| |
Squealing tires and screeching brakes, loud distracting
noises, which are usually associated with a race track
or cross town travel. Not in this case, however. Inside
a Ford Motor Company assembly plant, employees in the
Roll Test Operation Department jump into a shiny new
Ford fresh off the assembly line, accelerate to 60 MPH
and then stomp on the brakes. This is the first step
in testing acceleration and braking on new vehicles
fresh off the assembly line, which are then moved to
an idle lane for additional tests. Ford Motor Company’s
policy of creating and maintaining high standards of
employee comfort and benefits led to a desire to reduce
the noise level exposure for workers in the surrounding
area. Company management called in ASI to take a look
at the Roll Test Operation and make recommendations.
ASI is an acoustical consulting firm offering turn-key
services: engineering, design, material supply and installation.
After extensive testing and analysis, ASI engineers
selected noise control materials manufactured by Sound
Seal. Sound Seal specializes in flexible noise control
products and systems. As opposed to some of the rigid,
metal panel type of noise control products available
in the marketplace, flexible sound absorber/noise barrier
composite products can offer maximum accessibility,
visibility and affordability, while still offering significant
noise reduction. ASI recommended utilizing Sound Seal
Acoustical Products to create three forty-foot long
bays to separate the idle lane from the active lanes.
The Sound Seal Acoustical
Curtain Panel model BSC-25 combines a quilted fiberglass
sound absorber on both sides of a loaded vinyl noise
barrier. The modular curtain panels were fabricated
with full width view windows; grommets at the top with
hook and loop fasteners along each edge to join adjacent
panels together to form the designed configuration.
The BSC/full width view window panels are specifically
designed to offer complete visibility into the area
along with effective sound absorption and noise barrier
characteristics.
 The
Sound Seal BSC-25 Acoustical Composite Curtain Panels
satisfied requirements to provide separator partition
walls between each bay by utilizing a single product
that would serve as both a noise barrier material between
bays as well as a sound absorption product within each
bay. In general, ASTM laboratory testing standards are
utilized to determine how effective various products
perform regarding their ability to either absorb sound
waves, rated as “NRC”, or block sound waves,
rated as “STC”. The NRC (Noise Reduction
Rating) of BSC-25 is .85. The STC (Sound Transmission
Classification) is 29. Since a heavy-duty one pound
psf flexible transparent vinyl noise barrier material
is utilized as the view window section of the panels,
there is minimal, if any, loss of acoustical performance
thru the window area.
A related Sound
Seal Acoustical Curtain Panel, BBC-13-2”,
was used as an “end cap” on one end of the
bays. Its purpose was also to contain and absorb the
noise. However, since these panels are in a potential
high abuse area where they drive the cars and move other
equipment into the bays, the BBC-13-2” Acoustical
Curtain Panels are utilized because they have a very
rugged, durable reinforced noise barrier exterior and
the quilted fiberglass sound absorber on the interior
side only.
Even with large open areas and an open
top, upon completion of the Acoustical Curtain Enclosure,
employees noise exposure dropped by 8dB(A) bringing
these employees within acceptable noise exposure limits
and creating a better working environment for Ford Motor
Company’s valued employees.
|
