A COMPONENT FOR SOUNDPROOFING

COMPOSANT D'INSONORISATION

English Abstract

The present invention relates to a component for soundproofing, wherein the
component has a frame-shaped structure which has a single wall or multi-wall
plastic composite or comprises such a composite.

Claims

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Claims
1. A component for soundproofing, characterized in that the component has a
frame-shaped structure which has a single wall or multi-wall plastic
composite or comprises such a composite.
2. A component in accordance with claim 1, wherein the frame-shaped
structure comprises one or more concavely curved walls.
3. A component in accordance with claim 2, wherein the frame-shaped
structure has at least two oppositely disposed concavely curved walls in
specular symmetry with one another.
4. A component in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein
the frame-shaped structure is areal.
5. A component in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein
the frame-shaped structure is closed or open in the peripheral direction.
6. A component in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein
the frame-shaped structure bounds a hollow space and is open or closed at
one or both end faces.
7. A component in accordance with claim 6, wherein the hollow space is empty
or is partly or fully filled with a filler material.
8. A component in accordance with claim 7, wherein the filler materials is
water,
sand, gravel or hydroculture
9. A component in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein
the plastic is a thermoplastic.

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10. A component in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein
the frame-shaped structure is single walled or multi-walled.
11. A component in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein
the component is manufactured in the twin sheet process or in the blow
molding process.
12. A component in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein
the frame-shaped structure has a smooth surface or a structured surface.
13. A component in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein
the frame-shaped structure has recesses on its surface.
14. A soundproofing wall comprising a plurality of components in accordance
with one of the claims 1 to 13.
15. A soundproofing wall in accordance with claim 14, wherein the components
have at least one concavely curved wall and are arranged such that the
curves of the components are flush with one another.
16. A soundproofing wall in accordance with either of claims 14 or 15, wherein
the components of the soundproofing wall have a height less than the height
of the vehicles traveling on the travel path.
17. A soundproofing wall in accordance with one of the claims 14 to 16,
wherein
the components of the soundproofing wall have a height which is above the
height of the wheels of the vehicle and below three times the height,
preferably twice the height, of the wheels of the vehicle.
18. A travel path, in particular a railroad line, characterized in that one or
more
components in accordance with one of the claims 1 to 13 and/or one or more

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soundproofing walls in accordance with one of the claims 14 to 17 are
arranged in the area next to the travel line of the travel path.
19. A method of manufacturing a component in accordance with one of the
preceding claims, wherein the component is manufactured in the twin sheet
process.
20. A method of manufacturing a component in accordance with one of the
claims 1 to 18, wherein the component is manufactured in the blow molding
process.

Description

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A component for soundproofing
The present invention relates to a component for soundproofing.
Such components or soundproofing elements are known in numerous different
embodiments, for example on highways or railroad lines. They are used to
quieten
noise coming from a point-shaped or linear or areal source of noise (e.g.
roads,
railroad tracks) so that the noise can be attenuated so much at an immission
site to
be protected (e.g. residential districts, hospitals) that the pollution is
reduced and
the statutory limits are observed.
It is the underlying object of the present invention to provide a component
for
effective soundproofing, in particular for sound absorption of the noise
generated by
rail vehicles.
This object is solved by a component having the features of claim 1, by a
soundproofing wall having the features of claim 14 and by a travel path having
the
features of claim 18. Methods of manufacturing a corresponding component
having
the features of claims 19 and 20 are furthermore taught.
The component in accordance with the invention has a frame of plastic or
comprises such a frame, with the frame comprising a single wall or multi-wall
plastic
composite. Such a component in particular serves the sound absorption of the
noise coming from rail vehicles. However, the invention is not limited to such
a use,
but can also be used for soundproofing in other cases such as on highways.
The frame-shaped structure or the component can have one or more concavely
curved walls, with preferably at least the wall directed toward the sound
source
having a concave shape. It is furthermore conceivable that the frame-shaped
structure has at least two oppositely disposed concavely curved walls which
are, for
example, in specular symmetry with one another.

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The component in accordance with the invention can have a frame-shaped
structure which is areal.
The frame-shaped structure can be closed or open in the peripheral direction.
It is
conceivable to make the frame-shaped structure as a closed section which has
two
long sides, of which at least one is concave, and which are connected by means
of
two short sides which can be planar.
It is furthermore conceivable that the frame-shaped structure bounds a hollow
space and is open or closed at one or both end faces. The hollow space can be
empty, evacuated or filled at least partly with a filler material. The filler
material can
be water, sand, gravel or hydroculture and the like, for example.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the material of the frame-shaped
structure is a thermoplastic. A weather-resistant plastic such as PP or PE is
preferably provided. The use of recycled thermoplastic product, preferably
coextruded product is also conceivable to keep the surfaces even with the same
coloring.
The frame-shaped structure can be of single wall design or of multi-wall
design.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the component is manufactured in the
twin
sheet process or in the blow molding process. With a single-wall construction,
the
component is preferably made in the twin sheet process. It can, however, also
be
made in the blow molding process. With a multi-wall construction, the
component is
preferably manufactured in the twin sheet process and is subsequently folded
to
form the finished structure.
The component in accordance with the invention or its frame-shaped structure
can
have a smooth surface or a structured surface. It can have fairly large
recesses or

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nests on its surface. The surface can thus be smooth, grained or structured or
have
wide-area indentations or recesses.
The invention furthermore relates to a soundproofing wall having a plurality
of
components in accordance with one of the claims 1 to 13. The components can be
connected to one another directly or indirectly.
The components of the soundproofing wall can have at least one concavely
curved
wall and can be arranged such that the curves of the components are flush with
one
another and/or merge with one another.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the components of the soundproofing
wall
have a height less than the height of the vehicles usually traveling on the
travel
path. It is conceivable that the height of the components of the soundproofing
wall
is such that it is above the height of the wheels of the vehicle and below
three times
the height, preferably twice the height, of the wheels of the vehicle.
The invention further relates to a travel path, in particular a railroad line,
with one or
more components in accordance with one of the claims 1 to 13 and/or one or
more
soundproofing walls in accordance with one of the claims 14 to 17 - in each
case at
one or both sides - being arranged in the area next to the travel line of the
travel
path.
The invention furthermore relates to a method of manufacturing a component in
accordance with one of the claims 1 to 18. The component is accordingly made
in
the twin sheet process. A component is preferably made in this manner with a
multi-
wall construction and is subsequently folded to form the finished structure.
A further method of manufacturing a component in accordance with one of the
claims 1 to 18 is the blow molding process.

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Further details and advantages of the invention will be explained in more
detail with
reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing.
There are shown:
Fig. 1: a schematic representation of a soundproofing wall in accordance
with the invention arranged next to a railroad line;
Fig. 2: a perspective representation of a component in accordance with the
invention in single-wall construction;
Fig. 3: a perspective representation of a component in accordance with the
invention in multi-wall construction; and
Fig. 4: a perspective representation of a component in accordance with the
invention in multi-wall construction before and after folding to form the
finished structure.
Figure 1 shows in a schematic representation a box 10 of a rail vehicle
running on
wheels 20, of which one is shown, in cross-section in a partial view.
The soundproofing wall 30, which comprises a series of components in
accordance
with the invention which can be connected to one another directly or
indirectly, is
located parallel to the travel path.
The wheel 20 forms the noise source starting from which the sound beams 40 are
formed. As can be seen from Fig. 1, at least some of the sound beams are
absorbed or reflected at the soundproofing wall.
The components forming the soundproofing wall are made of thermoplastic, for
example of weather-resistant and inexpensive PE or PP. Recycled thermoplastic
can generally also be used. The surface of the components can be smooth or
also

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structured. The surface can, for example, be made with large-area indentations
or
recesses.
Figure 2 shows a component in accordance with the invention in a perspective
representation. The component is made as a substantially rectangular frame in
cross-section, with the long oppositely disposed sides being curved inwardly
so that
the longitudinal axes of the curves extend parallel to the longitudinal axis
of the
component. The long sides are formed by short, horizontal elements which form
the
base or the cover of the component.
The component is preferably made in one piece.
It can be made in single wall construction, as is shown in Figure 2,or also in
multi-
wall construction, as is shown in Fig. 3. With a single wall construction, the
component is preferably made by blow molding or by the twin sheet process, and
with a multi-wall construction, it is preferably made by the twin sheet
process and is
subsequently folded to form the finished structure, as is illustrated in
Figure 4.

Representative Drawing