The input data useful for sizing the walls of an acoustic screen (noise barrier) are mainly the conditions prevailing in the environment of the envisaged acoustic screen (noise barrier) (and the degree of aggressiveness with respect to the walls that may result from the existence of projections of liquids such as water in the case of an outer shield along a road, for example), the existence of projections of solids (wood chips in the case of grinding boxes for example, gravel in the case of an outer shield along a road, for example, ballast in the case of a screen outside along a railway track for example), the level of acoustic performance required depending on the frequency (insertion loss, residual noise level) and also - where appropriate - the existence of additional constraints such as possibility of disassembly, reaction to fire, protection against radiation or heat, or the need for the walls to be translucent to allow the vision etc ...
In the case of constructions located outside, the resistance to weather and to corrosion must also be taken into account, what may affect the definition of appropriate construction systems.
Other parameters may be involved such as the authorized mass, the required longevity or the available budget.
Whether divisions of large rooms, or noise reduction for individual workstations, or protection of individual workstations from other workstations being more noisy, or road noise barriers, or railway noise barriers are concerned, the dimensioning of the walls must account the needs in terms of sound reduction (i.e. the ability to oppose the transmission of noise), the effects of amplification of sound levels related to the existence of the screen itself and also (especially for applications in the workplace) accessibility requirements in terms of gates whose effectiveness is related to the airtightness (rotating doors, sliding doors, folding doors, rolling gates), the need for cuts for the passage of material flows (raw material inputs, outputs of finished products), and also (when for example the treatment of thermal generation equipment or of cooling equipment is concerned) the needs for air circulation (ventilation. ..), the need for cuts for passages of ancilliaries (cables, ducts, pipes ...).
These different input data are necessary for the selection of products and of construction systems appropriate to the acoustic performance required for the walls of an acoustic sreen (noise barrier) dependent on the acoustic performance and on the respective area of its various sub sets: acoustic insulation panels, access, glass frames, silencers, cuts and openings.