Benefits of Noise Barriers

Benefits of Noise Barriers

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Noise is an acoustic event due to a combination of non-harmonic vibrations or often unwanted disturbing sounds. Some researchers call noise as daily terror. Noise can damage our ability to hear, either immediately or for a long time in a noisy environment, depending on its level.

Noise is known to adversely affect the human body and mental health. Elevated blood pressure in terms of physical health, depression, and stomach ulcers are the main negative consequences, and the psychological effects can be considered to make communication difficult, create fear, make people aggressive, prevent creative occupations, fatigue, create stress, prevent sleep time, reduce the value of resting time.

Benefits of noise barriers;

The highway noise barrier, also known as the sound barrier, is used for sound insulation between the noise source and the noise-affected zone. painfully called panels placed between them. These products, also called noise barriers, generally prevent the spread of traffic noise along lines such as roads, bridges.

It is also used to prevent the spread of noise around machines such as generators, compressors, and the like. On the noise source side, some of the sounds that hit the screen are absorbed by the screen. This also improves the noise level on the noise source side.

• Noise barriers prevent bad noise from spreading to the environment.
• Noise is trapped between its source and does not spread to the environment.
• The Noise barriers made of rubber can be recycled.
• Durable for many years and costs very little.
• Since it can be covered with artificial grass, an aesthetically beautiful appearance is created.

These are the little benefits of noise barriers. So noise barriers are a very important detail for our lives. The use of noise barriers is very common in all developed countries. Because noise is linked to sophistication. The best thing about noise barriers is that they can be used for many years at no cost.

You will find noise barriers in all modern cities. Now, let us talk about the definition of noise and what noise levels disturb you.

Definition of noise and noise enhancing elements

Sound can be music for one person and noise for the other. It is written that there was torture with noise in history. Nowadays, people are being punished by the intense noise caused by irregular and unhealthy urbanization. According to the classification, noise between 30-65 dB (decibel) is disturbing in some cases.

However, the shape and size of the condition are very diverse. Insomnia starts at 45-50 dB. Some reactions occur in the nervous system between 65-90 dB. Noise between 90-120 dB starts to damage the hearing organs. Severe hearing impairments and deafness (loss of hearing) may occur if sounds in this dB persist for a long time.

The most obvious form of noise pollution is traffic noise. General elements to increase noise;

• Increase in population density,
• Mechanization as a result of technological development and industrialization process.
• The development of the transportation network, increasing the number, speed, and tonnage of vehicles.
• Expansion of settlement areas, unplanned and irregular urbanization.
• The ignorance and lack of education of the city people.
• Inadequacy in building and health services (acoustic property and inadequate sound insulation)
• Lightening and prefabrication that increase sound transmission in building technology
• They are economic factors that prevent prevention.

Noise control and measures to reduce noise

Noise control is possible on three levels. These; the reduction of the noise generated, preventing the access of the noise to the exposed ones (isolation of the source), and protection of the exposed ones. The first of the measures cover the measures to be taken in the buildings of industrial establishments and residential areas.

The second is to make use of the noise reduction properties of (biological) plants. The third one is to protect the individual with ear noise plugs. City-planning, separation of housing-industry-transportation places are the most important contemporary solution against noise.

One of the best measures to be taken is noise barriers. Thanks to the noise barriers, city life can be maintained more peacefully and vigorously.

Highway Noise Barriers as the Solution 

The elements that can be applied as highway noise prevention/reduction techniques are;

• Afforestation and greening, using noise barriers
• Exhaust noise control and speed control of vehicles
• Giving priority to noise-free public transport
• Road construction material and road quality to reduce noise
• Acoustic standardization of building materials to ensure sound insulation in buildings
• Preventing unnecessary horns of motor vehicles
• Awareness-raising of the public and drivers

In developed countries; natural and/or artificial noise barriers are used to reduce the noise that affects the residential areas negatively on highways with heavy traffic. Curtains formed with natural plant species are more durable and economical than those made with artificial materials. Also, plant species feed ecological and biological wealth.

It is reported that the noise of highways passing through city centers in large cities over 45 decibels, which forces human health, affects the mental health of those living in the surrounding settlements. 45 decibels should be avoided from the noise, as the size of the noise increases the destruction of mental health. Noisy environments cause tension and fatigue.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Noise Barrier Solution.

Elasto Proxy makes noise barriers for manufacturers. We supply standard and custom products.

Noise barriers are a type of acoustic insulation that blocks unwanted sounds instead of absorbing or damping them. Known also as noise blockers or sound barriers, these products are made of dense rubber materials and are used at the source of a sound and along its path.

Keep reading to learn more about how noise barriers work, how they’re made, and the different types of products that are available. If you’re ready to request a quote or would like to discuss your specific application, contact Elasto Proxy.

How do noise barriers work?

Noise barriers physically prevent sound from passing-through ceilings, walls, floors, and other structures. That’s because sound travels in waves, and these waves can bounce off smooth, hard objects like how a rubber ball bounces off the ground.   

What are noise barriers made of?

Noise barriers are usually made of vinyl, a dense rubber material that also provides strength, durability, and resistance to humidity and moisture. Some sound barriers are made of mass loaded vinyl (MLV) instead. MLV contains salt, sand, or tiny metal particles for added mass that promotes sound blocking.

Can you combine noise barriers with other materials?

Vinyl and MLV can be laminated to foams that absorb sounds and control vibrations. Melamine, an acoustical foam, is often used because it’s flexible, flame-resistant, and lightweight. Facing materials for noise blockers can attenuate frequencies, resist chemicals or abrasion, or support cleaning.

How are noise blockers made?

Noise-blocking materials are supplied as sheets or rolls in different lengths, widths, and thicknesses. Water jet cutting is used convert these stock materials to size, and without tooling. If the noise barrier is used with a sound absorber or sound dampener, all of these materials are laminated together and then cut.

What do these laminated products look like?  

Sound blockers that are laminated to foams have a sandwich-style structure. When you hold the finished product from the side, you can see the individual layers. Depending on the application, several different acoustical materials may be used.

How are noise barriers mounted or applied?

Noise barriers can be supplied with pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape with a removable liner or backing. This PSA tape supports peel-and-stick installation for either temporary or permanent fastening. Typically, sound blockers are applied to the surfaces of walls, ceilings, vehicles, or equipment.

Where are sound barriers used in buildings?

Sound blockers for buildings are installed between walls or underneath flooring or carpeting. Often, the barrier material is sandwiched between a decoupler and a layer of acoustic foam. Decoupling causes the sound blocker and the acoustic foam to vibrate independently of each other.  

Are there noise control standards?

Sound barriers have a sound transmission class (STC) that measures how much sound is blocked from getting through. Noise reduction is measured in decibels (dB) and used to calculate the effectiveness of products. There are also regulatory requirements about maximum decibels in the workplace.

Does MTAP matter in noise control?

MTAP, an acronym for media (M), temperature (T), application (A), and pressure (P) matters. For example, a sound blocker that’s right for a factory office might not be able to withstand the splash of automotive fluids in an engine compartment or the petroleum products used with industrial machinery.

What about flame resistance?

Depending on the materials of construction, noise barriers can meet UL 94 standards for flame resistance or mass transit standards for flame, smoke and toxicity (FST). Bombardier SMP-800C is an example of an FST standard.

What are some other applications for noise barriers?

In addition to buildings, buses and railcars, noise barriers are used in military land systems. When acoustic insulation is used as flooring in a vehicle such as a personnel transport, a non-slip surface and wear resistance may be required.

Who supplies custom noise barriers?

Elasto Proxy makes custom noise barriers at our headquarters near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We can source noise blocking materials with a flame-laminated facing, and we can also laminate and water jet cut sandwich-style structures. For a peel-and-stick solution, we can apply PSA tape.

Ready to learn more? Talk to our team?