SCHOOL GYMNASIUM ACOUSTICS
SONEX BAFFLES SOLVE SCHOOL GYMNASIUM NOISE PROBLEMS
| Acoustical engineering can be difficult in any interior space, but school gymnasiums carry special challenges. The constant chatter of students is easily reflected by the hard surfaces necessary for athletic competitions, frequently elevating noise levels to a nearly unbearable crescendo. Manufacturers offer a wide variety of products to control or absorb this noise. SONEX Valueline® Baffles from pinta Architectural Products is one such product that has been used with great success in Michigan. |
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SONEX VALUELINE BAFFLES
Before applying any noise control product, testing should be performed with an audio spectrum analyzer to determine the average reverberation time for the space.
“Reverb time is a measure of how long it takes for sound to dissipate after it strikes a wall,” said Dick Conroy, materials and methods engineer for Memtech, Inc., a pinta distributor. “In gymnasiums, reverb time is usually in the neighborhood of four to six seconds. If we can get it down to one or two seconds, people will not have a hard time talking with one another. We can control the reverb time by putting an acoustical material in the space.”|
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SONEX Valueline Baffles are acoustical absorbers that can be hung from ceilings. The baffles are made from willtec acosutical foam, an open-cell melamine-based foam, and they meet ASTM E-84 requirements for flame spread and smoke density. SONEX Baffles also resist moisture, humidity, fungus and microbial growth. |
SONEX Valueline® Baffles are very easy to install. Since the baffles only weigh .5 to .7 pounds, two stainless steel corkscrew hangers provide sufficient support to hang them from a 1/16” cable or lightweight chain. The cable or chain can be secured by looping it around ceiling joists or trusses and it should be pulled taut to prevent sagging. A third corkscrew hanger can be added to provide additional stability against occasional contact from balls in gymnasium spaces. Baffles and spacers can be slid into position along a hanging wire that is already in place, allowing activities on the floor to continue uninterrupted. SONEX Valueline® Baffles arrive ready to install. Each box contains six baffles along with 12 corkscrew hangers. The baffles measure 24”x48”x2”and 12-inchwide PVC spacer bars are also available. SONEX Valueline® Baffles are available in natural white and standard colors, and can be custom painted to complement any design, or match existing colors. “The materials are very user friendly,” said Conroy. “With about an hour of training, just about anybody can install them.”
Ease of installation is just one factor that has made SONEX Baffles a popular choice at a variety of Michigan facilities.
MICHIGAN APPLICATIONS
SONEX Valueline® Baffles were recently installed at five school gymnasiums within the Van Buren Public School District.
“When these schools – Edgemont Elementary School, Elwell Elementary School, Savage Elementary School, Tyler Elementary School [Belleville], and Rawsonville Elementary School [Ypsilanti] – were built, acoustical issues in construction typically weren’t considered,” said Pete Foster, plant manager for the Van Buren Public School District. “Our physical education teachers were concerned that the sound in the gymnasiums, reverberating off the hard floors and concrete block walls, was creating a level of noise that was harmful to their hearing.”
To speak with a Memtech Acoustical consultant about SONEX Valueline Panels, SONEX Valueline® Baffles and willtec® foam contact Memtech Acoustical
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