January 2010 – Sound Fighter® Systems enlisted the services of Architectural Testing, Inc. to conduct dynamic and static wind load testing on its LSE Absorptive Noise Barrier System at their testing facilities in Texas. “Wind loading plays a major part in our LSE barrier design.” notes Sound Fighter® VP Murray Stacy. “We need to be certain that our products will perform for any given set of wind-loading parameters, for any given barrier height. This testing is the best way to ensure such performance.”
For the Dynamic test, a Levitator V-8 Wind Machine was used to generate controlled wind speeds on a sample LSE Barrier section. Wind speeds of 35, 70, 90, 110, 120 and 130 mph were sustained for multiple-minute increments, with no visible damage to the LSE System.
For the Static test, negative pressure was applied to a sealed-off LSE Barrier section using a Dwyer 616-D6 Pressure Transducer. The barrier section was subjected to negative static pressures loads beginning at 20 psf and increasing in increments of 5 psf. Pressure was maintained for 30-second increments at each level. The LSE Barrier withstood a maximum static pressure of 55 psf without failure.
“We design many of our LSE Barriers for high-exposure applications, such as rooftop hvac enclosures, or for noise mitigation projects in high-wind locations along the Gulf Coast.” adds Stacy. “Our LSE System has withstood the ravages of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, fierce straight-line winds in the “Tornado Belt,” and the unpredictable winds atop high-rise buildings. As with all of our critical sound barrier wall performance testing, we repeat and update the testing periodically to make sure we’re making the very best sound wall product on the market.”
About Sound Fighter Systems, LLC Sound Fighter® Systems, LLC has been researching, designing and manufacturing highly efficient absorptive noise barrier walls since 1973, making it the oldest established manufacturer of such products in America. Sound Fighter® walls have been produced for unique noise mitigation applications around the world. Some of the many applications for Sound Fighter® walls include Highways & Interstates, Bridges, Truck Turnarounds and Loading Docks, Shopping Centers, Industrial and Commercial Sites, Residential Developments, Race Tracks, Schools, Chillers, Transformers, Compressors, HVAC Equipment, Gas Processing and Transmission Stations, Utility Stations and Manufacturing
