Silence is golden:
Perforated metal sound absorption panels curtail drag strip noise
Karen B. Kelly,
Posted
12/01/2009
When word got
around that Bruton Smith, owner of Speedway Motorsports, Concord,
N.C., was considering building a top fuel drag strip adjacent to
the company's Lowe's Speedway Complex in Charlotte, N.C., the
residents of a nearby residential subdivision were ready to put up
a fight.
Only 2,500 feet (762 m) away, for many the idea was unacceptable,
despite what the new attraction would do to boost jobs and tourism
for a slow local economy.
Diamond Manufacturing Co., Wyoming, Pa., through its sister-company
Perforated Metals Plus, Charlotte, N.C., provided the solution, a
24- by 540-foot (7- by 165-m) wall made of the company's Acoustax
perforated metal sound absorption panels. The Acoustax wall not
only serves as a barrier to sound transmission but the panels
actually absorb and eliminate much of the noise energy, helping
Smith keep his status as a good neighbor in the community.
"We knew going in that top fuel dragsters produce a noise much
louder than a racing car or truck, actually as loud if not louder
than a military jet engine," said Steve Swift, project manager for
Speedway Motorsports. "We knew we would need a special type of
product to allow us to coexist peacefully in the community." Swift
said that if Smith faced enough resistance to building the new drag
strip, there was a chance he would scrap the plans and also move
the popular NASCAR Speedway out of the area, taking away the
numerous jobs involved and economic support of the service industry
that serves as a foundation for much of the local economy.
Speedway
Motorsports called in a sound consultant and a structural engineer
who worked with both the company and the community to determine
that a sound wall was a viable solution. After reviewing a number
of sound barrier products, Swift said he found what he needed in
Diamond Manufacturing's Acoustax panels.
"Acoustax panels are made of perforated aluminum so they are
lightweight, only three pounds per square foot," said Brian W. May,
architectural sales manager for Diamond Manufacturing. "The center
features a rock wool filling that is a natural fiber sound
absorber. The exterior is powder coated in an electrostatic process
for a finish that can be colored to match the surroundings and last
a long time." An added bonus is that the panels are 100 percent
recyclable, cheaper to move and quicker to install than concrete.
"Most importantly, they perform better than competing products
because the layered materials absorb the sound and don't reflect
it," he added. "In this case, the result is that the community is
happy because the sound from the drag strip is less than they even
expected."
Karen B. Kelly is marketing manager for Diamond
Manufacturing, Wyoming, Pa. For more information, visit
www.diamondman.com.
www.diamondman.com