Sound insulation in airplanes

Sound

The worst situation you can be in an airplane is when you are in a 16-hour flight and the other passengers are very noisy. What if the inner walls of the plane are built to absorb certain types of noise. The walls of the plane can be programmed to cancel out only certain types of sound because people will still might want to hear announcements from their captain or flight attendants.The purpose of the smart wall is to give the passengers a relaxing experience without sacrificing safety.

32 points | 51 comments


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The worst situation you can be in an airplane is a plane crash. Why not just bring earphones or earplugs during your flight? Or maybe try sleeping pills? If these doesn't work my advice is get wasted drunk before your flight and immediately pass out once you get to your seat.

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Any moisture problems doing this? Seems moisture could get stuck between the ceiling and the vinyl.?

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@wgreenedt No, absolutely no problem at all in this scenario but if you want to install the acoustic materials just under a tin roof, the procedure will be to remove the tin roof and the battens

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@wgreenedt Thanks for the response!

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@wgreenedt This would be for a home with a shingled roof and insulated attic. There is a similar sized air space in my home as yours, and was thinking of laying MLV over the bedroom attic floor just as you have.

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@mpetersdw Most roofs have sufficient ventilation to avoid this problem but I never had condensation between the ceiling and the MLV, probably because we always lay insulation between the joists prior installing the MLV.

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thanks a lot for the detailed information!

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Spring may be a good time, in the summer it can feel like you are in a stove, if it is warm outside, it may be too hot in the roof cavity.?

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Stapled of course? Any brand names you know of. Any advice welcome.?

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@smoralese0 you can cover the rafters with it but not just between because the rafters themselves will transmit vibration

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@gmillse1 What is that aluminum coated vinyl called? Where can I find it??

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@sgreenee2 It is called mass loaded vinyl or flexible sound barrier , the one seen in the video weight 8kg/m2, the heavier the better?

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Aircraft sound proofing materials play a vital part in reducing the engine and wind noise that makes it difficult for passengers and pilots to communicate.?

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@bsanderse4 Wool felt is another popular material used for noise reduction.

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@ cfoxe5 Roll felts are available in thicknesses ranging from 1/16-inch to 1-inch, allowing a better fit without the need for excessive trimming.

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Is it possible to soundproof airplanes?

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@nchaveze7 If it's not possible because of the excess weight, then is it possible to soundproof first or business class only?

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@cflorese8 It depends what you're trying to achieve.?? Simply reduce the sound from the airframe and engines or guard against noise from other passengers???

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@nchaveze7 To ensure you don't hear other passengers you need a seat in a pod; a few airlines (Singapore/Emirates) are moving in that direction in their first class but they're aiming for privacy not sound proofing.??

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@nchaveze7 Segregating from economy would require proper doors between the classes and would also require the divider to go all the way to the ceiling (quite often they don't).

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If it's not possible because of the excess weight, then is it possible to soundproof first or business class only?

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@truizec Some BA 747s are configured with their Premium Economy in front of Business and Air New Zealand have both Business and Premium Economy upstairs on their 747s.

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? @truizec In both cases segregating/sound proofing would be both problematical and add even more weight.

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@jwooded Simply soundproofing the class rather than individual seats doesn't resolve issues with passengers in that class.

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I've heard several reports suggesting that snoring in lie flat seats is becoming an issue!

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If you're trying to soundproof from mechanical noise, you'll need to add some sort of barrier to the structure of the plane to isolate the passenger compartment, such as mass loaded vinyl or a soundproofing foam or insulation.?

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@rwarreneh If you're working on your own plane, it's totally doable. I

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@rwarreneh You couldn't really soundproof seats or classes without building an air-tight structure around them

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@cellisej It is possible to lower the amount of sound entering the cabin but full sound proofing is weight prohibitive.

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