Acoustical Conditioning of High Noise Level Areas With Reverberation Control Systems

IAC Sound Absorption Systems are the result of extensive laboratory research which has produced a variety of ceiling and wall mounted panels for standard and special purpose applications. Ceiling designs range from Long Span Systems over 25 ft. (7.62 m) in length, to conventional Lay-In or Concealed Grid types. Interstitial ceilings can be supplied rated for loads up to 120 lb./sq. ft. Wall mounted VaritoneTMPanels can provide effective sound absorption where ceilings treatments are not appropriate. Unique among these various designs is our new FiberFree SoundAbsorber. This all-metal sound absorbing panel is designed for applications where there is a critical emphasis on indoor air quality (IAQ) or requirements for a strictly particle-free, sanitary environment.

TREATING THE REVERBERANT SPACE
Controlling a reverberant sound field with sound absorbing materials is often the most practical method of noise control for institutional, industrial, exposition and correctional facilities. Experiments in psycho acoustics and speech intelligibility have shown that long reverberation times make the understanding of speech difficult or impossible. Also as the reverberation time is shortened, the background noise level is reduced as speech intelligibility improves. Improvement in communications has long been recognized as an important feature for most public, commercial and industrial spaces. A good acoustical environment in school classrooms and child care centers is now also recognized as a critical factor in the development of early language skills in very young children.

In many cases, the use of sound absorbing panels optimized for sound absorption in the speech frequencies, can provide a satisfactory reverberation time (T60 = 0.4 seconds for example) while preserving the necessary signal to noise ratio without the need for amplification.