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Industrial acoustic & Sound Absorbing Curtain Panels

The Objective is to absorb and block sound as much as possible.
The more sound we are able to absorb – the less sound has to be blocked.

Industrial Acoustic & Sound Absorbing Curtain Panels

acoustic curtain

Enclose & Separate Noise?

We manufacture an extensive range of acoustic curtain panel options tailored to meet both your noise objectives and budgetary constraints.

Choose below from 4 Industrial Noise Control Curtains:

This unique assortment of noise control solutions specifically designed for industrial settings is unparalleled elsewhere. Years of valuable customer feedback and experience have driven us to develop highly effective acoustic curtain panels. Our approach involves utilizing a thick layer of soft absorption material to effectively absorb the noise, followed by the implementation of noise-blocking materials to further block unwanted sound.
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The flow of the sound waves ...

acoustic curtain absorption diagram

... Absorb - Reflect - Transmit

All building materials have acoustical properties in that they will all absorb, reflect or transmit sound striking them. Conventionally speaking, acoustical treatment materials and AmCraft’s acoustic curtain panels are designed and used for the purpose of absorbing sound that might otherwise be reflected. Sound absorption is defined as the incident sound that strikes a material that is not reflected back. An open window is an excellent absorber since the sounds passing through the open window are not reflected back but makes a poor sound barrier. Painted concrete block is a good sound barrier but will reflect about 97% of the incident sound striking it. Sound Absorption is frequency dependent. A material will not absorb and reflect all frequencies equally. Typically the thicker the material, the more absorption at lower frequencies.

Frequently Asked Questions

While AmCraft’s acoustic curtains have a specified average sound transition loss (STC) and noise reduction coefficient (NRC), these are averages obtained in a controlled environment. When it comes to sound every application and or situation is different. There are multiple variables that need to be considered, such as the size of the room, the type of sound, the room layout, and surfaces within the room. Due to this, the results may vary on the actual amount of sound reduction that will be achieved. We recommend contacting a professional sound engineer to work with you on what would be the best solution for your situation. AmCraft can give you recommendations based on experience and case studies showing a proven track record of our acoustic products working.

In this case, if there is a 100 decibel sound and it is reduced by 10 decibels, the new sound level would be around 90 decibels. The reduction of 10 decibels would make the sound appear to be about half as loud to the human ear compared to the original 100 decibel sound.

It’s important to note that perceived loudness can vary depending on various factors, including individual sensitivity and the nature of the sound itself. Additionally, the perception of loudness is not a linear relationship with decibel levels, but rather follows a logarithmic scale. As a result, small changes in decibels can have significant effects on our perception of loudness.

Frequency matters when trying to reduce noise because different frequencies have varying characteristics and can be perceived differently by the human ear. Sound is made up of vibrations or waves that travel through a medium, such as air. These waves have different frequencies, which determine the pitch or tonal quality of the sound. Low-frequency sounds have lower pitches, while high-frequency sounds have higher pitches.
In general, higher frequencies are more easily absorbed and blocked by softer materials, while lower frequencies require denser barriers for effective sound blocking. However, it’s important to note that the effectiveness of materials can vary based on their specific properties and the construction of the barrier or absorptive system. When it comes to disturbing noises, they can indeed encompass a combination of low and high frequencies. Therefore, employing a combination of soft and hard materials can be a suitable approach to effectively block and dampen the noise. AmCraft offers a diverse selection of retractable and stationary acoustic curtains. These curtains are specifically designed to block and dampen unwanted noise, providing customers with a wide range of options to address their specific needs and requirements.

To effectively manage noise, it is crucial to address all surfaces within the room. Noise tends to reflect off various hard surfaces, including ceilings, walls, shelves, machinery, and floors. By incorporating wall, ceiling, and corner baffles, the noise can be dampened, allowing soft materials to absorb and trap the sound before hitting the hard surfaces.

In addition, covering the flooring with rubber mats or carpets can further contribute to noise reduction.

If you are planning to enclose the source of the noise, it is essential to seal all edges tightly. This prevents sound leakage and ensures maximum effectiveness. Additionally, incorporating baffles within the enclosure is highly recommended. Baffles help dampen and reduce the overall noise within the enclosure, providing further control over sound levels.

While our acoustic curtains/panels are primarily designed for indoor use, we have received positive feedback from customers who have utilized them for outdoor or semi-outdoor applications. It is important to note that the warranty provided for our acoustic curtains is limited to indoor usage. However, we are pleased to inform you that our curtains have demonstrated satisfactory performance.

AmCraft has an extensive network of installers located throughout the United States, ensuring that we can recommend the most suitable one for your facility and location. AmCraft does not install, but it’s worth noting that 85% of our customers opt to have the curtain system installed by their own maintenance crew or themselves. This is because our systems are designed to be user-friendly, and we provide a comprehensive set of installation instructions along with the curtain shipment. Our knowledgeable staff is always available to assist you with any questions that may arise during the installation process. Our dedicated sales team will work diligently to ensure that we find the best installer for your specific needs and location.
Decibels and frequency are both terms used to describe sound, but they represent different aspects of sound. A Decibel describes the intensity or loudness of the sound levels. A logarithmic scale is used to define the amount of sound pressure being omitted to create the decibel level of the sound. (We also explain about Logarithmic scale in one of our FAQ) The higher the decibel level, the louder the noise is to the human ear. Frequency refers to the pitch or frequency of sound waves, representing the number of cycles occurring per second, measured in hertz. Addressing both low and high frequencies becomes necessary when attempting to reduce noise in an area, as most noises encompass a range of frequencies.

Additional Recommendations to Reduce Overall Noise with AmCraft's Industrial Noise Control Panels

Hanging the sound absorbing panels in an “accordion pattern” increases the overall audible absorption by defusing acoustic energy from parallel surfaces in the room. Add Dual Sided Absorption panels or Baffles to offer soft surfaces for the sound to absorb before reaching the hard surfaces in the room.

Dual Sided Absorption panels mostly used to be hung in front of hard surfaces for the sound to absorb in before getting reflected.

Free Hanging Baffles hung from the ceiling structure above the noise source to absorb the loudest noises as soon as possible.

Corner Baffles ready to absorb the collected acoustic energy in the corners.

Single Barrier Stationary

How is Sound Absorption & Blocking Measured?

NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) – used to measure noise reduction (through absorption) in the same space as the noise source. STC (Sound Transmission Coefficient)- measures the Decibels loss of the sound going through an object.

NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) – used to measure noise reduction (through absorption) in the same space as the noise source. It is basically
a measurement of how well something absorbs sound, mostly in the range of normal speech frequencies. It is measured from 0 – 1.0 and can
be thought of as a percentage. The higher the NRC, the better it is at absorbing sound.
Example: A painted drywall wall has NRC of about .05, so it absorbs only about 5% of the sound that hits it and reflects back 95% of
the sound.

STC (Sound Transmission Class) – A rating of how well a material/product attenuates sound. In simpler terms, it is how well an item blocks sound from going
through it. The higher the STC rating, the better sound isolation the wall will achieve. The STC rating is derived by measuring the transmission loss in dB at
certain frequencies and comparing it to a known STC curve.
Example: A metal stud wall with ½ in. thick drywall has an STC of 34. Cinder Block walls have an average STC of upper 40’s to low 50’s.
An STC rating in the upper 40’s is good. STC ratings in the 50’s are excellent.

In general low Frequency (Hz) sounds are very difficult to absorb because of their long wavelength. It will require very large and dense materials to absorb those lower wavelengths. A high frequency sound has many cycles in a second and will easily get absorbed by materials and be transferred into heat. Just as when you rub your hands together very rapidly, this produces more heat than if you rub your hands together slowly. High frequency sounds will attenuate much quicker than low frequency sounds.
As sound waves travel through the air, the amplitude of the sound wave decreases (attenuates) as some of the energy carried by the wave is lost to friction and other properties of the air. This means that, under the same conditions, a high frequency sound won’t travel as far as a low frequency sound. One of the characteristics of low frequency sound is that it can travel relatively long distances without much attenuation (reduction in level). It is not uncommon that low frequency noise is traced to a site several miles away from the complainant’s property.
Putting an exact number on decibel reduction by placing our Acoustic Curtain / Panels for a particular space is difficult.
There are many variables to consider:
  • The low or high frequency of the sound
  • The distance the sound is able to travel (space around the sound)
  • The surfaces around the sound (flooring, wall, shelving and ceiling materials)
frequency
Decibel (dB) is a logarithmic scaled unit of measurement. It is quite often used to define an intensity of a sound level or the power of an electrical signal. The dB scale is a easy way to define numbers that are normally very small to very large. When describing sound level in dB, the term dB SPL is used. (Sound Pressure Level) Humans perceived SPL changes as a perceived loudness. This is a scale where 0 dB SPL is the lowest level sound audible to humans and 125 dB is the threshold of pain. The dB scale is logarithmic, meaning that a 10 dB decrease means that the sound level is perceived as half as loud.

Typical Sound Levels Compared to Human Loudness Perception

sound levels
The decibel (dB) is a unit for describing sound pressure levels. A-weighted sound measurement (dB) are filtered to reduce the effect of very low and very high frequencies, better representing human hearing. With A-weighting, sound monitoring equipment approximates the human ear’s sensitivities to the different sounds of frequencies.

Frequency (Pitch) in Cycles Per Second (Hz)

The matrix below can help you to give our sales team how you perceive the unwanted noise and recommend which of our industrial noise control curtains can be a solution.

Matrix of Frequency in Cycles
Matrix of Enviromental Noise
Matrix of Environmental Noise