What are acoustic doors?
An acoustic door is a door specially designed to block sound from passing from one room to the next when closed. The door typically contains some sort of foam insulation that has been specially shaped to break up soundwaves as a core. These doors often contain a special seal along the edges which provides an additional level of sound insulation. The seal contains several rubber flukes which rest on a raised strip around the edge of the door when closed. This enables a virtually airtight seal, so that no sound can escape.
How do acoustic doors work?
When these doors are used, it is usually to prevent loud noises from travelling from one room to the next. Sound hitting one of these doors will be muffled due to the foam core which has been shaped in such a way as to break up and absorb sound waves. The seal is also specially designed to prevent sound from passing easily from one fluke to the next, weakening the signal greatly before it is able to pass through.
Where are acoustic doors used?
These doors typically see use as entranceways for home theatre rooms, where loud music and movie noise can reach very high volumes. A normal door would do little to prevent the sound from passing out of one of these rooms, but an acoustic door lets you crank up the volume without having to worry about disturbing other occupants.
These doors may also be used as front or rear doors to homes where traffic or other environmental sound is a problem, normally in conjunction with other forms of acoustic insulation in walls, ceilings and windows.
Are there any variations?
For certain applications, a dual door system with two single doors opening onto a small passageway may be required. This creates a sound buffer between the two areas, which does a great job of preventing noise from travelling through. Double doors are also possible, but require an adjustment to the seal where the doors meet to ensure it stays intact.
