How to lay rubber flooring for noise reduction outside?
PU-bound rubber-granule paving slabs reduce footfall noise outdoors: they prevent noise from hard impacts from arising and damp remaining vibrations.
On rigid surfaces, hard heels create brief, forceful impacts with each step, heard as the familiar clicking noise. Wheeled suitcases, skateboards and transport trolleys can also create rattling noises on rigid surfaces when small, hard wheels sink into joints, strike edges, or briefly lift over changes in level before hitting the surface again. The wider the joints and the greater the differences in level, the stronger these impacts become.
Elastic paving slabs and rubber block paving yield slightly under heels and wheels. With hard heels, this cushions the impact so that the familiar clicking noise does not arise. Calibrated paving slabs without edge chamfers form an almost joint-free walking surface, allowing small wheels to run quietly across the elastic rubber surfacing. The rattling noises typical of rigid surfaces do not occur.
The internal damping of paving slabs made from rubber granules further weakens remaining vibrations and reduces their transmission into the substrate as structure-borne sound. Paving slabs made from rubber granules provide a walkable acoustic surface for paths, passageways and courtyards.
In hotel and residential developments, paving slabs made from rubber granules are an effective means of reducing noise exposure. They can reduce noise exposure significantly.