ThyssenKrupp Elevator & NECD use BASF's Basotect foam

22 Sep '15

2 min read

ThyssenKrupp Elevator and National Elevator Cab and Door, two of the leading elevator companies, have used BASF's Basotect melamine foam, which is widely known as a lightweight acoustic insulation material in automotive and interior construction applications, in a recent project to reduce the noise levels in elevator cabins of a high rise building in New York City.

Prior to the actual construction of these super-fast high rise elevators, the material was thoroughly tested in a mock-up elevator constructed by National Elevator in cooperation with Soundcoat, a subsidiary of the Recticel Group and a leading supplier of thermo-acoustic solutions, and acoustic consultant Frank Kirschner.

Basotect's fine, open cell structure gives it high sound absorption capacity. Not only did Basotect meet the acoustic absorption requirements, it also met other design criteria. The material meets Class A for flame spread and smoke density according to ASTM E84. In addition, it could not flake off fibres or particles when exposed to the high airflow as the cab was moving. In order to reduce the energy requirements for the total operation from start to stop, it was very important that the cab be as light as possible as well, according to a press release.

Despite the very high speed of the elevators (up to 23 miles/hour), the noise level inside the cabin is lower than 50dB, which is quieter than a conversation between two people.

Chip Morrow, VP of sales and marketing at Soundcoat said, “Soundcoat was excited to be a part of this project. As a manufacturing company, focused on acoustic applications, the challenges faced by ThyssenKrupp Elevator and National Elevator were familiar to us. Having an acoustics lab and manufacturing capabilities in the same building allowed us to test and optimise designs very quickly, which was highly valued in this project.”

Jeff Friedman, executive vice president of National Elevator said, “We relied heavily on Frank and Soundcoat to come up with a solution that helped National Elevator and ThyssenKrupp Elevator meet very stringent acoustic goals. Not only did Basotect perform as needed, the foam's light weight, flexibility, and durability were also highly desirable for the installers as the foam had to be fit in very restricted spaces.” (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India