U.S. patent application number 13/933678 was filed with the patent office on 2014-01-16 for one look acoustical ceiling tile.
The applicant listed for this patent is Chicago Metallic Corporation. Invention is credited to Sandra J. WILSON.
Application Number | 20140014437 13/933678 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49912999 |
Filed Date | 2014-01-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140014437 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
WILSON; Sandra J. |
January 16, 2014 |
ONE LOOK ACOUSTICAL CEILING TILE
Abstract
A family of acoustical ceiling panels for schools, offices,
hospitals and other public buildings provides for one consistent
look throughout the building while yet provide a range of desired
acoustical performances. The family includes a group of substrate
mats of a bonded mixture of mineral fiber, glass fiber, and
bi-component fibers. Each mat is chosen from a group including a
thickness of 3/4'', 7/8'' and 1'' depending upon acoustical
performance. The group of substrate mats all have an exposed
surface chosen from a group including fine texture, heavy texture,
medium texture and light texture. The group of mats all have an
edge chosen from a group including square, tegular and narrow
tegular.
Inventors: |
WILSON; Sandra J.; (Hawthorn
Woods, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Chicago Metallic Corporation |
Chicago |
IL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
49912999 |
Appl. No.: |
13/933678 |
Filed: |
July 2, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61671372 |
Jul 13, 2012 |
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
181/290 ;
181/296 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 1/8409 20130101;
E04B 9/045 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
181/290 ;
181/296 |
International
Class: |
E04B 1/84 20060101
E04B001/84 |
Claims
1. A family of acoustical ceiling panels for schools, offices,
hospitals and other public buildings that provide for one
consistent look throughout the building while yet provide a range
of desired acoustical performance, comprising: a) a group of
substrate mats comprised of a bonded mixture of mineral fiber,
glass fiber, and bi-component fibers each mat chosen from a group
comprising a thickness of 3/4'', 7/8'' and 1'' depending upon
acoustical performance; b) wherein the group of substrate mats all
have an exposed surface chosen from a group comprising fine
texture, heavy texture, medium texture and light texture; and c)
wherein the group of substrate mats all have an edge chosen from a
group comprising square, tegular and narrow tegular.
2. A method of choosing a family of acoustical ceiling panels for
schools, offices, hospitals and other public buildings that provide
for one consistent look throughout the building while yet provide a
range of desired acoustical performance, comprising: a) choosing a
group of substrate mats comprising of a bonded mixture of mineral
fiber, glass fiber, and bi-component fibers each mat chosen from a
group comprising a , 7/8'' and 1'' depending upon acoustical
performance; b) choosing for all the group of substrate mats all
having an exposed surface chosen from a group comprising fine
texture, heavy texture, medium texture and light texture; and c)
choosing for the group of substrate mats all having an edge chosen
from a group comprising square, tegular and narrow tegular.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] When sound becomes noise, people get irritated and stressed.
This is not only true in schools, but also in offices, hospitals,
and other public buildings. Many scientific and empirical studies
have described the impact of poor acoustics. In schools, up to 70%
of the consonants spoken by teachers cannot be heard by pupils. In
open plan offices, 60% of employees say that noise is the single
most disturbing factor. In offices, 70% of employees believed that
their productivity would be higher if their environment was less
noisy. In offices, normal noise reduces the effectiveness in
cognitive tests by 66% compared to the level in quiet surroundings.
Sales in a retail shop can increase by 5-10% as a rule of thumb
through acoustic improvement measures. In hospital environments,
noise control is very important to the recovery of patients as
"unwanted sound" can increase heart rate, blood pressure and
respiration rate.
[0002] Sound waves can travel through any media, which includes
air, water, wood, masonry or metal. The type of media through which
sound travels determines whether the sound is either airborne or
structureborne. Airborne sound is directly transmitted from a
source into the air. All sound that reaches your ear is airborne.
Some examples of airborne sound are passing traffic, music or
voices from an adjacent room, or the noise from machinery and
aircraft.
[0003] Structureborne sound travels through solid materials, either
from direct contact with the sound source or from an impact on the
material. All structureborne sound must eventually become airborne
sound in order for people hear it, otherwise, the disturbance is
felt as a vibration. Examples of structureborne noise are
footsteps, door slams, plumbing vibrations, mechanical vibrations
and rain impact. Most noise control situations require that both
airborne and structureborne sound be considered. Effective sound
control addresses both sound paths by controlling, or reducing,
noise at the source, reducing paths or blocking noise along its
path, or shielding the receiver from the noise.
[0004] Sound transmission loss is the decrease in sound
energy--expressed in decibels of airborne sound--as it passes
through a building construction. The metric used to quantify that
reduction is the sound transmission classification, STC. The STC
value indicates how well sound is controlled room-to-room,
including through walls or through floor/ceiling assemblies.
[0005] ASTM E 90 is the standard covering airborne sound
transmission class or STC. This is a single number rating that
evaluates the efficiency of systems in reducing the transmission of
airborne noise. In this class the higher the STC rating the better.
The rule of thumb is that a 10 point increase in STC means a
decrease in the perceived noise by one-half.
[0006] ASTM E 1414 is the standard covering ceiling attenuation
class or CAC. The rating is similar to STC but in this case
measures the efficiency of a suspended ceiling connected by a
common air plenum at reducing airborne noise between two rooms. The
higher the CAC number the better.
[0007] Impact sound transmission loss is expressed in decibels of
airborne sound. This decrease in sound energy is measured after the
impact noise that's generated above transfers through the
floor-ceiling assembly and is transmitted into the air below.
Imagine someone hopping around upstairs, over your head. That's
impact sound transmission. It's rated using an impact insulation
class number, an IIC number.
[0008] The standard for measurement is ASTM E 492. The impact
insulation class number, the IIC number, is a single number rating
that estimates the impact sound insulation performance of
floor/ceiling systems. The number is an estimate of how much the
sound energy is reduced. The higher the number, the better the
system.
[0009] Sound absorption, is the ability of a material to absorb
sound waves rather than reflect sound waves. When we talk about
absorption, building materials are measured for their noise
reduction coefficient, or NRC. There's also a second measurement
method to calculate absorption, the sound absorption average, SAA.
Fundamentally, sound absorption, or the lack of it, is concerned
with controlling sound energy within rooms and enclosed spaces.
[0010] Sound absorption of a building material is measured using
ASTM C 423. NRC is an arithmetic average (rounded off to the
nearest 0.05) of the sound absorption capability of a product at
only four frequencies: 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 hertz. These
frequencies are representative of the center range of human speech.
NRC is a single decimal rating between 0 and 1, used to express the
absorption properties of materials. Generally speaking, an NRC of
0.55 is average performance and anything above an NRC of 0.70 is
considered good for acoustical ceiling tile systems. The higher the
NRC the better the material is at absorbing sound energy.
[0011] Also Light Reflectance or LR is of consideration. A LR value
is the number designation indicating the percentage of light
reflected from a ceiling panel surface in accordance with ASTM E
1477.
[0012] Articulation Class or AC is a means of rating the relative
acoustical performance of products, such as ceilings, used in open
plan office environments. In the open office, the primary source of
distracting noise is human speech and a major concern, therefore,
is how to prevent intruding speech from distracting coworkers. If
there is a general hum or murmur in the space, but no clearly
understood words, we can generally "tune this out" as background
noise. Speech sounds only become intrusive if the words can be
understood. In this type of situation it is difficult not to
"listen in" and be distracted (whether you want to listen in or
not!).
[0013] When evaluating the AC performance, sound is generated by a
speaker on one side of a 60'' high partition. Data is collected on
the attenuation of sound (how much quieter it is) on the other side
of the portion at frequencies from 100 to 5000 Hz (very low pitch
to very high pitch). The noise reduction data is then used to
calculate the AC value of the product being tested. In calculating
AC, the sound reduction that occurs at higher frequencies (>1000
Hz) are treated as more important than those that occur at low
frequencies. Why? AC allows us to evaluate how well a product will
absorb the noise generated by people talking. Voices generate sound
at a wide range of frequencies; vowel sounds occur at low frequency
and consonant sounds occur at higher frequency. Vowel sounds only
carry loudness. It is the consonant sounds that are most important
in speech comprehension. For example, the consonant sounds are the
only difference in the words ball, fall, fawn and malt. If a
product can absorb most of the consonant sounds, then you cannot
tell what the person in the cubicle across the room is saying into
their telephone. Again, if you cannot understand the words, the
noise is not as distracting.
[0014] Ceilings best suited for use in the open office have AC
values of 170 or greater. A standard acoustical ceiling (NRC 0.55)
will normally have an AC of 150. Non-absorptive materials, such as
gypsum board, will have an AC of 120. The highest AC that can be
achieved by a ceiling is between 220 and 230.
[0015] Examples of acoustic considerations within a building
environment are as follows:
High NRC--spaces which sound levels must be kept at a minimum.
[0016] open plan offices lobbies/reception areas (HIPAA and FGI
requirements)
[0017] libraries and classrooms
[0018] waiting rooms, nurses' stations (HIPAA and FGI
requirements)
[0019] neonatal intensive care units (FGI requirements)
[0020] any large public space
High CAC--spaces from which sound should not transfer to adjacent
rooms.
[0021] conference rooms
[0022] examination rooms
[0023] private offices
[0024] classrooms
[0025] lobbies
[0026] corridors
[0027] any large public space
High AC--spaces which require high speech privacy
[0028] open plan offices
[0029] lobbies/reception areas (HIPAA and FGI requirements)
[0030] waiting rooms, nurses' stations (HIPAA and FGI
requirements)
[0031] restaurants
[0032] any large public space
Low AC--spaces that require high sound transmission
[0033] front/speakers' area of classrooms or large conference
rooms
[0034] speakers' podium or orchestral space in an auditorium
[0035] Some of the known ceiling panels available are from
Armstrong Commercial Ceilings and Walls of Lancaster, Pa.; USG
Corporation of Chicago, Ill.; and Certain Teed Corporation of
Valley Forge, Pa. They include:
Armstrong (AWI) Panels
[0036] Cirrus family--fine textured surface (wet-felted mineral
fiber)
[0037] Cirrus--available in 3/4''; NRC 0.35 and 0.70; CAC 35; LR
0.86
[0038] Cirrus High CAC available in 7/8'' only; NRC 0.70; CAC 38
and 40: LR 0.86
[0039] Cirrus Open Plan--available in 7/8'' only; NRC 0.75; CAC 35;
LR 0.85
[0040] Fine Fissured family--medium textured surface (wet-felted
mineral fiber)
[0041] Fine Fissured--available in 5/8'' only; NRC 0.55; CAC 35; LR
0.85
[0042] Fine Fissured High Acoustics--available in 3/4'' only; NRC
0.70; CAC 35 and 40; LR 0.85
[0043] Fine Fissured Open Plan--available in 7/8'' only; NRC 0.75;
CAC 35; LR 0.86
[0044] Fine Fissured Ceramaguard--available in 5/8'' only; NRC
0.55; CAC 38 and 40; LR 0.82
[0045] Fine Fissured School Zone High Durability--available in
5/8'' only; NRC 0.55; CAC 35; LR 0.85
[0046] Fine Fissured School Zone High Acoustics--available in 3/4''
only; NRC 0.70; CAC 35 and 40; LR 0.85
[0047] Durabrite family--fine textured surface
[0048] Optima Open Plan (glass fiber)--available in 1'' and
1-1/2''; NRC 0.90, 0.95, and 1.00; CAC 26 and not disclosed; LR
0.90
[0049] Optima Open Plan (glass fiber with plant-based
binder)--available in 1'' only; NRC 0.95; CAC not disclosed; LR
0.90
[0050] Optima TechZone (glass fiber)--available in 3/4'' and 1'';
NRC 0.90 and 0.95; CAC not disclosed; LR 0.90
[0051] Ultima (wet-felted mineral fiber)--available in 3/4'' only;
NRC 0.70; CAC 35; LR 0.86 and 0.90
[0052] Ultima High CAC--available in 3/4'' only; NRC 0.60; CAC 40;
LR 0.90
[0053] Ultima Open Plan--available in 3/4'' only; NRC 0.75; CAC 35;
LR 0.89
[0054] Ultima TechZone--available in 3/4'' only; NRC 0.70; CAC 35;
LR 0.90
[0055] Durabrite Washable family
[0056] Optima Health Zone (glass fiber)--available in 1'' only; NRC
0.95; CAC not disclosed; LR 0.86
[0057] Ultima Health Zone (wet-felted mineral fiber)--available in
3/4'' only; NRC 0.70; CAC 35; LR 0.86
USG Panels
[0058] Frost family--fine textured surface (cast mineral fiber)
[0059] Frost--available in 3/4'' and 7/8''; NRC 0.55 and 0.70; CAC
35, 38, and 40; LR 0.83
[0060] Frost ClimaPlus--available in 3/4'' and 7/8''; NRC 0.70; CAC
36, 38, and 40; LR 0.83
[0061] Frost ClimaPlus High NRC/High CAC--available in 7/8'' only;
NRC 0.75; CAC 38 and 40; LR 0.88
[0062] Mars family--fine textured surface ("X-technology" mineral
fiber)
[0063] Mars ClimaPlus--available in 3/4'' only; NRC 0.70; CAC 35;
LR 0.89
[0064] Mars ClimaPlus High NRC--available in 7/8'' only; NRC 0.80;
CAC 35; LR 0.89
[0065] Mars Healthcare--available in 3/4'' and 7/8''; NRC 0.70 and
0.80; CAC 35; LR 0.89
[0066] Radar family--non-directional fissured surface (water-felted
mineral fiber)
[0067] Radar--available in 5/8'' and 3/4''; NRC 0.55 and 0.60; CAC
33 and 35; LR 0.84 and 0.85
[0068] Radar ClimaPlus--available in 5/8'' only; NRC 0.50; CAC 40;
LR 0.82
[0069] Radar Ceramic ClimaPlus--available in 5/8'' only; NRC 0.55;
CAC 33 and 35; LR 0.84 and 0.85
[0070] Radar ClimaPlus High NRC/High CAC--available in 5/8'',
3/4'', and 7/8; NRC 0.55 and 0.70; CAC 35 and 40; LR 0.84
[0071] Radar ClimaPlus High Durability--available in 5/8'' only;
NRC 0.55; CAC 35; LR 0.84
[0072] Radar ClimaPlus Open Plan--available in 7/8'' only; NRC
0.75; CAC 35; LR 0.84
CertainTeed (CT) Panels
[0073] Akutex FT family--fine textured
[0074] Ecophon Focus A & A XL (glass fiber)--available in 3/4''
only; NRC 0.95; CAC 21; LR 0.85
[0075] Ecophon Focus E/24, E/24 XL, E/15, E/15 XL (glass
fiber)--available in 3/4'' only; NRC 0.90; CAC 23; LR 0.85
[0076] Ecophon Focus Dg & Dg XL (glass fiber)--available in
3/4'' and 1''; NRC 0.90; CAC not disclosed; LR 0.85
[0077] Ecophon Focus Ds & Ds XL (glass fiber)--available in
3/4'' only; NRC 0.85; CAC 25; LR 0.85
[0078] Ecophon Focus F (glass fiber)--available in 20 mm only; NRC
0.80; CAC not disclosed; LR 0.85
[0079] Fine Fissured family--non-directional fissured surface
(wet-felted mineral fiber)
[0080] Fine Fissured--available in 5/8'' only; NRC 0.55 and 0.60;
CAC 33, 35, and 40; LR 0.84
[0081] Fine Fissured High NRC--available in 3/4'' only; NRC 0.70;
CAC 35; LR 0.83
[0082] Symphony Reinforced Mat Face (scrim) family--fine textured
surface
[0083] Symphony f (glass fiber)--available in 3/4'', 1'', and
1-1/2''; NRC 0.80 and 0.95; CAC 22, 24, and 25; LR 0.90
[0084] Symphony g (gypsum board)--available in 1/2'' only; NRC not
disclosed; CAC 40 and 42; LR 0.90
[0085] Symphony m (wet-felted mineral fiber)--available in 3/4''
only; NRC 0.70; CAC 33 and 35; LR 0.90
[0086] All of these current non-metallic acoustical panel
substrates or mats may generally be described as (1) wet-felted or
cast mineral fibers with an organic binder, usually starch-based;
may also contain wood pulp/paper fibers and/or inorganic components
such as perlite (volcanic glass beads); (2) dry-felted glass fibers
with a thermally activated organic binder, usually a formaldehyde
compound; (3) ceramic-like inorganic composite consisting of clay,
and either mineral fibers or perlite, or a combination of mineral
fibers and perlite; (4) gypsum panels (plasterboard or drywall),
sometimes reinforced with glass fibers; and (5) composite
substrates consisting of two or more of the above substrates
laminated together--for example, a layer of glass fiber laminated
to a gypsum backer.
[0087] Some of the performance features of current non-metallic
panel substrates are as follows:
[0088] 1. wet-felted or cast mineral fibers
[0089] advantages--high CAC, high flame resistance, low cost, easy
to cut/install
[0090] disadvantages--low NRC, low-medium AC, low durability,
naturally absorbs moisture, food source for mold
[0091] 2. dry-felted glass fibers
[0092] advantages--high NRC, high AC, inherently mold resistant,
lightweight, flexible, durable
[0093] disadvantages--low CAC, non-rigid--prone to sagging, high
cost
[0094] 3. ceramic-like inorganic composite
[0095] advantages--high CAC, high flame resistance, high
durability, moisture resistant--washable, inherently
mold-resistant
[0096] disadvantages--low NRC, low AC, high cost, difficult to
cut/install, heavy, brittle
[0097] 4. gypsum panels
[0098] advantages--high CAC, high flame resistance, low cost,
inherently mold-resistant, easy to cut/install
[0099] disadvantages--low NRC, low AC, low-medium durability,
naturally absorbs moisture
[0100] 5. composite substrates
[0101] advantages--can mix and match substrates to obtain needed
performance
[0102] disadvantages--high cost and other single substrate
non-acoustical problems
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0103] A family of acoustical ceiling panels for schools, offices,
hospitals and other public buildings provides for one consistent
look throughout the building while yet provide a range of desired
acoustical performances. The family includes a group of substrate
mats of a bonded mixture of mineral fiber, glass fiber, and
bi-component fibers. Each mat is chosen from a group including a
thickness of 3/4'', 7/8'' and 1'' depending upon acoustical
performance. The group of substrate mats all have an exposed
surface chosen from a group including fine texture, heavy texture,
medium texture and light texture. The group of mats all have an
edge chosen from a group including square, tegular and narrow
tegular.
[0104] A principal object and advantage of the present invention is
that the architect or building owner simply chooses exposed surface
finish, then an acoustical value for the particular building area
and lastly an edge treatment throughout the building.
[0105] Another object and advantage of the present invention is
that the tile substrate composition and thickness provides for a
higher acoustical performances than the competition and prior art
in the general NRC ranges of 0.65 to 0.95 while are quite
economical to manufacture.
[0106] Another object and advantage of the present invention is
that the tile substrate composition is able to achieve a
combination of better acoustical properties at comparable panel
thicknesses than those available from similarly priced or more
expensive than competitive panels, along with favorable mechanical
properties.
[0107] Another object and advantage of the present invention is
that the tile substrate composition is able to be "tuned" anywhere
within the NRC range of 0.65 to 0.95 by varying the density and
thickness. Mineral fiber panels typically obtain an NRC rating of
0.55; but they can range from 0.35 to 0.75. Glass fiber panels
typically obtain an NRC rating of 0.90; but they can range from
0.80 to 1.00.
[0108] Another object and advantage of the present invention is
that the tiles or panels of the present invention obtain a typical
CAC rating of 30; but range from 25 to 31 without huge increases in
panel thicknesses. Mineral fiber panels typically obtain a CAC
rating of 35; but they range from 33 to 40. Glass fiber panels
typically obtain a CAC rating in the lower 20s--if the rating is
disclosed at all.
[0109] Other objects and advantages include that the panels are
lightweight, flexible, easy to cut and install; more durable than
plain mineral fiber; inherently mold-resistant; more rigid than
glass fiber panels--less prone to sagging; less costly than glass
fiber panels for comparable performance; and have no formaldehyde,
unlike glass fiber panels.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0110] FIG. 1 is a Flow Chart of the production line of the present
invention; and
[0111] FIG. 2 is a Matrix for the selection of particular
acoustical performance, finish and edge detail.
DETAILED SPECIFICATION
[0112] The ceiling panel of the present invention is comprised of
mat or substrate with a bonded mixture of mineral fiber, glass
fiber, and bi-component fibers. FIG. 1 shows the manufacturing
assembly of the mat or substrate.
[0113] FIG. 2 shows a Matrix by which the architect or building
owner selects his ceiling panels to be used throughout his entire
building. First the architect chooses surface finish (fine texture,
heavy texture, medium texture and light texture) of the panels to
be used throughout his building. Next the architect considers the
different areas within the building and then chooses the standard
performance, mid-range performance or high end performance for each
particular building area. Lastly the architect choose edge finish
(square, tegular or narrow tegular). In short, the architect simply
picks a finish, acoustical value and an edge detail to create his
high performance ceilings.
* * * * *