Sound barriers play an important role in controlling the amount of noise that escapes from a noisy area. From sky-high walls fencing the length of a busy freeway to barricades surrounding an industrial plant, their composition and functionality vary. Though they are most often associated with blocking heavy traffic noise on roadways, they have many other uses.
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The make-up and effectiveness ratings of sound barriers is complex. It takes some effort to comprehend the equations, averages, and measurements needed to determine if a barrier will work as intended.
As such, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration has closely studied sound barrier walls over the course of several decades. The FHA has documented the design, assessment, and implementation of these sound walls.
As mentioned, sound barrier walls are often erected along highways to drown out noise leaking into residential and metropolitan areas. This noise is caused by the incessant hum of tires against pavement and large trucks carrying heavy loads. These noise sources combine to create quite a din.
Additionally, sound barrier walls might be installed to deaden the sounds of industrial facilities. Depending on the type of work being conducted at such a location, noise pollution can reach alarming levels. This is not only harmful for humans who may reside and work in the area, but is also harmful to local natural habitats.
Sound barriers are not all created equally or for the same purpose. While their installation and uses differ, so do their methods of blocking sound.
Generally speaking, all noise barriers reduce sound in 1 of 4 ways: absorbing it, transmitting it, reflecting and redirecting it, or diffracting it by causing the sound to travel a longer distance and further dissipate over that distance.
Barriers that absorb sound retain the majority of the sound directed at them, though no absorption barriers are capable of absorbing 100% of noise.
Sound absorption levels are measured, rated, and recorded in terms of their Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC). An NRC is calculated using an object’s averaged Sabine Absorption Coefficient (Sab) measurements at 250, 500, , and hertz (Hz). The Sab is a test that determines the speed of sound decay without the help of any barrier materials.
Surprisingly, NRC measurements have a scale from 0 to 1. A rating of 0 indicates that the barrier will reflect all sound directed at it while a rating of 1 indicates that the barrier will absorb all sound. On average, sound absorption barriers have NRC rates between 0.6 and 0.9.
Transmission barriers also absorb sound. However, instead of swallowing those frequencies, they allow the sound waves to pass through the barrier at a lower decibel level. This effectively muffles and lessens the noise. This sound-loss process is expressed in terms of Transmission Loss (TL).
These barriers can be constructed from a myriad of different materials. Common materials include concrete, steel, aluminum, wood, and glass. Their physical composition plays a big role in their effectiveness and longevity. For example, though they are extremely effective, wood barriers tend to have shorter lifespans due to their vulnerability as a natural material.
Sound reflecting barriers have NRC ratings of 0 and literally reflect frequencies back from whence they came. Occasionally these barriers will direct the frequencies to a different path. These barriers are often found in pairs along stretches of highway backing up to residential areas. They effectively retain the sound within the roadway and reduce frequency transmission and diffraction.
Reflecting barriers can cause some issues, however, when set up in this manner. One barrier may have negative effects on the other’s ability to rebound sound and both may be ineffective due to the amount of noise frequencies bouncing back and forth between the structures.
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When arranged facing one another, reflecting barriers should be further equipped with absorption material on one side of the pair or both. Alternatively, install barriers well apart from one another – a distance equivalent to a minimum of 10 times their height. Positioning facing barriers slightly outward from one another may also lessen the sounds bouncing between them.
Sound diffracting barriers literally bend sound waves around a structure. Much like moving water will leak and lap over the edges of a barrier, sound seeps around the top and side edges of the erected sound wall. However, unlike water, the direction of the diffracted noise does not maintain a consistent path once it has cleared the barrier.
Low frequency sounds (sounds with long wavelengths) tend to drop quickly – think about how water would drop due to gravity. As such, diffracting barriers may not be the best choice for blocking noise near places like residential communities.
High frequencies, on the other hand, do not drop the way their low frequency counterparts do on account of their short wavelengths. Higher frequency sounds will edge over the barrier and dissipate away from the area being protected. As such, diffracting barriers tend to work well in settings with high frequency noise issues.
With the right design and application, barrier walls can be immensely efficient tools for blocking sound from a noise source. Don’t let their intimidating equations scare you – get help to find the right noise solution for your application.
Sound barrier walls are used in a wide variety of places and industries to reduce noise pollution, aka loud noises. You’ll often find them next to busy highways and freeways to separate the roadways from adjacent neighborhoods. In addition to providing privacy for the neighbors, sound barrier walls also block much of the highway noise from cars, resulting in a more peaceful living experience.
If you are interested in sound barrier wall construction in Aurora, Slaton Bros, Inc. is the team for you. Contact us online or call (303) 806- today.
The key to quality sound barrier wall construction in Aurora isn’t simply building a thick wall. Instead, sound barrier wall construction uses specific materials and items and puts them together in a strategic manner to block sound. There are several different mechanisms at work when it comes to noise barrier wall construction. Here are the different ways that these walls work to reduce noise pollution:
The first, and most obvious way, that sound barrier walls block noise is simply by their presence. By merely standing between a noisy area and a quiet one, less noise is going to get into the quiet area. This is true of rock walls, brick walls, and other types of walls without any real thought put into them.
However, true sound barrier walls are even more effective because of the materials used and how they’re constructed.
The second way that sound barrier walls block noise is through sound absorption. In other words, the wall acts like a sponge and soaks up the noise as it travels through the wall. To make this possible, sound barrier walls include dirt, earth berms, and other materials that absorb sound.
Thirdly, sound barrier wall construction is highly effective at redirecting sound in different directions. Sound redirection is like when you throw a tennis ball at a target at a rock but it hits a tree in between you and the rock. The tennis ball is unable to reach its original destination because the tree redirected it.
This is the same concept that sound barrier walls use to redirect sound. However, because sound walls are typically only 8 to 20 feet high, they are unable to redirect all the sound waves created by highways.
The reason that sound barrier walls are able to block, absorb, and redirect noise is because of how they’re constructed. They consist of hard outer materials, such as rock, brick, and steel, that block and redirect noise. Additionally, they feature softer inner workings, such as vinyl, rubber, dirt, and earth berms to absorb sound. Together, these materials are what make sound barrier wall construction so effective.