Using Hollow Concrete and Thermostone Blocks in Sound Isolation System

Abstract

King Abdullah II for Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) indoor firing range tunnels are used to test different types of ammunitions for military applications. Employees, who are working in the control rooms or around the tunnels, suffer from this inconvenient noise which exceeds 90 dB. A working person cannot sustain this noise for long time and may suffer from permanent damage or hear loss in addition to negative psychological effects. Therefore, this research is proposed to investigate this issue and to find a suitable solution to overcome this problem by studying different and reasonable options to provide a soundproof isolation system to firing range tunnels and the surrounding areas, by using locally produced hollow concrete blocks (HCB) with 35 MPa average compressive strength, 37% void ratio, and 2000 kg/m³ average density, and Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) blocksalso called thermostone blocks with 4.2 N/mm² average compressive strength, 510 kg/m³ average density, and 0.077 W/m℃ thermal conductivity at 15 ℃, to reduce the noise to a standard level in 8 working hours. Cost analysis for both products was performed. The results showed that using the HCB provided similar results as thermostone blocks by reducing the noise to an acceptable level.