KNOWLEDGE BASE

Our own glossary of terms related to sound, vibration and insulation

In our own “sound lexicon”, you’ll find brief explanations of key concepts relevant to our business. Want to know more? Read further at antiphon.se or contact one of our sales representatives.

Absorption

The process by which sound energy is taken up by a material and converted into heat. The better the absorption, the less sound is reflected in the room.

Acoustics

The science of sound – how it is generated, propagates and affects the environment. In Antiphon's field, acoustics often involves noise control and improving sound comfort.

Airborne Sound

Sound that spreads through air, such as speech, music or machinery noise. Mainly managed with sound absorbents and sound-insulating constructions.

Decibel (dB)

A logarithmic unit for measuring sound level. An increase of 10 dB corresponds to approximately a doubling of perceived loudness.

Damping

Reduces oscillations or vibrations in a material. Damping can occur through absorption, friction or viscoelastic deformation.

Damping Loss Factor (η)

A measure of how effectively a material damps vibrations by converting kinetic energy into heat. The higher the value, the better the damping performance.

Impedance Matching

Adapting material properties between two surfaces to reduce sound transmission – for example, between metal and plastic.

LD pads.

Structure-borne Sound Damping Material

Products that reduce vibrations and resonances in solid constructions, such as antiphon® MPM and structure-borne sound damping pads.

NVH (Noise, Vibration & Harshness)

A collective term for noise, vibrations and unwanted resonances in vehicles and machinery. NVH solutions aim to create quieter, smoother and more comfortable designs.

Reflection

When sound waves bounce off a hard surface instead of being absorbed. To reduce reflection, sound-absorbing surface layers are used.

Resonance

When a structure vibrates strongly at a specific frequency. Effective damping reduces the risk of resonance and noise amplification.

Reverberation

The lingering sound in a room after the sound source has stopped. A long reverberation time can impair speech intelligibility and acoustic comfort.

Sandwich Construction

A multi-layer structure with a damping or insulating core material between two rigid outer layers – for example, in antiphon® MPM.

Sound Absorbent

Material that collects and reduces airborne sound. Antiphon's airborne sound absorbers often consist of PET/PP nonwoven and are used in vehicles, buildings and industry.

Sound Insulation

Methods and materials that prevent sound from passing from one side to another, for instance through walls or structures.

Structure-borne Sound

Sound generated by vibration and spread through solid materials such as walls, floors or metal structures. Managed with structure-borne sound damping materials like MPM and

Thermal Insulation

Protection against heat transfer through materials. Antiphon's thermal insulating products often combine heat insulation with sound and vibration damping.

Vibration

Mechanical movement that occurs when a surface or structure is subjected to dynamic force. Can cause both noise and material fatigue.

Viscoelastic Material

A material with both elastic and viscous properties – it deforms under load and converts kinetic energy into heat. Found in Antiphon's laminated sheet metal.