NEWS
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05.06.2019

Reducing stress - Sound insulation of operating systems delivers added value for everyone

Whether in residential buildings, in the office or in production halls - where people are permanently exposed to mechanical systems, stress increases and performance decreases. The causes of unwanted noises are often inadequately insulated pipes, air ducts or technical units. Effective soundproofing upgrades buildings, boosts staff productivity and lowers stress-related health risks.

Noise has a considerable effect on the quality of the building. Noise from flushing toilets or pulsating pumps and compressors can cause stress, which in turn can seriously impair general health. At worst, noise can even drown out warning signals which have to protect employees' lives. Permanent noise irritates the vegetative nervous system, which has been shown to respond to noise in the form of adverse health effects, including high blood pressure or even heart attacks. Noise also has economic consequences: Undesired noise at work can significantly reduce the performance and communication skills of employees.

DIN 4109 "Sound barrier in high-rise construction" specifies the minimum requirements for sound insulation in residential building construction. The purpose of the standard is to ensure that people in residential and office areas within buildings are protected against "unacceptable disturbance" due to sound emissions. Noise from water and waste water installations, ventilation systems, heat pumps – they all emit sound.

Sound pressure, which can impair well-being in residential construction, increases in commercial and industrial buildings to a detrimental noise level as it is precisely in such production settings that there are often noisy machines alongside workplaces. For example, ventilation systems can generate particularly disturbing flow noises caused by fans, drive motors and air ducts. Industrial halls similarly tend to have very problematic acoustics due to the size of the space. This has been shown to lead to higher error rates and risk of accidents. As a result, workplaces regulations specify thresholds that must not be exceeded.

Kaisound can absorb almost all frequencies and is able to cut amplitudes

With insulating materials such as Kaisound from Kaimann, planners and installers are on the safe side. Kaisound is a hydrophobic and flexible foam which provides the necessary vibration decoupling of structure-borne sound and also dampens airborne sound. When sound waves penetrate the open-cell material structure, their intensity is weakened by multiple dispersion.

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This leads to an absorption of the sound waves during the material penetration. The insulation material is therefore ideally suited for soundproofing and insulation in industrial production processes, be it for media-containing systems such as air ducts, pipes, containers or pumps or for equipment and production facilities such as switch boxes, compressors or motors. The insulation material is also the perfect choice for additional insulation of sound enclosures.

Foamed particles constitute the basis of Kaisound. Their structure ensures, however, that the end material created from these particles is porous. The resulting network has an exceptionally versatile pore morphology. The different pores reflect and absorb almost any frequency and considerably reduce the amplitudes by converting the sound energy into thermal energy which is then dispersed in the viscoelastic material.

Positive properties for different uses

With a maximum application temperature of +85 °C (+250 °C) and a minimum of -20 °C (-200 °C), Kaisound can be used in a wide range of applications. It is self-extinguishing, non-dripping and does not support flame spread. Two different types of insulation material are available: Kaisound 240 with an average density of 240 kg/m³ and Kaisound 140 with an average density of 140 kg/m³. With these properties Kaisound provides perfect noise protection and supports the building value as well as the well-being and health of the people living or working in buildings over the long term.