Acoustic Test Facilities

IAC Acoustics is one of the largest suppliers of acoustic test chambers and facilities in the world, with hundreds of installations worldwide. As the world’s largest manufacturer of noise control products, IAC is able to utilise its expertise and bring together many different products for use in an acoustic test facility. Being able to supply a complete package reduces overall project spend and minimises the number of required suppliers. All IAC products have an individual acoustic rating and when accompanied by a laboratory certificate, give peace of mind about the overall performance of a completed facility. With such a detailed knowledge of acoustics, IAC is capable of tailoring solutions to meet the exact requirements of the client without compromising performance.

Transmission Suite - Lorient UK

Lorient Polyproducts Ltd, based in Devon, design and manufacture market-leading, high-performance door sealing systems, helping to contain sound within a room and also shield unwanted noise from entering. IAC Acoustics was approached by Lorient, to build and commission a facility to enable them to develop and test their products.

Transmission Suite - Cambridge Acoustics Laboratory

IAC Acoustics has recently designed, manufactured and installed a transmission suite at Cambridge Acoustics Laboratory Ltd.  The new facility provides laboratory sound insulation testing in accordance with the BS EN ISO 10140 series of standards.

IAC’s modular, removable acoustic partition system separates the two rooms, in which specimen partitions can be installed for acoustic testing with ease. This creates two highly reverberant acoustic environments, with very low absorption and absolute minimal flanking paths.  This focuses  sound transfer between the two rooms through the partition element in the centre, enabling accurate testing.  The intended use of this facility is to determine the sound reduction index, specifically measuring the Rw value.  This is the weighted sound reduction index based on laboratory measurements, a single acoustic figure, as used by contractors and consultants in the acoustic field to specify and compare the acoustic performance of partition elements.  The measurements are taken using state of the art rotating microphone booms, omnidirectional speakers and data acquisition systems, to acquire data across 1/3 octave bands ranging from 50Hz – 8KHz.

In application, the test specimen will be installed between the two rooms within the modular partition section. Broad-band noise, minimum 40dB above background level, is generated through the omnidirectional speakers in the source room.  The level difference between the source and receive rooms is then used to calculate the effective sound transmission, from one room to the other across each 1/3 octave band. This data is then used to calculate  the Rw a standardised value used in industry – known as the Weight Sound Reduction Index.

“The team from IAC Acoustics are leaders in what they do and this shows in their work. They could not have been more helpful – with their professional and skillful approach reflected in what is an excellent finished product. Our brand new transmission suite at Cambridge Acoustic Laboratory is exactly what we wanted, and we were supported throughout the entire process by a diligent and supportive team from IAC. We recently launched the Lab by opening to the public and have had overwhelmingly positive feedback; our clients are so impressed with the fantastic build quality and sound services we are able to offer as a result of IAC’s input. In addition to the technical expertise IAC were able to provide, we enjoyed working with such a friendly and encouraging team. We could not recommend IAC highly enough and look forward to collaborating on more projects with them in the future.”

Natasha Malcolm-Brown, Sales & Marketing Director, Cambridge Acoustic Laboratory LTD

Professional Acoustic Test Facilities

Since 1949, IAC Acoustics has designed and constructed thousands of acoustic test facilities including several hundred small anechoic and reverberation chambers. These controlled environments encompass a wide range of performance specifications – from simple quality control requirements to elaborate high precision acoustic measurements. IAC’s design engineers and research physicists bring a wealth of experience to provide data for an informed discussion on how to select free-field anechoic chambers and diffuse-field reverberation rooms.