Sound Insulation
Sound insulation, also known as acoustic insulation, is used for blocking noise and has become a necessity for many types of building interiors. The noise transmitting through a wall or floor, which is energy, vibrates through any common surface including brick, concrete and drywall. Noise insulation is designed to absorb that energy before it reverberates off the surface. There are a variety of materials that can be used for sound insulation including: fiberglass, foam, rubber, aluminum composite, glass wool & polyethylene. Because of the flexible nature of these materials, they can be attached to any surface in any environment. Buildings such as theatres, music centers and studios, noisy manufacturing facilities and the average home benefit from the use of soundproof insulation.
Acoustical insulation is designed and works similarly to soundproofing methods such as acoustic foam: it absorbs the frequencies transmitted by sound waves. Though sound insulation has the same general outcome of absorbing sound waves, different types of sound insulation achieve this in ways designed to meet different applications. Mineral wool has unique physical and chemical properties which are major factors in the utility of the material. The fibers in the wool are non-combustible and have melting temperatures in excess of 1800-2000 Fahrenheit. This is an important component of mineral wool, since the sound waves are converted to heat as it vibrates. Mineral wool acts as a sound insulator when sound waves passing through mineral wool are continually being broken up by the individual fibers. Another very effective form of sound insulation is dB-Bloc. This insulator is a thin mass loaded vinyl sound barrier material, designed to layer behind drywall and other finished wall or ceiling surfaces. The material combats against the bleed of noise transmitting through a common surface. Other acoustic insulation materials in similar applications include foam, fiberglass and rubber.