International. Researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de Valencia (UPV) have designed an acoustic screen that controls different sound attenuation mechanisms; thanks to the fact that it was made in a modular way, it is easier to install and requires less foundation because it offers less resistance to external forces such as wind.
Acoustic screens are based on sound crystals that control three physical mechanisms of sound simultaneously, in different ranges of audible frequencies: absorption, resonance and dispersion. This results in sound insulation over a very wide frequency range, such as that produced by car or train traffic.
This technology has been achieved through the Innova project of the UPV, after several acoustic homologation tests it was proven that these screens can compete in absorption and attenuation ranges with those already existing in the market.
The new acoustic screen is based on the progress made in 2002 by Dr. Juan Vicente Sánchez, who verified the effect of sound crystals in the attenuation of audible frequencies and their application as an acoustic barrier.
However, according to Vicent Romero, a member of the UPV Research Institute, "these initial systems needed improvements to be able to compete with traditional barriers", which were carried out in the MAT2009-09438 project where various departments of this institution participated.
