Mechanical / Industrial Sound Insulation

What is mechanical and industrial sound insulation?

Industrial sound insulation is the engineering discipline of controlling the high-decibel continuous noise produced by production and mechanical equipment. Unlike residential insulation, it requires performance in the low-frequency band caused by motors and fans rather than the high frequencies. Vibration, temperature and air-flow conditions are integrated into the acoustic design.

Which equipment and rooms does it cover?

• Generator room sound insulation (50-1500 kVA)
• Chillers and cooling units
• Compressors and air-compressor enclosures
• Boiler and heating-plant rooms
• Fans, blowers and air-handling units
• Pump and booster rooms
• Transformer stations
• Industrial production lines (CNC, presses, foundry)

What does a typical industrial insulation system include?

Our typical industrial enclosure is multi-layered:

1. Existing concrete/curtain wall + vibroacoustic hangers
2. Steel framework with 80 mm high-density rock-wool infill
3. Two layers of acoustic plasterboard + elastomeric membrane
4. Sound-absorbing acoustic panel on the inside (echo control)
5. Acoustic door (certified, Rw 38-44 dB)
6. Splitter silencers at air inlets/outlets
7. Vibration-damping base (springs/elastomer)
8. Exhaust silencer for generators (high-temp resistant)

How is the target dB level set?

Two measurements drive the design: the source noise level and the desired final dB outside the room. Turkey's Environmental Noise Assessment Regulation defines a residential night limit of 45 dBA and day limit of 55 dBA. Targeting 45 dBA from a 110 dBA source means a net 65 dB reduction; our experience confirms this is achievable with the right design.

Field story: how a 48 dB reduction was achieved

For a 1250 kVA diesel generator at a logistics facility in Istanbul, on the existing concrete wall we applied vibroacoustic hangers + 80 mm rock wool + double plasterboard + intermediate membrane + polyester acoustic panel inside. Splitter silencers at the air openings, a reactive silencer on the exhaust, and an Rw 44 dB acoustic door were selected. Final measurements documented a net 48 dB reduction.

Which certifications are mandatory?

Because industrial spaces are critical from a fire-code perspective, all the materials we use carry:

• BS 476 Class 0 — surface flame spread
• EN 13501-1 A2-s1, d0 — fire-resistance class
• UNI 9175 Class 1IM — Italian fire-behaviour classification
• EN ISO 717-1 Rw — certified sound-transmission loss

Time, cost and ROI

Our industrial projects run 2-8 weeks. The investment is a small fraction of the building budget but eliminates environmental fine risk, supports a positive building-inspection report and extends equipment life. Each project includes pre/post measurement and a written report.