Acoustic enclosures are acoustic chambers, noise enclosures, acoustic barriers and screens, and sound isolation enclosures that minimize or attenuate noise. They are made of acoustic or acoustical materials and provide four basic functions:

• sound isolation
• sound absorption
• vibration
• isolation
• vibration absorption

Heavy materials such as sheet metal, timber, masonry, plasterboard, glass and loaded vinyl stop relatively large amounts of sound and can be used in acoustic enclosures of double-leaf construction. Sound absorbing materials usually have a protective face and are made of perforated sheet metal, perforated foil, or perforated vinyl. 

Acoustic enclosures prevent the radiation of noise from a noise source to an outside area. They also prevent exterior sounds from penetrating interior spaces. Some acoustic enclosures are designed to reduce sound in the frequencies at which human hearing is most sensitive. Other acoustic enclosures are designed to attenuate noise at frequencies that might interfere with critical measurements or high-precision manufacturing processes. When an acoustically sensitive instrument is subjected to a natural frequency, it causes the system to oscillate, which can adversely affect the readings of the equipment. Acoustic enclosures use sound dampening materials to isolate the instrument from the source of these frequencies.

Advanced or specialized acoustic enclosures often incorporate vibration attenuation technology. Vibration isolation requires components such as springs, rubber mounts, air cushions, pads or mats, and cork or fiberglass inserts.

Acoustic Enclosure by ZAK Acoustics Pvt Ltd

Applications

There are many applications for acoustic enclosures. For example, products are often used for sound dampening with manufacturing equipment, power generation devices, air conditioning systems, and refrigeration equipment. Acoustic enclosures are also used for noise attenuation with compressors, blowers and fans. Blocking external noises to protect workers or sensitive equipment is an important industrial application, where acoustic enclosures are used as in-plant offices, paint booths, metrology tools, semiconductor equipment, electron and ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscopes, and test chambers.

Some acoustic enclosures are portable and light-weight. Others are designed to be fixed in one place. Typically, these permanent structures contain acoustic ceiling tile, acoustic wall tile, and acoustic foam. Personnel shelters, observation rooms, cooling towers, and control rooms are examples of larger structures.

Features

Some popular features of acoustic enclosures include:

• Windows
• Temperature stability
• Damping at individual frequencies
• Removable access doors
• Custom sizes and shapes
• Custom cable clamps and feedthroughs
• Gas purge
• Active vibration isolation
• Active EMI cancellation

Related Information

How Soundproofing Acoustic Foam Actually Works

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IES2000