Sound absorption, what is that?

Sound absorption, what is that?

Sound absorption is the quantity of sound that is absorbed by a specific material. In other words; how much of the sound will disappear in the material that’s present in a room and how much sound will be reflected and not be absorbed.

Absorption coefficient

How much sound will be absorbed, is depending on the features of the used materials. The absorption volume is expressed in the absorption coefficient.

In more complex words, sound absorption is described as:

Sound absorption is the phenomenon that transforms sound energy in warmth.

What is the difference between sound absorption and sound isolation?

We speak of sound isolation when sound can’t go from one room to another. Sound isolation is used in for example appartments of a flat. Sound isolating materials are wood, double glass and masonry.

Sound absorption makes sound disapear in a room. The little sound parts, which are in motion, will be transformed in warmth. On the contrary of sound isolating materials, sound absorption materials are light weighted and have an open construction.

Examples of sound absorption materials are curtains, carpet and rockwool.