Anechoic Chambers Foam, what is it?

An Anechoic chambers is a room where the walls, ceiling and floor are lined with a sound absorbent foam to minimise noise being reflected. Research anechoic chambers are lined with sound absorption wedges whose shape enables free-field conditions.

The anechoic chambers Foam are constructed as a room within a room. The outer walls are 330mm thick, and the inner room is made up of metallic panels mounted on a floating floor. This results in a low noise environment as the outside sound pressure levels are below the threshold of hearing. The chamber is equipped with a Sound Level Meter and Laryngograph to record data.

“Anechoic” means non-reflective, non-echoing or echo-free. The Anechoic chambers Foam along with the internal insulation are also insulated from external noise sources. The combination of both aspects creates the acoustic environment suitable to conduct acoustic research. As the outer insulation prevents interference from external noise sources which may lead to false reading.

Anechoic chambers come in all shapes and sizes. From small cubicles the size of a microwave to ones as large as aircraft hangars. The size of the chamber is dependent on the size of the items being tested and the frequency range of the signals used.  Scale models can be used by testing at higher frequencies.

 What are Anechoic Chambers used for?

Anechoic chambers are typically used in acoustics to conduct research. All sound energy will be travelling away from a noise source with almost none reflected back. Typical Anechoic chamber experiments include measuring the transfer function of a loudspeaker or the directivity of sound radiation from industrial machinery. Regularly used in the development of automotive, construction and military vehicles.

In general, the interior of an Anechoic chamber is very quiet, with typical noise levels in the 10–20 dBA range.  Microsoft broke the world record in 2015 with a measurement of -20.6 dBA. Humans can typically hear sounds above 0 dBA. As a result, a human would think the surroundings in an Anechoic chamber to be void of sound. Many people who have visited such chambers say that the lack of sound is uncomfortable and disorientating.

We offer materials

We offer a choice of materials to create you own unique and spectacular Anechoic chamber Foam. We cut our materials to order using waterjet cutting and CNC Cutting machines allowing us to reduce waste and maximise yield.  We also provide a self-adhesive backing to ease installation saving you time by speeding up the installation process. To top it all off, we can increase the surface area of your chosen foam by profiling the foam. As a result, this increases the amount of sound absorption through the increase in surface area.

The primary acoustic foams available  A01 and A72.

A01:

• Flexible Polyurethane foam.
• Class A Sound Absorber.
• Dark Grey.
• 24KG/M3

A72.

• Melamine Foam.
• Class A Sound Absorber.
• Light Grey
• 9KG/M3
• Class 0 rated.

We have a selection of barriers to prevent transmission loss. As mentioned earlier to create the free field or non-reflective environment. The chamber needs to be insulated on the outside to prevent any external sound transferring through the wall affecting the results.

Please contact Acoustafoam for enquiries on Anechoic Chambers products for all types of applications using the contact form. We look forward to speaking to you.