Protection against noise, wind and water: PLEXIGLAS® Soundstop meets stringent function and design-related requirements

• Broad range of special acrylic from Röhm for noise and wind barriers
• Suitable for use as water barriers to protect traffic routes from flooding
• High-quality and durable with a 30-year guarantee against yellowing

From April 16 to19, 2024, Röhm GmbH will showcase its versatile range of PLEXIGLAS^® Soundstop solid sheets at the world’s leading trade fair for mobility and traffic infrastructure – Intertraffic Amsterdam (hall 8, booth 08.500). For many decades now, this special product from the portfolio of the Acrylic Products business unit has been used around the world for noise and wind barriers along roads, railways and bridges. What’s more, it is a particularly ideal material for water barriers, e.g., for safeguarding coastal roads and promenades from flooding.

Protecting traffic routes from storms and flooding

PLEXIGLAS^® Soundstop was originally developed especially for use in noise barriers: It features outstanding airborne sound insulation properties and significantly reduces traffic noise levels. Depending on the thickness of the sheets, they can provide a sound reduction index of up to 35 decibels. But the material has also proven itself in other use cases.

“Our PLEXIGLAS^® Soundstop product family can be used in a wide range of applications and provides solutions to meet various requirements in traffic route planning,” says Giovanni Cucco, Market Segment Manager in the Acrylic Products business unit at Röhm. “On the one hand, effective sound insulation along traffic routes is essential to safeguard the health and well-being of everyone living and working near roads or railways. On the other hand, protecting traffic routes and buildings against storms, torrential rains and flooding is growing increasingly important, as extreme weather events become ever more frequent in many regions around the world.”

To provide wind protection on bridges, PLEXIGLAS^® Soundstop solid sheets can be thermoformed into C-shaped shells that are then assembled one above the other with gaps between each shell. This type of semi-solid wind protection significantly cuts the wind speed crossing traffic lanes, simultaneously minimizing the exposed area and thus the crosswind loads exerted on the bridge.

Stable, weather-resistant and durable

PLEXIGLAS^® Soundstop is synonymous with dependable stability, unrivaled light transmission and unfailing resistance to weathering – no matter the application. Röhm guarantees that the material will show virtually no signs of yellowing and will retain its transparency and light transmission, even after 30 years of continuous use.

The special acrylic is approved as safety glass and meets all the stone impact requirements of the EN 1794 standard for noise protection elements. In comparison to conventional safety glass, it is significantly lighter in weight – a crucial factor for the static structural integrity of bridges, for example. Moreover, this also makes it easier to process and install.

Transparent and colored sheets for unlimited design freedom

The solid sheets are available in various thicknesses, formats and colors, ranging in transparency from clear to translucent and opaque. Depending on the intended use, there are different variants featuring embedded polyamide threads for shatter protection (PLEXIGLAS^® Soundstop GS CC) or embedded printed stripes (PLEXIGLAS^® Soundstop XT BirdGuard) for bird collision prevention. Alternatively, the material can also be printed with customized patterns and designs.

Thanks to its versatility and exceptional moldability, PLEXIGLAS^® Soundstop meets the most stringent function and design-related requirements. After all, barriers against noise, wind and water should seamlessly blend into urban environments and natural landscapes. Transparent PLEXIGLAS^® Soundstop, for example, is a popular choice of wind protection material for creating striking bridge designs, because it accentuates architectural features while maintaining unobstructed panoramic views for all those crossing the bridge.