Common Types Of Sound Wall Barriers

Sound wall barrier has many names including noise barrier, noise wall, sound wall, sound beam, and acoustical barrier. This is a peripheral structure meant to protect inhabitants of sensitive land usages in regions from noise pollution. Sound wall barriers are one of the most effective methods of mitigating roadway, industrial, and railway noise sources.

Finding the perfect type of sound barrier is hard. However, we’ve reviewed various types of sound barriers you can get in the market. We explain the acoustic quality of these barriers to help you find the best for your needs.

Wood barrier

A wood fence is an attractive and affordable alternative to any garden. Besides, they are common in many households. Nevertheless, the majority of wood fences are not effective as a sound barrier because of air gaps, damage, height, and lack of mass. In this case, you need a close-boarded acoustic timber fence with no damage or air gaps that will work well in numerous situations. Additionally, some wood fence alternative options can offer added absorptive and reflective properties as well, based on the sound problem you are attempting to mitigate.

Metal sound barrier

Metal sound wall barriers are remarkable structures, thanks to their modular design. They are quick to install and cost-effective as well. They come in absorptive options to stop sound bouncing/reflecting around, where the non-absorptive option causes the sound to reflect into an unanticipated region in an unpredictable way. The cost of metal sound wall barriers might surprise you though. The advantage of steel is that the material can be molded in different ways to meet unique barrier needs. However, steel can deteriorate and rust over time.

Concrete/brick sound wall barriers

This is a strong long-term investment because the material being used is durable and long-lasting. That’s why this type of sound wall barrier is used along many highways all over the world and most of the installations are many decades old. Nevertheless, being one of the costly alternatives available, they might not be a cheap option in many cases. Additionally, they might be unnecessary investments depending on your needs.

Brick walls are an unattractive addition to the property. Even though precast concrete is less attractive, they are the best option for commercial needs.

Precast concrete and brick lessen the huge amount of sound because of their natural high density/mass material. For this reason, they are worth choosing in higher noise pollution places. These materials are good at redirecting and reflecting sound to other places because of their high reflective traits. Nevertheless, the materials will strive to lessen echoes and reverberating noise can in some situations increase the level of noise.

Glass, Polycarbonate, or Acrylic Sheet Barrier

Toughened glass and acrylic fences obstruct the line of sight to road traffic and are primarily used to reflect noise from roads. They are delivered in modular parts by combining absorptive sections and reflective sections. These sound wall barrier options offer higher aesthetic benefits of glass with a longer lifespan and noise absorption traits at cheap prices.

Earth Berms/ Bund Barrier (Wall of Earth)

Berms or walls of earth, are the perfect way to lessen the amount of noise that gets into your property. These sound wall barriers can be constructed in various ways. A perfectly constructed beam will be incredibly aesthetically pleasing but will look unattractive when poorly built. They are so environmentally friendly option but need considerable effort to construct and can be expensive.

Temporary Noise Barrier

Temporary sound wall barriers generally lessen sound from construction or building sites. They are fast to install and are attached to metal fences that offer a noise reduction. It’s also used in music festivals and can be a practical remedy for a fixed plant installation or generator. While this solution might be fast and perfect for temporary sound blocking, it has some limitations because of the gaps and materials that might allow the passage of sound.

Benefits of sound wall barriers

The advantages of sound wall barriers are numerous for the general community. Those people living or working near busy highways, loud railways, and other industrial sources of noise can be happy when the noise level is lessened. A quiet environment lessens stress, reduces hearing problems, and lessens high blood pressure caused by loud noise. So that’s why sound wall barriers are important.