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How Quiet is Quiet? Scientists Explain How They Test Sound in One of the Quietest Rooms on Earth
août 23, 2016By Genevieve MacLeod/3M Storyteller and Monica Hanson/3M VideographerThe Science of Silence
The Science of Silence
The Science of Silence
Photo: Ronald Gerdes, 3M acoustics modeling specialist, and Tom Hanschen, 3M corporate scientist
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At 3M, there exists a place that will eat any echo. “It is so quiet you can hear your heart beat,” says Tom Hanschen, 3M corporate scientist. You can barely hear anyone talk unless they are facing you directly. The sound is damped, so there is no echo or reverberation in the room. It is literally one of the quietest places you will find, with only one of a handful of such sites in the U.S., and one of the larger rooms in North America.
The walls are especially made for quiet. The walls are made of fiberglass wedges that absorb the sound, thus no sound is bounced back to you. It’s a room within a room. Literally, the room is not connected to the rest of the building, so no outside noises or vibrations can interfere with measurements. The walls, ceiling and even the floor all absorb sound. -
3M originally created the room in 1964 to test the sound of copy machines, to ensure they were as quiet as possible. It is still state-of-the-art when it comes to sound damping, measuring a staggering 10 decibels of sound. Incredible when you think a quiet conversation measures 60 decibels of sound and the rustling of leaves 40 decibels. The room is quiet.
Photo: Ronald Gerdes, acoustics modeling specialist, 3M corporate R & D, shows the room within the room
3M now uses the room for the Automotive and Aerospace divisions. The goal: to test new materials or systems in a room with no echo. “We test for sound in the absence of sound,” says Ronald Gerdes, acoustics modeling specialist, corporate R & D. As cars become lighter and the materials more pliable, it is important to measure the sound of these materials. With 3M Thinsulate and other materials the group is testing, the sound is damped, helping that rattle in your car go away.
3M now uses the room for the Automotive and Aerospace divisions. The goal: to test new materials or systems in a room with no echo. “We test for sound in the absence of sound,” says Ronald Gerdes, acoustics modeling specialist, corporate R & D. As cars become lighter and the materials more pliable, it is important to measure the sound of these materials. With 3M Thinsulate and other materials the group is testing, the sound is damped, helping that rattle in your car go away.
3M now uses the room for the Automotive and Aerospace divisions. The goal: to test new materials or systems in a room with no echo. “We test for sound in the absence of sound,” says Ronald Gerdes, acoustics modeling specialist, corporate R & D. As cars become lighter and the materials more pliable, it is important to measure the sound of these materials. With 3M Thinsulate and other materials the group is testing, the sound is damped, helping that rattle in your car go away.
“We are quieting automotive parts and residential components. In essence, screening new materials to silence.”TOM HANSCHENCORPORATE SCIENTIST, 3M INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS SPONSORView VideoListen how the 3M anechoic chamber brings science to sound.
Listen how the 3M anechoic chamber brings science to sound.
Listen how the 3M anechoic chamber brings science to sound.
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