Vibration isolation products from REGUPOL were recently tested and proven to remain effective for more than 50 years. This testing, conducted by the independent lab at the Karlsruher Institute of Technology, included the entire range of REGUPOL products with varying load capacities. Applying the most technologically advanced properties of foam, REGUPOL products float a building on its foundation, so that unwanted noise and vibration stemming from nearby train tracks, subways or mechanical equipment does not affect the building and its occupants, especially in dense urban environments.
The results show that REGUPOL and REGUFOAM vibration isolation products routinely outperform the minimum sound isolation requirements of most projects. REGUPOL is the first manufacturer worldwide to achieve this level of testing and resilience.
The Karlsruher Institute tested a total of 10 REGUPOL and 12 REGUFOAM products and found they withstand wear and tear in diverse climate zones for 50 years or more. REGUPOL’s stringent European testing leads the world at an elite level of acoustic and vibration isolation and encourages standardization and accountability of similar products on the global market.
A SOLUTION FOR TODAY’S BUILDING CHALLENGES
This product testing is particularly relevant considering today’s trends in urban densification. Developers seeking lower property costs in major metropolitan areas are exploring nontraditional areas such as warehouse and industrial districts. But buildings constructed in these areas that were not originally zoned residential may be subject to unwanted vibration from the surrounding environment. Without proper acoustic and vibration isolation, unwanted vibration can transmit into the building structure and living areas as secondary airborne noise.
“Developers have one chance to eliminate structure-borne vibration at the outset of a project. It is quite literally the foundation of a building’s success and longevity,” says Steffen Blecher, Sales Director, Acoustics Division, REGUPOL.
The REGUFOAM vibration range of products is a mixed-cell polyurethane foam, developed and engineered for vibration and structure-borne sound isolation. It is available in 12 unique types, each for a specific load range. It offers outstanding internal damping and low frequency isolation while supplying minimal deflection. This material comes in standard thicknesses of 25 mm (1in.) and 12.5 mm (½in.) and can be installed in multiple layers to achieve a total thickness of 37.5 mm (1 ½in.), 50 mm (2in.) or more.
MAKING THE CASE FOR BUILDING ISOLATION
In addition to this groundbreaking testing, REGUPOL has also documented a building project that demonstrates the sustained effectiveness of its products for more than 20 years. Installed in 1995 on a mixed-use building called Kapweg 3-8 in Berlin, the study shows that REGUPOL vibration 450 has continued to perform at peak levels of effectiveness for the past 20+ years.
Despite train tracks running through the basement parking garage of Kapweg 3-8 and 20 years of encroachment of groundwater and sediment, readings taken in 1996, 2006 and 2018 show the REGUPOL sound and vibration-dampening products consistently performing at the original levels of effectiveness. “Urban planners and developers can confidently invest in real estate that was previously thought of as unfit for building when they rely on the quality of REGUPOL products,” concludes Blecher.
The REGUPOL vibration range is composed of a high-performance elastomer made of rubber fibers, granules and polyurethane. It is available in eight unique types each engineered for a specific load range and is available in rolls or sheets. REGUPOL vibration offers low natural frequencies (f0 ≥ 7.5 Hz) which are constant over wide load ranges and can be installed in multiple layers. Some types are supplied with a dimpled underside to decrease the dynamic stiffness and to provide an air gap.
