It can be hard to find a quiet space in the world these days. Sometimes, indeed, it can feel like silence isn’t just golden–it’s impossible. FSorb was created to provide solutions to this problem and FSorb’s state-of-the-art designs, pioneering innovations, and wide array of customizable acoustic solutions make it possible.
FSorb is engineered for value, providing attractive, affordable, and eco-friendly sound mitigation solutions for a broad range of needs. In the process, FSorb has helped improve and create ideal soundscapes for homes, hospitals, schools, offices, factories and warehouses, and public and private buildings.
The key to FSorb’s remarkable success is cutting-edge research and an unparalleled understanding of the science of sound. Combining insight with ingenuity, FSorb founder Doug Bixel has developed some of the most effective sound absorption systems and solutions in the industry. Acoustic absorption lies at the heart of the incredible value FSorb brings to its clients worldwide–and to the spaces they create and the men, women, and children who occupy them.
Acoustic Absorption
Acoustic absorption is both a science and an art. It’s the linchpin of acoustic design because, in order to create a functional and comfortable soundscape, unwanted noises must be gathered and their soundwave energy dissipated. At the same time, wanted sounds, such as those of the human voice, must be clarified and, in most cases, redirected and amplified where they are needed most. This is no easy task, but FSorb’s scientifically engineered products make it possible. It all comes down to having the right panels and systems–and the know-how to use them effectively.
The Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC)
FSorb takes its name from what its innovative product lines do best: frequency absorption. But it’s difficult to understand what that means or how it actually works without first examining the noise reduction coefficient (NRC). The NRC measures the amount of sound that’s absorbed in a space. When it comes to sound mitigation, the NRC will be strongly determined by how acoustic solutions are manufactured and applied.
For instance, if you apply a ½” acoustic panel directly to a surface, the result is likely to be an NRC of 0.50, meaning that the sound that hits the panel has been reduced by 50%. But if that same acoustic panel is manufactured into an FSorb Silentline Linear Baffle, then the NRC increases significantly to 0.75. This is because the Silentline Linear Baffle is manufactured and suspended so that both sides of the panel will absorb sound waves, maximizing the surface area of the absorptive layer. The fact that the baffle is suspended, rather than affixed directly to the surface plane, also contributes to the NRC because when there’s air space behind a surface, its capacity to absorb sound waves increases.
Then there are FSorb’s dimensional baffles, which maximize the NRC by increasing the amount of surface area for soundwave absorption while also taking advantage of the noise mitigation properties of suspension systems. FSorb’s Silent Line Dimensional Baffle produces an NRC of 1.15 or of 1.30 when folded into a Box Baffle.
That’s a tremendous value for FSorb consumers and clients because by simply optimizing the manufacturing, design, and configuration of each panel and system, the NRC can be increased by orders of magnitude over that of traditional panels. This is the result of decades of research, experience, and innovation.
The reality is that a simple panel can dramatically impact the soundscape of an environment depending on how the panel is used and formed. FSorb’s panels come in an immense range of shapes and thicknesses, from 1⁄2'' to 2” and more. Even something as simple as adding a furring strip to create 1” of air space behind a ½” FSorb panel will increase the NRC by 10%.
This means that FSorb’s customizability and configurability provide tremendous value for every acoustic design need. Deeply rooted in acoustic science and the principles of mathematics and physics on which acoustics are based, FSorb has cultivated a long history of meeting and exceeding the most rigorous testing standards, including the ambitious metrics of the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
Situational Acoustic Design
As important as it is to understand the NRC when creating an ideal soundscape, it’s only one element to consider in a complex and amorphous puzzle. The NRC is a tool for understanding how to achieve the sound design goals you’re striving toward. It’s the measurement that enables you to choose the best acoustic solutions and systems and use them most effectively.
However, the metric is only useful if you first understand what your ideal parameters are. More specifically, in acoustic engineering, you must clarify what acoustic ranges are necessary to make the space both comfortable and functional. That determination is based on the purposes for which the space is intended. The ideal soundscape for an office building is going to differ significantly from that of a concert hall. The sound environment of an industrial factory will be starkly different from that of a hospital or a school.
Necessary variations in the cultivation of the ideal soundscape based on the space’s intended purposes have been described by Bixel as “situational acoustics,” and they’re an essential facet of effective acoustic design. In situational acoustic design, the selection of acoustic materials, their configuration, and their placement are all determined by how the space is to be used.
Such strategic use of acoustic solutions to optimize the utility of the space means that designers are able to maximize the value of FSorb’s products by placing acoustic materials in locations where the impact is most needed and effective. For instance, to optimize the soundscape of a space for its human occupants while at the same time minimizing waste and inefficiency in the design process, acoustic solutions will be concentrated primarily at a level between 3’ and 7’, the height at which sound waves are most likely to strike human ears.
FSorb’s experts support architects, engineers, and designers in identifying the solutions and systems that best serve the purposes of the space. They also draw on their training and experience to formulate the configurations that are most valuable, cost-efficient, and effective. The end result is a space that functions optimally and is comfortable for occupants, whether in the classroom, restaurant, workplace cubicle or common area, or on the factory floor.
Since FSorb was engineered to pay attention to the different frequencies of absorption, it is important to understand how FSorb’s innovators focused on the key frequencies of the human voice, including the higher speaking frequencies of women and children and the lower pitch of the male speaking voice.
In light of the wide variations in frequencies spanned by the human voice at every age and across genders, FSorb chose to focus on 315 Hz to 4000 Hz to cover the majority of the voice range. When FSorb’s engineers examined the acoustic performance within this range, the overall reported NRC on the 1” thick offering increased from 0.70 to 0.85. Since acoustic treatments are used mostly to control human sounds, this simple design performance characteristic is key to providing FSorb’s signature high level of value.
The Value Is Yours
No matter whether you’re an architect, engineer, designer, or future occupant of a sound-treated space, FSorb has the solutions to provide optimal value while maximizing results. From public buildings to healthcare settings to schools, office spaces, restaurants, and beyond, FSorb’s wide array of fully customizable panels, baffles, clouds, and grid systems are engineered using cutting-edge research and groundbreaking innovation. Contact your local FSorb representative today to discover how FSorb can bring quality and value to your next design project.
At FSorb, we are motivated by improving human health and do so by creating eco-friendly acoustic products. Our mission is to help designers build beautiful spaces that reduce excess ambient noise while calming the human nervous system. With over 25 years in the acoustic business we stand behind FSorb as a durable, environmentally friendly, and low-cost product. If you want an acoustic solution that is safe to human health at an affordable price, then we are your resource.
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