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Natural Science Forum / Physics / Acoustics / February 2010Soundproof Wall for Recording Studio - Sand?
Hi , I recently had a client propose building a double stud wall and filling the cavity with sand in order to minimize sound transmission. The application is for a small recording studio. Has anyone heard of something like this before? If so, do you have any comments on the feasibility or effectiveness as compared with other solutions? Thanks, Matt > I recently had a client propose building a double stud wall and > filling the cavity with sand in order to minimize sound transmission. > The application is for a small recording studio. Has anyone heard of > something like this before? If so, do you have any comments on the > feasibility or effectiveness as compared with other solutions? Yes, there was a company making prefabricated studios in the UK that used to do this. It works well as the wall is very highly damped. However to get enough insulation you normally need a double partition. So unless one of the partition leaves already exists you will need two walls, possibly each filled with sand. Things to watch: The sand must be very dry. Protect against any conceivable water leaks as the sand will become extremely heavy if wet. The sand exerts great pressure at the bottom of the partition as it partly acts like a fluid, so the partition must be strongly built. I have also seen (and measured) sand filled doors. They can be very good, but again really solid construction is essential. As regards feasibility, it is a non-standard solution that builders will not be used to so the costs will go up. But, weight for weight, it will be better than a block wall. Tony Woolf www.tonywoolf.co.uk > Yes, there was a company making prefabricated studios in the UK that used to > do this. It works well as the wall is very highly damped. However to get > enough insulation you normally need a double partition. So unless one of > the partition leaves already exists you will need two walls, possibly each > filled with sand. Tony, Thanks for the response, I appreciate the information. I have looked around online but haven't found much - do you know where I might find more info on this subject? Do you know what STC was measured for this construction? Matt > > Yes, there was a company making prefabricated studios in the UK that used to > > do this. It works well as the wall is very highly damped. However to get [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Matt I'd suspect the STC would not be as good as other approaches such as hanging the covering wall from rubber isolators at 1000-5000 Hz frequencies, due to the direct connection of sand between leaves. Double-layer rubber isolated sheetrock can attain STC's of 60 at those frequencies, at which point flanking sound transmission paths such as the floor are as much of a problem as the wall itself. See, e.g. www.soundisolationcompany.com/sound-solutions/walls/barrier/ Sand probably can't be beat for low frequencies though. Jerry > I'd suspect the STC would not be as good as other approaches such as > hanging the covering wall from rubber isolators at 1000-5000 Hz > frequencies, due to the direct connection of sand between leaves. Double layer and sand are not alternatives. I said you will need two walls, i.e. a double layer. But one or both could be sand filled. The advantage comes at the lower frequencies because sand combines high weight with very high damping. In reply to Matt, I don't have specific info but I do remember that the constructions worked very well for their weight, as you would expect. Tony Woolf www.tonywoolf.co.uk |
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