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Can polyurethane foam provide sound insulation?
I have a wooden platform (more like a box) made of thick plywood that is used for smashing things on it with a sledgehammer/bat. The box is covered with a shock absorbing mat (the ones used on the floor of gyms), but is completely hollow.
The box itself is strong enough to handle strong blows, but with it being hollow, it can get very loud.
I am wondering if i mange to fill the inside of the box with polyurethane foam, will it dampen a good portion of the sound?
The box is secured to the floor and wall, so I can't feasibly take it apart to fill it with some other solid material. I'd essentially drill some holes into the sides and fill it layer by layer.
Also open to any other suggestions!
Thank you in advance.
3 Answers
- Anonymous3 years agoFavorite Answer
No. Part of the problem is that it is fixed to the wall and floor and will transmit sound to the surroundings. Filling the box with anything may stop it sounding like a drum, but won't significantly reduce the noise.
- ?Lv 73 years ago
You can buy spray foam insulation that will squirt into a space through a single hole. Maybe - I'm saying maybe - that would be a good solution. It expands something like 10 times so you have to be careful with it.
- Robert JLv 73 years ago
Not really, the stuff is quite "crisp" and brittle once fully set.
An absorbent loose-fill material would work far better - shredded rags, shredded foam rubber, porous surface packing chips, loft insulation etc. or anything else that can pass sound but absorb some in the process.
If it's on a concrete floor (or not too big, if on a wooden floor) dry sand is *very* effective for that type of use - or you could start with a layer of that in the bottom if completely filling it would make it too heavy for the structure.
You need one of the softer & springy type packing materials at the very top, where it will be in contact with top surface of the box, otherwise vibration will force the filling away and leave the top resonant again.
Some furniture cushions or bed pillows use chopped foam pieces [foam crumb or shredded foam] as filling; if anyone is throwing things out, see what they are stuffed with. eg. This type of stuff: