDGE FOR LOW
FREQUENCY ABSORPTION, CEILING BAFFLES, BERMUDA TRIANGLE TRAPS FOR CORNERS.

TRADITIONAL FOAM PATTERNS STACKABLE FOAM

 CLASS 1 FIRE RATED ACOUSTICAL FOAM
THESE ARE LIGHTWEIGHT OPEN CELL FOAMS. STANDARD PATTERNS INCLUDE WEDGE, MAX WEDGE, PYRAMID, BAFFLES
AND MORE. THESE CAN EASILY BE MOUNT TO WALLS OR CEILINGS.

ANECHOIC WEDGES
THEY ARE DESIGNED FOR CONTROLLING LOW FREQUENCY SOUND, THESE CUSTOM MANUFACTURED, LARGE FOAM
WEDGES ARE USED TO CREATE ACOUSTIC TEST CHAMBERS WITH NO SOUND REFLECTIONS.

CLASS 1 FIRE
RATED
ACOUSTICAL
FOAM

ANECHOIC WEDGES
 2. WHITE PAINTABLE ACOUSTICAL PANELS
THEY HAVE A SOFT TEXTURED APPEARANCE AND PROVIDE INSTALLERS FLEXIBILITY TO MOUNT ACOUSTICAL PANELS
AROUND EXISTING OBJECTS, IN ADDITION TO REDUCING ECHO AND REVERBERATION, THESE ACOUSTICAL PANELS ARE
USED TO CREATE UNIQUE DESIGNS AND PATTERNS.

FOR USE IN
RECORDING STUDIOS, HOME THEATRES, OFFICES, BROADCAST FACILITIES, TELEMEDICINE, CONFERENCE ROOMS,
RESTAURANTS, SALONS, COFFEE SHOPS, COMPUTER GAMING SYSTEMS OR ANYWHERE ABSORPTION IS DESIRED.
 3. FABRIC WRAPPED PANELS

PEVIOUSLY REFERRED TO AS RESPOND PANELS, ARE USED TO REDUCE ECHO AND REVERBERATION. THESE
PANELS ARE MANUFACTURED FROM A RIGID HIGH DENSITY GLASS FIBER ACOUSTICAL BOARD AND
COVERED WITH AN ACOUSTICALLY TRANSPARENT FABRIC. THE EDGES ON THESE DECORATIVE WALL
PANELS ARE CHEMICALLY HARDENED AND OFFER SEVERAL EDGE DESIGN CHOICES. THESE ABSORBERS
ARE SUITABLE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS INCLUDING OFFICES, RECORDING, BROADCAST, WORSHIP
FACILITIES, SCHOOLS, GYMNASIUMS, MUESEUMS, AUDITORIUMS, THEATRES OR ANY APPLICATION THAT
REQUIRES AN ACOUSTICAL SOLUTION.

CEILING CLOUDS – REDUCE REFLECTED SOUND IN THEATRES, RESTAURANTS, ARENAS, SHOPPING MALLS,
CONVENTION CENTRES, RECORDING AND BROADCAST ROOMS.

CEILING TILES – ARE AN EXCELLENT CHOICE FOR A VARIETY OF CEILING GRID APPLICATIONS REQUIRING
HIGH ABSORPTION AND ARE AVAILABLE IN A VARIETY OF FINISHES.

FABRIC WRAPPED CEILING BAFFLES – ARE COVERED WITH AN ACOUSTICALLY TRANSPARENT FABRIC,
SUSPEND THESE FROM CEILING TRUSSES OR OTHER SUPPORTS TO REDUCE REVERBERATION OVERHEAD.

BROADBAND ABSORBER – ARE USED FOR WALLS, AS CORNER TRAPS, BASS TRAPS AND CEILING
APPLICATIONS. AVAILABLE IN HALF-ROUNDS OR QUARTER-ROUNDS.
FABRIC WRAPPED PANELS
 4. ACOUSTICAL WALL COVERING
A DIMENSIONAL FABRIC THAT OFFERS EXCELLENT ACOUSTICAL PROPERTIES, UNMATCHED FADE RESISITANCE, AND A
FIRE/SMOKE RETARDANT. THEY ARE RESISTANT TO MOISTURE, MILDEW, ROT, BACTERIA AND IS NON-ALLERGIC.

▪ LIGHTWEIGHT ACOUSTIC FABRIC

▪ EASY TO INSTALL
▪ CLASS A
▪ PASSES CORNER BURN TEST
▪ AVAILABLE IN MANY COLORS
▪ DURABLE/ ABUSE RESISTANT
▪ IMPROVES SPEECH INTELLIGIBILITY
 5. FIBREGLASS BLANKETS AND ROLLS
QUILTED FIBREGLASS BLANKETS, ROLLS AND PANEL CURTAINS COMBINE ABSORPYION AND BARRIER MATERIAL FOR USE
IN AREAS THAT REQUIRE TOUGH, FLEXIBLE MATERIALS AND PROVIDE A SURFACE THAT CAN BE WIPED CLEAN.
THESE CAN BE GREAT FOR MACHINE AND INDUSTRIAL ENCLOSURES AND CAN BE HUNG AS TEMPORARY ACOUSTIC
PANELS. THE QUILTED FIBREGLASS MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE IN PANELS OR IN ROLLS FOR EASY TO HANG ABSORPTION
OR A DO-IT-YOURSELF APPROACH.
SOUND DIFFUSER
• SOUND DIFFUSERS REDUCE THE INTENSITY OF SOUND BY SCATTERING IT OVER AN
EXPANDED AREA, RATHER THAN ELIMINATING THE SOUND REFLECTIONS . THEY ARE
KNOWN AS ACOUSTIC DIFFUSER THAT REDUCES ECHO AND REFLECTIONS .

• ACOUSTIC DIFFUSERS ARE DESIGNED TO SCATTER SOUND WAVES.

• DIFFUSORS COME IN MANY SHAPES AND MATERIALS. THEY ARE USED IN

THEATRES, ASSEMBLY HALLS, AUDITORIUMS, RECORDING STUDIOS AND
CLASSROOMS.

• SOFTWOODS INCLUDE PINE, CEDAR, ROSEWOOD, AND BASSWOOD. WHEN WE

ARE BUILDING A SOUND DIFFUSER WE MUST USE SOFTWOOD AS THE BEST WOOD
FOR SOUND DIFFUSERS
 TYPES
OF
SOUND
DIFFUSER
QUADRA PYRAMID DIFFUSER IS A VARIATION OF THE OFFSET
PYRAMIDAL DIFFUSER. IT HAS A LOW PROFILE DESIGN THAT
REPRESENT FOUR PYRAMIDS TO CREATE SIXTEEN ANGLES OF
REFLECTION ON THE SURFACE OF A SINGLE 2’ X 2’ PANEL,
WHERE EACH PYRAMIDAL QUADRANT ROTATED 90 DEGREES
AND CREATE 16 ANGLES OF REFLECTION .

THE QUADRA PYRAMID IS USED TO PROVIDE SOUND

CLARITY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME DELIVERING DESIRABLE
ABSORPTION AT LOWER FREQUENCIES.

THERE IS VERY LITTLE SOUND ABSORPTION WHEN USED AS A

CEILING MOUNTED BUT ON WALL MOUNTED IN A SPECIFIC
MANNER, IT BECOMES A MID-BASS ABSORBER .

SIZE – 23.75" X 23.75" X 23.75" .

MOUNTING – DIRECT MOUNT (WALL OR CEILING) .
 PYRAMIDAL DIFFUSER
• PYRAMIDAL DIFFUSERS QUICKLY AND EASILY ELIMINATE FLOOR
TO CEILING STANDING WAVES.

• THEY REDUCE FLUTTER ECHO WHILE MAINTAINING A WARM

ROOM SOUND. MOLDED IN A ONE-PIECE PYRAMID SHAPE, THEIR
OFFSET APEX PROVIDES FOUR DIFFERENT ANGLES OF
REFLECTION.

• THE INTERNAL CAVITY OF THE PYRAMIDAL DIFFUSER CAN BE

LINED WITH A 1½” THICK LAYER OF GLASS FIBER BATTING TO
INCREASE ABSORPTION .

• SIZES CAN BE OF 2'X2' , 2'X4' , 4'X4' .

• MOUNTING – L-BRACKETS FOR MOUNT WALL .
 DOUBLE DUTY DIFFUSER

• THE POLYCYLINDRICAL (BARREL SHAPED) DIFFUSER DO TWICE THE

WORK AND SCATTER HIGH FREQUENCY SOUND AND FUNCTIONS AS
TRAP BASS IN ANY LOCATION .

• A 2’ X 4’ UNIT HAS MAXIMUM ABSORPTION . INCREASING SIZE TO 4’ X

8’ LOWERS CENTER FREQUENCY OF MAXIMUM ABSORPTION .

• DOUBLE DUTY DIFFUSER IS AVAILABLE IN WHITE THERMOPLASTIC

. UNITS HAVE THE OPTION TO BE LINED WITH A 1-1/2” THICK LAYER
OF GLASS FIBER TO INCREASE ABSORPTION .

• SIZE - 2’X2’, 2’X4’, 3’X3’, 3’X4’, 3’X5’, 3’X6’, 4’X4’, 4’X6’, 4’X8’ .
• MOUNTING - L-BRACKETS FOR DIRECT MOUNT TO WALL OR
MANUFACTURED TO FIT INTO STANDARD T-BAR GRIDS.
 QUADRATIC DIFFUSER
• QUADRATIC DIFFUSERS PROVIDE BALANCED SOUND THROUGHOUT A
PERFORMANCE SPACE AND HELP REDUCE EXCESSIVE SOUND
CONCENTRATION OR “HOT SPOTS”.

• QUADRATIC DIFFUSER IS DESIGNED SO THAT THE REFLECTED SOUND

WAVES ARE HARMONICALLY DISSOCIATED FROM THE SOURCE WAVES .

• QUADRATICS ARE ANGLED AT 10 – DEGREES TO EXTEND THE UNITS

RANGE AND SCATTER HIGHER FREQUENCIES THAT WOULD OTHERWISE
REFLECT IN A STRAIGHT LINE-OF-SIGHT PATH .

• USED IN BAND ROOMS, SOUND STUDIOS, AUDITORIUMS, AND

PERFORMING ARTS THEATERS .

• SIZE - 23-5/8" X 23-5/8"

• MOUNTING – DROP INTO T-BAR GRID (15/16") OR WALL RECESSED .
 A NOISE BARRIER (ALSO CALLED A SOUNDWALL, NOISE WALL, SOUND BERM, SOUND
BARRIER, OR ACOUSTICAL BARRIER) IS AN EXTERIOR STRUCTURE DESIGNED TO PROTECT
INHABITANTS OF SENSITIVE LAND USE AREAS FROM NOISE POLLUTION. NOISE BARRIERS ARE
THE MOST EFFECTIVE METHOD OF MITIGATING ROADWAY, RAILWAY, AND INDUSTRIAL NOISE
SOURCES – OTHER THAN CESSATION OF THE SOURCE ACTIVITY OR USE OF SOURCE
CONTROLS.
 DESIGN
THE ACOUSTICAL SCIENCE OF NOISE BARRIER DESIGN IS
BASED UPON TREATING AN AIRWAY OR RAILWAY AS
A LINE SOURCE. THE THEORY IS BASED UPON BLOCKAGE
OF SOUND RAY TRAVEL TOWARD A
PARTICULAR RECEPTOR; HOWEVER, DIFFRACTION OF
SOUND MUST BE ADDRESSED.

SOUND WAVES BEND (DOWNWARD) WHEN THEY PASS

AN EDGE, SUCH AS THE APEX OF A NOISE BARRIER.
BARRIERS THAT BLOCK LINE OF SIGHT OF A HIGHWAY OR
OTHER SOURCE WILL THEREFORE BLOCK MORE SOUND.

THE SOUND SOURCES MODELED MUST

INCLUDE ENGINE NOISE, TIRE NOISE,
AND AERODYNAMIC NOISE, ALL OF WHICH VARY BY
VEHICLE TYPE AND SPEED.
 NOISE BARRIER MATERIALS
SEVERAL DIFFERENT MATERIALS MAY BE USED FOR
SOUND BARRIERS. THESE MATERIALS CAN INCLUDE
MASONRY, EARTHWORK (SUCH AS EARTH BERM), STEEL,
CONCRETE, WOOD, PLASTICS, INSULATING WOOL, OR
COMPOSITES. WALLS THAT ARE MADE OF ABSORPTIVE
MATERIAL MITIGATE SOUND DIFFERENTLY THAN HARD
SURFACES.

A WALL WITH POROUS SURFACE MATERIAL AND SOUND-

DAMPENING CONTENT MATERIAL CAN BE ABSORPTIVE
WHERE LITTLE OR NO NOISE IS REFLECTED BACK
TOWARDS THE SOURCE OR ELSEWHERE.

HARD SURFACES SUCH AS MASONRY OR CONCRETE ARE

CONSIDERED TO BE REFLECTIVE WHERE MOST OF THE
NOISE IS REFLECTED BACK TOWARDS THE NOISE SOURCE
AND BEYOND.
1: CONCRETE NOISE BARRIER
CONCRETE WALLS ARE DESIGNED TO REFLECT
NOISE TOWARDS THE SOURCE AND ABSORB SOME OF THE
ENERGY FROM THE SOUND WAVE. MOST OF THE SOUND
ENERGY ISN’T TRAVELING THROUGH THE WALL, WHICH IS
WHY IT PROVIDES SUCH AN EFFECTIVE NOISE BARRIER.

2: WOOD NOISE BARRIER

WOOD IS GOOD AT SOUND ABSORPTION BECAUSE IT'S POROUS,
WITH PLENTY OF AIR SPACES TO TRAP SOUND. TO ADDRESS
THIS, MANUFACTURED WOOD TYPES SUCH AS MEDIUM
DENSITY FIBERBOARD (MDF) ARE ENGINEERED WITH HIGH
DENSITY AND MASS WHILE RETAINING THE NATURAL POROSITY
OF WOOD.
3: METAL NOISE BARRIER
METALS SUCH AS STEEL AND ALUMINUM ARE ALSO COMMONLY
USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF NOISE BARRIERS. STEEL, IN
PARTICULAR, IS CHEAP, EFFECTIVE, AND EASY TO WORK WITH.
ONE CONSIDERATION IS THAT STEEL ALONG WITH MOST OTHER
METALS REFLECTS SOUND INSTEAD OF ABSORBING IT.

4: FOAM NOISE BARRIER

ACOUSTIC SOUND-ABSORBING FOAM ABSORBS SOUND WAVES
THAT REFLECT OFF OF HARD SURFACES. THE RESULT IS A SMOOTH,
QUIET ENVIRONMENT. NOISE REDUCTION ACOUSTIC
FOAM, ALTHOUGH NOT 100% SOUNDPROOF, ALLOWS YOU
TO ENJOY ACTIVITIES IN BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND
COMMERCIAL SPACES.
COMPARED TO OTHER SOUNDPROOFING METHODS, SOUND-
ABSORBING FOAM IS FAST AND EASY TO INSTALL. IT’S A BUDGET-
FRIENDLY OPTION, AS WELL, IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR COST-
EFFECTIVE NOISE REDUCTION SOLUTIONS.
 HOLLAND PERFORMING ART CENTRE ACOUSTIC
SOUND REFLECTORS
• SOUND REFLECTORS ARE ACOUSTICAL
MATERIALS USED TO REFLECT AND
CONCENTRATE WAVES OF SOUNDS TO A
PARTICULAR POINT.

• THIS PROPERTY HELPS IN AMPLIFYING SOUNDS

WITHOUT THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL AMPLIFIERS.

• THIS IS GENERALLY AVOIDED IN SMALLER

SPACES AS CONCENTRATION OF SOUNDS
RESULTS IN HIGH INTENSITY SOUNDS WHICH
ARE HARMFUL.

• GYPSUM BOARDS, VINYL OR FABRIC-FINISHES

ARE COMMONLY USED REFLECTIVE MATERIALS.
SOUND REFLECTING MATERIALS
SOLID SURFACES

THEY ARE BEST SOUND REFLECTING MATERIALS AS THEY DON’T

ALLOW SOUND WAVES THAT ARE TRAVELLING IN THE AIR TO
BE ABSORBED BY THEIR SURFACE AND REFLECT BACK ALL OR
A MAJOR PART OF THOSE SOUND WAVES.

THESE ARE NON-POROUS MATERIALS AS POROUS MATERIALS

OFTEN ALLOWS MOST OF THE SOUND TO PASS THROUGH
THEM OR GET ABSORBED.

POROUS MATERIALS OFTEN ABSORBED SOUND WAVES AND IT

GETS TRAPPED IN IT’S SPACES , HENCE NO OR JUST A SMALL
PART OF IT REACHES US , BUT THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN IN
CASE OF SOUND REFLECTIVE MATERIALS , AS THEY REFLECT
THE SOUND BACK
 EXAMPLES OF SOUND REFLECTNG MATERIALS

1) MARBLES
MARBLES BEING A HARD SURFACE REFLECTS MUCH
OF THE SOUND AS THE ABSENCE OF SOFT SURFACE
DOESN’T ABSORB ANY SOUND. MARBLES ARE
USED IN SPACES LIKE OFFICE AND NOT OTHER BIG
SPACES WHERE THERE IS NO PROBLEM OF ECHO.

2) METAL
METAL BEING A GOOD SOLID SURFACE REFLECT
SOUND WAVES. METALS ARE A GREAT
GENERATOR OF SOUND AS WELL , HENCE USED
IN DOOR BELL AND MANY OTHER SOUND
MAKING INSTRUMENTS
 3) GLASS
GLASS ALONG WITH BEING A GOOD REFLECTOR
OF LIGHT , IS EQUALLY GOOD REFLECTOR OF
SOUND TOO.
GLASS WITH SOLID SURFACE REFLECT SOUND THE
BEST REST ROUGH GLASS ARE MEDIUM IN
RESPECT OF REFLECTING BACK SOUND . GLASS
STRUCTURES ARE FOUND IN OPERA HOUSES ETC
,WHERE ABSORBING OF SOUND IS NOT NEEDED

4) PLASTER SURFACE
PLASTER SURFACES REFLECT SOUND
TOO AS THEY DON’T HAVE A POROUS
OR SURFACE WHICH HAVE LOTS OF
SMALL SPACES TO ABSORB SOUND.
THEY REFLECT BACK ALMOST ALL OF
THE SOUND WITHOUT ABSORBING
MUCH.
 SOME OTHER GOOD SOUND REFLECTING MATERIALS

GYPSUM BOARD
GYPSUM BOARDS HAVE A PLAIN SURFACE , SO
THEY MAKE THEIR PLACE IN THE LIST OF
GOOD REFLECTORS OF SOUND

GRANITE

GRANITE IS UNABLE TO ABSORB SOUND

SINCE THERE IS NO SPACE IN IT’S SURFACE
TO TRAP OR ABSORB SOUND
 CERAMIC WALL BRICK WALLS PLASTIC SURFACES

CERAMIC WALLS TOO MAKE BRICK WALLS WHICH PLASTIC SURFACES TOO
THEIR NAME IN THE LIST OF GENERALLY DON’T HAVE REFLECT SOUND INSTEAD
MATERIALS THAT REFLECT TOO MUCH POROUS OF ABSORBING IT AND
SOUND BEING HAVING A SURFACE TOO ARE THUS ARE INCLUDED IN
PLAIN SURFACE THAT COUNTED AS GOOD LIST OF GOOD
REFLECTS BACK MOST OF REFLECTORS OF SOUND REFLECTORS OF SOUND
THE SOUND