Fire Rated Acoustic Doors
The challenges
As a proven supplier of advanced noise control materials, Pyrotek was approached by a leading acoustic consultant in the UAE offering expert services in the Construction Industry. Well aware of Pyrotek’s 40+ years of expertise and dedication in providing premium soundproofing materials, he turned to the team to request their direct collaboration with FireBAN in order to develop a solution for them. FireBAN are high-quality fire rated cores used by joinery businesses in the MENA region for door fabrication, consequently installed in major architectural projects. The objective was to develop a design for a lightweight, fire rated acoustic door.
Pyrotek’s team of R&D specialists continuously develop new and refine existing products to keep up with the requirements of today’s high density living and working environments to meet the unique specifications of customers worldwide. Acoustic doors are an integral part of building design and Pyrotek has been working with soundproof door manufacturers, modifying existing or developing new materials to suit their specific application. With over 10 000 acoustic doors already supplied to building projects worldwide, barriers and composite products such as Subdue and Wavebar are used for door design in a wide array of environments. These include hotels, performing arts centres, theatres, concert halls, music and TV studios, office spaces and several other applications in commercial sectors and residential buildings alike where noise control is a top priority.
The solutions
Strict criteria that needed to be met made the FireBAN project a challenging one as a combination of essential features were required. Spatial requirements meant the need for thin, lightweight materials to prevent any potential weight stress on the door. Excellent acoustic performance, providing a high level of sound insulation was a given, and outstanding fire-resistance qualities to ensure safety were vital.
Acoustically, the new design required an increase in the Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating from the original 30 to the specified rating of STC 40. Pyrotek R&D specialists reviewed the design and type of application, performed the necessary testing to ensure the correct material type and grade were selected. With the required STC in mind, the team managed to exceed this requirement while still maintaining a thin, lightweight, fire rated door by using Pyrotek’s high-performance, flexible, mass-loaded vinyl noise barrier, Wavebar®.
With Wavebar already providing an excellent STC, its advantage over other stiff lightweight panel constructions such as drywall, plasterboard or plywood, is the absence of coincidence dip. Coincidence effect occurs when the panel resonates at the same frequency as the source of the noise, making the panel transparent to noise transmission at that specific frequency. This creates a drop in STC, resulting in poor performance as the entire acoustic spectrum is not covered. Wavebar, on the other hand, shifts the coincidence dip to frequencies outside the critical range, thereby maintaining a premium performance of the product throughout.
With acoustic performance not the sole criterium, weight and thickness were other factors to consider. This was no issue for Wavebar due to its outstanding weight to thickness ratio. The mass-loaded barrier maximised the reduction of noise transmission and simultaneously created the thinnest system possible considering the extra weight, adding a minimal increase to the overall thickness of the core.
Additionally, a high fire safety standard was another fundamental feature. The combination of Pyrotek’s acoustic expertise together with FireBAN’s experience in developing premium fire resistant cores created an ideal solution for the fire rated acoustic door design, addressing all factors involved: fire protection, application type and acoustic function, material thickness.
The results
Independent testing carried out on the door system presented a very confident result, confirming Wavebar an extremely effective material to improve transmission loss, exceeding the targeted STC. With the system successfully tested and compliant to the British Standard BS 467 Part 22 for fire tests on building materials and structures, Wavebar is a proven, tested and recommended solution for acoustic door manufacture.
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