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Sound does not pass through surfaces and/or structures, but rather “activates” a building. The building itself actually transmits sound waves as energy, which moves through the building’s structure. Sound-absorptive batting that is built into the industrial noise curtains converts this energy to heat. The acoustically-rated membrane, which is also built into the curtain, will assist in dramatically reducing the sound from the source.
Consider the analogy of light passing through a window. A light curtain with low-density material will not block all of the light. There needs to be a material that is more solid in nature to effectively block the light. The same is true with sound. Although sound insulation will help with the absorption of a sound wave, it needs a higher-density acoustic sound barrier membrane within the industrial curtain in order to drastically reduce noise.
Warehouse acoustic curtains or industrial sound curtain walls typically use staggered mounting patterns and proper edge sealing to dramatically improve the effectiveness of the sound barrier curtain.
The absorption of sound is especially challenging when dealing with work areas that have a number of reflective surfaces. Reflective surfaces can be made of metal, glass, granite, cement, cinder block, or other smooth, hard surface materials. In warehouses and other industrial settings, this would be anything from the cement walls, concrete floors, corrugated aluminum ceilings, and steel trusses.
Sound waves, especially the hard-to-block low frequency waves, bounce off these surfaces easily. This is why having the proper acoustic curtain system, in any type of setting with a great number of reflective surfaces, is important. Since warehouses are known for large scale, open areas, the chance for reverberated noise / sound to travel and reflect are much higher than in other settings. An effective industrial sound barrier, whether they are curtain walls or baffles, can cut down and/or can redirect many of these sound wave reflections.
Most large work areas require noise reduction to a certain extent. This can be dependent on the decibel level of noise, the type of noise source, the distance from the source, whether it has a high or low frequency, and the number of reflective surfaces which are present. Sometimes, an office setting can have a “loft feel,” in which there are exposed structures and ductwork. In sports venues (such as a pool facility), water, tiles, open air, walls and ceilingscan all create an excessive amount of reverberant noise. In music venues, the absorption of sound and the proper acoustics are necessary to optimize the sound quality of the music played. Using acoustical curtains in the workplace makes the environment safer for employees and helps to control excess noise that can come from equipment, crowds that gather in large spaces and reverberated noise from all that activity. Find out how you can customize your space for noise reduction with retractable sound curtains, enclosures, ceiling baffles and/or wall panels.
There will always be a need for areas to improve sound attenuation using acoustic sound barriers or industrial noise dividers in the workplace. Contact AmCraft today about your project!
