Sound Supreme Board

Have you ever thought about why you need so many different pairs of sneakers – for running, tennis, football and more? It would be perfect if just one, versatile pair was enough for all your sporting needs. But it just doesn’t work that way, since the performance required from each is very different.

The same rather applies to sound, as it’s little similar. There are different types of sound that can generate unpleasant or even harmful kinds of noise. There are two basic ways sound can be transmitted:

• Airborne sound: when sound waves travelling through the air encounter a building element they cause it to vibrate. These vibrations travel through the element and are radiated out the other side of it. Typical airborne transmission sources are speech, sound systems, and appliances.
• Impact sound: sound arising from the impact of an object on a building element (wall, floor, or ceiling). Typical sources are footsteps, jumping and dropped objects. Impact sound transmission occurs as the result of impact causing both sides of the building element to vibrate, which generates sound waves.

It is obvious then, that we need different solutions for different types of sound transmission. Fortunately, the base for these types can be similar, but the composition of the final sound system has to be tailor-made for each application.

Mineral wool has already long been known to work in for such applications.

Due to its structure, the combination of mineral fibres and trapped air serves as an excellent sound absorption and sound insulation material. However, there are some highly demanding applications where mineral wool alone can no longer meet the requirements of the situation. We need something more, a material that serves as a high barrier against sound transmission, is able to supress noise across various frequencies and can be integrated into various sound suppression systems.

Sound Supreme Board is a new high-performance insulation board

Sound Supreme Board is based on a composition of various materials that have superb sound, fire and thermal insulation qualities as well as solid mechanical properties. It represents an excellent, versatile base for different sound insulation systems in a wide range of applications.

Drawing on the versatile performance of Sound Supreme Board, our knowledge of and extensive experience in acoustics, backed up by 3D modelling acoustic software together with work in the laboratory and real-world performance, we are able to design optimal, tailor-made solutions for different applications.

1. Acoustic doors

Doors are a potential weak point in the thermal, sound and fire performance of a building. That’s why the safety and performance of the door have to be carefully considered. Sound Supreme Board can be applied as:

• an insulation core for wooden door systems, where high sound performance is required – in hotels, educational and health institutions, housing, and media/broadcasting facilities and more
• an insulation core for (entrance) wooden door systems, where high sound performance in combination with excellent thermal conductivity and good fire resistance is required

2. Road sound barriers

Road traffic is the primary source of environmental noise, with an estimated 125 million people affected by noise. In order to maintain a high quality of living and protect people and the environment against noise caused by traffic, suitable noise barriers need to be introduced. Sound Supreme Board can be used as:

• a core element for sound barrier systems on roads, highways (incl. high-speed rail traffic) and other similar applications to reduce and absorb noise

3. Noise protection cabins

Although industry constantly develops new products that reduce noise levels, there are still problems meeting European Noise Regulation requirements (Directive 2003/10/EC) and ensuring the sound health of workers. Sound Supreme Board can be applied as:

• an insulation core in sound-proof containers, cabins and other containerised industrial noise control equipment
• an insulation core for effective noise- and soundproofing reconstruction interventions on machinery containment in industrial plants

4. Partition walls

Modern office and workspace design is changing. However, people also need to work in acoustically comfortable surroundings to be able to perform their tasks safely and efficiently. Sound Supreme Board can be used as:

• an insulation core in partition walls, where excellent sound performance is required in order to improve and ensure comfort and privacy
• an insulation core for modular wall systems, where excellent sound performance is required in order to add an element of privacy to a workspace, a buildings or a conference room

5. Construction applications

In addition to airborne sound, impact sound can be particularly disturbing, whether in a single-family or multi-family house. Sound Supreme board can be used as:

• An additional layer of insulation in the reconstruction of ceilings (separating floors), where excellent sound insulation is required to reduce the transmission of impact sound through a structure (reconstruction of ceilings in old residential buildings)

Just as every sport demands the right equipment, so does every situation involving disturbing noise. There are no shortcuts or off-the-shelf solutions. Solving noise-related issues requires careful study and collaboration between partners in order to achieve the final goal – the wellbeing of people and protection of the environment.

Literature:

1. Impact and airborne sound, www.powerscape.com, (2003)

2. www.clt.info

3. Mineral wool, www.eurima.com

4. Noise in Europe 2014, European Environment Agency, (2014)