Sound insulation is very important to ensure comfort in buildings and protecting people from outside noise or from neighboring areas. Depending on the type of noise and the structural element being worked on, it is possible to choose between different materials and techniques.
How to design sound insulation and what materials to choose
Correct sound insulation of buildings is as important as thermal insulation to ensure the best comfort: there are many noises that can disturb our tranquility, some typical examples are the noise of urban traffic, the footsteps coming from the upper floors, sounds caused the operation of the systems or the presence of neighbors in the apartment next to ours.
As regards the possible bonuses, the interventions for the acoustic insulation of buildings fall within those provided for by the Restructuring Bonus, confirmed by the Budget Law also for 2021, and, provided that the necessary requirements are met, they can therefore benefit from the deduction of the 50% . In the case of energy efficiency interventions that allow the improvement of acoustic and thermal insulation, it is possible to take advantage of the 65% eco- bonus or the 110% Super bonus introduced with the Re-launch Decree. Hiring an experienced acoustic specialists is the best option now.
But how do sound waves propagate?
When the wave encounters a wall, one part propagates beyond the affected wall, another comes into the environment it came from and finally part of the wave is absorbed by the wall in the form of thermal energy. .
To comply with the values established by the regulations, is used to ‘ acoustic insulation that, in fact, prevents the propagation of sound waves through the use of specific materials, which differ in sound-insulating and sound-absorbing panels .In the first case, the’ insulation has the ability to reflect the sound that hits it, preventing its passage and protecting the environment from external noise. The sound-absorbing panels , on the other hand, are able to absorb sound energy and reduce reverberation (hence the echo effect), thanks to some characteristics such as their geometry, porosity and density.
Insulating the walls means making sure that the noise does not propagate through them
In the case of internal partition walls, the purpose of acoustic insulation is to prevent noise from spreading to other rooms and the most common solution is to insert special sound-absorbing or sound-insulating panels in the cavities , so that the noise is absorbed and not reach the neighboring rooms.
This type of intervention is not invasive, guarantees soundproofing of the walls and is very often combined with the installation of plasterboard counter- walls , useful for creating the gap necessary to house the insulation.
