The acoustic foam effectively reduces echoes and reverberation but do you know how does acoustic foam works? Actually, it is one of the mysteries that not everyone knows. Here in this article, we are elaborating that how does acoustic foam works.
Acoustic foam is open-celled foam made of polyurethane. Basically, there are two categories in foam and that is,
- Open-cell foam
- Closed-cell foam
Let’s see each one by one in brief,
👉 Open-Cell Foam
Open-cell foam has small cells that are not completely closed so it can easily absorb the air as well as water also. Open-cell foam is generally made of polyurethane, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), reticulated polyurethane, PVC/Nitrile, etc.
Its R-value is 3.6/inch which is very less than closed-cell foam and also it is very soft, less dense and light in weight than closed-cell foam.
It is porous in nature that’s why its widely use for sound and shock absorption purposes. It is also used in furniture upholstery, packaging, seat cushion, and so many. Some of the examples of open-cell foam are as below,
- Charcoal foam
- Dry fast foam
- Acoustic foam
- High-density foam
- Latex foam
- Memory foam
- Rebound foam
👉 Close-Cell Foam
Closed-cell foam has cells that are sealed off so that air doesn’t get entry into this structure at all and that’s why it is called closed-cell foam which encompasses Flexible Foam and Semi-Rigid Foam types.
Close-cell foam is generally made of Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, Neoprene, Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR), etc.
Because of its closed-cell structure, this product has emerged as a very effective thermal insulator. Its closed-cell structure also implies that it resists water as well as air also.
Its R-value is 6/inch which is higher than the R-value of open-cell foam so it creates a very effective barrier to the transmission of heat as well as cold.
It is widely used for thermal insulation, vibration damping, impact absorption, packaging, protection purpose and so many. Some of the examples of closed-cell foam are as below,
- Ethafoam
- Volara
Here you came to know that what is open-cell foam and closed-cell foam, now let’s move to our main topic how does acoustic foam works.
How Does Acoustic Foam Work
Acoustic Foam is a readily available, inexpensive, and easy-to-install alternative. The acoustic foam helps to improve your voice quality by reducing echo and reverberation and by doing this it indirectly reduces noise. But how does all this happen?
So you know that sound needs a material medium to travel and the material medium can be air (gas), liquid, or solid. In our case material medium is air, which means that in our case sound travels through the medium of air. I hope you all understand well till now.
As you have seen in the beginning that acoustic foam is the open-celled foam that is made of polyurethane. Its open-celled structure allows air (sound waves) to flow into the foam.
Once it is entered into the foam, it moves inside and this movement creates friction and due to this friction heat is produced, and once the heat is produced transformation occurs.
In this way, acoustic foam reduces the strength of the sound energy that has entered into the foam by converting sound energy into heat energy, and this process is called sound absorption.
Pros Of Acoustic Foam
The pros of acoustic foam are as below,
- Acoustic foam reduces noise pollution by reducing echo and reverberation.
- It makes the sound quality better by reducing echo and reverberation.
- Acoustic foam enhances the look of your room good.
- Acoustic foam reduces echoes and reverberation.
- It is light in weight.
- Easy to install.
- Readily available
- Affordable price
Cons Of Acoustic Foam
The cons of acoustic foam are as below,
- It has fire properties but when it is burned it releases high smoke.
- Placement of acoustic foam panel is very important if you do not place it properly then you won’t get a better result.
Does Acoustic Foam Reduce Noise
Yes, the acoustic foam helps to reduce noise but don’t expect a miracle. It only works on middle and high-frequency ranges. Mainly acoustic foam is used to make voice quality better by reducing echoes and reverberation.
As you know that acoustic foam converts sound energy into heat energy and by doing this it reduces the amplitude of the sound waves, and when the amplitude of the sound waves are reduced then it indirectly reduces the reflection of sound, and if the reflection of sound is reduced then automatically echoes are reduced, and if the echoes are reduced then ultimately noise is reduced.
In this way, the acoustic foam helps to reduce noise as well as echoes and reverberation also. Hope you understand well how does acoustic foam work.
Hope this article “how does acoustic foam work” will help you in the right direction.