Anti-drumming

Why do metal plates produce so much noise?

Sound is produced by the vibration of materials. Metal plates are inherently stiff, which causes them to strongly respond to contact or air noise. When a metal plate is set into vibration, for example by a strike on a gong, the material functions as a kind of loudspeaker. The vibrations are converted into audible sound. This explains why metal without damping often has an amplifying effect on noise pollution.

How can you reduce the noise of metal plates?

Het geluid van metalen platen vermindert u met visco-elastisch ontdreuningsmateriaal. Dit materiaal wordt direct op het metaal aangebracht en beperkt de verspreiding van trillingen. Minder trillingen betekent minder geluid.

Vibration damping can only be applied unilaterally. In that case, the rule of thumb is that the damping material should be two to three times thicker than the metal sheet. For a steel sheet of 1 mm thick, a damping layer of 2 to 3 mm is therefore desirable.

An alternative method is the use of a sandwich construction. This involves applying the damping material between the original metal layer and a new, thin metal finishing layer. This configuration provides effective damping with less material and weight. For a steel base plate of 1 mm, for example, you would use 0.33 mm damping material, finished with a steel plate of 0.33 mm (ratio 3:1:1). This method is ideal for thick steel plates and applications where weight saving matters, such as in shipbuilding.

For effective sound reduction, we recommend covering at least 70% of the surface with sound deadening material.