Mass loaded vinyl is designed to dampen sound as part of an insulation system, ensuring health and safety regulations regarding noise levels in the workplace are adhered to. BS Stainless are expert suppliers of this flexible sound barrier, which is particularly suited to stainless steel jacketing solutions within gas and oil processing plants.

A good analogy to help understand how mass loaded vinyl achieves its high levels of sound insulation is that of the tennis ball and sheet. A tennis ball thrown at a sheet hanging on a line quickly loses its energy - this is transferred to the sheet which can move freely in three-dimensional space. If the sheet was secured to the ground, the ball would be able to bounce, resulting in vibration of the sheet.

The tennis ball represents sound and the sheet represents the soundproofing material - if the material is limp and flexible then, in accordance with Newton’s Three Laws of Motion, sound energy can be ‘bled off’, resulting in higher net losses of sound propagation as the material moves in three-dimensional space.

Mass loaded vinyl sound barriers from BS Stainless are:

• Fabricated from high-density, naturally-occurring materials

• Exceptionally limp and flexible

• Loaded with barium sulphate in accordance with ISO 15665

• Used by several world-class companies such as Shell

• Designed with a high mass to optimise effectiveness when used for metal jacketing and acoustic pipe wrap application in the oil and gas industries

• Strongly resistant to weak acids & alkalis, grease and mineral oil

• Available in a wide range of sizes and with glass reinforcement, low-temperature and enhanced fire-resistant options

• Easy to apply in difficult areas such as valve boxes and elbows when supplied with optional peel-off adhesive backing

• Used in Soundmet® - mass loaded vinyl is securely bonded to a range of metal jackets to produce this innovative material, which offers significant cost- and labour-saving opportunities

BS Stainless continue to supply mass loaded vinyl to many high-profile projects around the world, along with ancillary products such as stainless steel jacketing, springs, banding and wing seals. Call us today to experience the quality offered by BS Stainless - your partner for stainless steel.