Why would we choose foam as the acoustic absorber at the heart of PIN? The answer goes back more than 20 years, to extensive material research, an EU-funded project and a search for the right balance between acoustic performance and long-term durability. In this article, we share what we learned about fibrous materials, hard absorbers and acoustic foams – why our chosen material proved ready for the long haul, and how we are already testing its next, lower-carbon generation.
Traditionally, the performance of roadside noise barriers has been improved simply by increasing their height. While effective, this approach often leads to higher costs, greater visual impact, and structural limitations.
Recent developments show that the top edge geometry of a barrier plays a crucial role in sound diffraction. By engineering this edge, it is possible to significantly improve acoustic performance without substantially increasing barrier height.
This shift marks an important step from purely structural solutions toward acoustically optimized noise barrier design.