Editing Soundproofing (section)

=== Automotive ===
[[File: Vehicle damping soundproofing.png|thumb|663x663px|Spatially averaged particle velocity spectra (left) and broadband colormaps of a car floor without (middle) and with (right) a damping treatment]]

Automotive soundproofing aims to decrease or eliminate the effects of exterior noise, primarily engine, exhaust and tire noise across a wide frequency range. A panel damping material is fitted which reduces the vibration of the vehicle's body panels when they are excited by one of the many high-energy sound sources in play when the vehicle is in use. There are many complex noises created within vehicles which change with the driving environment and speed at which the vehicle travels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carinsulation.co.uk/page/how-to-reduce-car-noise-improve-car-soundproofing|title=Mr|website=Car Insulation UK|publisher=CIUK|last1=Neale|first1=Paul|access-date=12 February 2015}}</ref> Significant noise reductions of up to 8&nbsp;dB can be achieved by installing a combination of different types of materials.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_2/car-audio-sound-deadening-6-2003.html|title=Introduction to Car Audio: How to Tame That Road Noise|publisher=Secrets of Car Audio}}</ref>

The automotive environment limits the thickness of materials that can be used, but combinations of dampers, barriers, and absorbers are common. Common materials include felt, foam, polyester, and [[polypropylene]] blend materials. Waterproofing may be necessary depending on the materials used.<ref>{{Cite book| title=UK Thinsulate literature|url=http://solutions.3m.com/3MContentRetrievalAPI/BlobServlet?lmd=1377607925000&locale=en_WW&assetType=MMM_Image&assetId=1361732207508&blobAttribute=ImageFile}}</ref> Acoustic foam can be applied in different areas of a vehicle during manufacture to reduce cabin noise. Foams also have cost and performance advantages in installation since foam material can expand and fill cavities after application and also prevent leaks and some gases from entering the vehicle. Vehicle soundproofing can reduce wind, engine, [[Roadway noise|road]], and tire noise. Vehicle soundproofing can reduce sound inside a vehicle from five to 20 decibels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://msdssearch.dow.com/PublishedLiteratureDOWCOM/dh_08d0/0901b803808d007a.pdf?filepath=automotive/pdfs/noreg/299-51728.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc|title=DOW Automotive Systems: BETAFOAM™ acoustic foams|website=dow.com|access-date=2017-05-26}}</ref>

Surface-damping materials are very effective at reducing structure-borne noise. Passive damping materials have been used since the early 1960s in the aerospace industry. Over the years, advances in material manufacturing and the development of more efficient analytical and experimental tools to characterize complex dynamic behaviors enabled the expansion of the usage of these materials to the automotive industry. Nowadays, multiple [[viscoelastic]] damping pads are usually attached to the body in order to attenuate higher-order structural panel modes that significantly contribute to the overall noise level inside the cabin. Traditionally, experimental techniques are used to optimize the size and location of damping treatments. In particular, laser vibrometer-type tests are often conducted on the body in white structures enabling the fast acquisition of a large number of measurement points with a good spatial resolution. However, testing a complete vehicle is mostly infeasible, requiring evaluation of every subsystem individually, hence limiting the usability of this technology in a fast and efficient way. Alternatively, structural vibrations can also be acoustically measured using particle velocity sensors located near a vibrating structure. Several studies have revealed the potential of particle velocity sensors for characterizing structural vibrations, which accelerates the entire testing process when combined with scanning techniques.<ref>{{Cite book| title=Designing the damping treatment of a vehicle body|url=https://www.microflown.com/assets/uploads/Publications/AAC_2018_Designing-the-damping-treatment-of-a-vehicle.pdf}}</ref>

====Noise barriers====
[[File:Shinkansen Noise barrier(concrete board standard type).jpg|thumb|Noise barrier alongside a railway line in Japan]]
{{Main|Noise barrier}}

Since the early 1970s, it has become common practice in the United States and other industrialized countries to engineer [[noise barrier]]s along major highways to protect adjacent residents from intruding [[roadway noise]]. The [[Federal Highway Administration]] (FHWA) in conjunction with State Highway Administration (SHA) adopted Federal Regulation (23 CFR 772) requiring each state to adopt their own policy in regards to abatement of highway traffic noise.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://roads.maryland.gov/index.aspx?PageId=827&d=114|title=Sound Barriers Guidelines - Highway Traffic Noise|website=roads.maryland.gov|language=en|access-date=2017-07-10}}</ref> Engineering techniques have been developed to predict an effective geometry for the noise barrier design in a particular real-world situation. Noise barriers may be constructed of wood, [[masonry]], earth or a combination thereof.