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  • Acoustical Solutions, Inc. Silent Screen Pane

The Mixing Bowl

Highway noise is bad enough as it is, but when three major highways converge just miles away from our nation's capital, noise pollution reaches new heights.

Acoustical Solutions, Inc. recently worked to solve this situation in Springfield, Va. with a Sound Screen sound wall.

 

Application Introduction

The Springfield Interchange, also known as the Mixing Bowl, is one of the busiest highway junctions in the U.S. 

Every day about 430,000 cars pass through the crossroads that connects I-95, I-395 and I-495 in Springfield, Va.

This complex web of roads truly is a marvel, but while hundreds of thousands of people pass swiftly through the interchange each day, thousands more call the surrounding area home, and the sound of 430,000 vehicles isn't a quiet one.

 

Treatment Provided

Big roads and big noises call for big walls, and Acoustical Solutions, Inc. provided exactly what the Virginia Department of Transportation needed in order to keep highway noise away from Northern Virginia residents.

The solution was a 1,300 ft. Silent Screen Panel System along I-495 that stands anywhere from 5 to 10 ft. high. 

Silent Screen panels provide noise reduction when impinging sound strikes the perforated side of the Silent Screen panel allowing the sound energy to be absorbed. 

These panels also meet or exceed all AASHTO & DOT guidelines and require no heavy equipment for installations or repair.

 

Quantitive Results

What VDOT now has standing along one of its busiest interchanges is a beautiful sound barrier that significantly reduces highway noise in various residential areas.

The Silent Screen Panel System has a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 1.05, which means the wall absorbs 100 percent of the noise with which it comes in contact.

 

For more information on this application, contact our sales department.

Featured Products used in this Application (1 item)

Product Questions & Comments (2 items)

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  • With regards to your Silent Screen Panel System what exactly do you mean when you say it "has a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 1.05, which means the wall absorbs 100 percent of the noise with which it comes in contact"? - specifically the noise with which it comes in contact. We are in Canada and are considering putting a wall along a very busy 2 lane highway that runs in front of our farm. How can I determine if this is a solution for this situation? Thanks for your time. Ester Metz

    Ester Metz - North 40 Ranch & Stables Ltd.

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  • Ester,

    NRC stands for Noise Reduction Coefficient, when the NRC rating is above 1.00, it means that all sound waves that are emitted toward and reach the wall are absorbed as opposed to being reflected back toward the source. If the highway is level to or lower than your property, the highway noise would come in contact with the barrier and be absorbed and blocked. What is more important in your situation is the STC rating, or Sound Transmission Class rating. The STC rating measures the noise blocking capability of a barrier. The STC for our Silent Screen system is 35, which is an excellent rating meaning that it blocks up to 35 decibels. Each 10 decibel drop is perceived as a 50% noise reduction by our ears. So cutting noise by 35 decibels would sound like a 90% noise reduction. Feel free to contact our Environmental Sales Engineer Jack Kay if you want to speak more about outdoor noise barriers. This is his area of expertise and he would be more than happy to answer additional questions! wjk@acousticalsolutions.com or 1-800-782-5742 ext. 31

    Aimee Sanford - Acoustical Solutions, Inc.

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