Glossary

Energy dissipation in materials wherein the energy is conveyed into rather than reflected from or transferred through the material.

Any material (such as QuietSeal Pro, or QuietPutty) designed for application to a surface or fissure in order to form a resilient, non-hardening barrier, reducing the risk of sound leakage.

This is a term to describe products and solutions that absorb or diffuse sound to improve the sound quality of a space.  Usually this has to do with reducing echo.  Along with sound isolation, this is an important consideration for recording studios, home theaters, or any space where understandability of speech or music is important. 

ASTM is an international organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. Members of PABCO’s technical services team serve on several ASTM standards committees.

A vibration isolation technique that employs the use of materials that are viscoelastic (such as QuietGlue Pro) between ridged plates or panels. In our case, the resulting QuietRock panel uses shear-loading and vibration decay to reduce noise transfer.

The separation of mechanically- or structurally-coupled systems so they may operate or vibrate independently.  In building noise control, decoupling involves isolating gypsum wallboard from structural members with resilient channel or sound isolation clips.

A paper-faced and backed panel with a gypsum core used in both interior and exterior applications in commercial and residential wall and ceiling construction.   Also commonly referred to as “wallboard”, “gypsum board”, or “gypsum panel.”

The mechanical attachment mechanism to attach drywall to framing.  They can be special drywall nails or screws and can generally be substituted by comparable screws or nails per International Code Council Evaluation Report (ICC, ESR-1338, Section 4.2.3.2)

Stated in hours, the amount of time an assembly can withstand exposure to fire while maintaining structural integrity. Testing in accordance with ASTM E119.

An indirect transmission of sound around a partition, frequently through other building elements, such as adjacent walls, open plenum ceilings, HVAC ducts, windows and doors.

A dimensionless number used to describe the thickness of sheet metal or wire.  For acoustically rated assemblies using metal studs, gauge is not an adequate measure.  Rather, the mill thickness of the stud is required to specify the correct stud for the tested assembly.

A gypsum panel that is encased with a coated fiberglass mat on the front and back.  This moisture and mold resistant board is used in both interior and exterior applications in commercial and residential wall and ceiling construction.  See PABCO GLASS Interior, PABCO GLASS Exterior Sheathing, and PABCO GLASS Shaftliner.

A North American organization for the Gypsum Wallboard Industry.  The GA provides technical and other information to the industry and users of gypsum wallboard products.  PABCO Gypsum is a member and contributor to many GA documents, such as the GA-600 and others.

The generic name for a family of sheet products consisting of a noncombustible core primarily of gypsum with paper surfacing.  Also commonly referred to as  “drywall”, “wallboard”, “gypsum board”, or “gypsum panel.”

The general name for a family of sheet products consisting essentially of gypsum.  Also commonly referred to as  “drywall”, “wallboard”, “gypsum board”, or “gypsum panel.”

A metric used in building construction to characterize the structural noise in buildings.  Structural noise is any noise source whose primary radiation comes from impact (footsteps on an upstairs floor, for example) or vibration of solid structures.

The property of an object, determined by its resistance to acceleration by a given force.  For sound control, it is resistance to the acceleration of soundwaves through a partition or component thereof. Mass is not the same as weight.

Mold resistance is a performance standard measured in a controlled laboratory condition and based on ASTM D3273.  A score of 10, (highest possible score) indicates that there is no mold growth during the four-week test. No material may be classified as mold-proof. Prolonged exposure to moisture can result in the growth of mold on any surface.  PABCO Gypsum products including MOLD CURB Plus, PABCO GLASS, and QuietRock EZ-SNAP Mold Resistant all achieve the highest mold resistance rating possible.

Noise is simply unwanted sound.

A single number rating that is related to the sound absorption of materials and surfaces. NRC values approaching zero are highly reflective, while those approaching or exceeding one are highly absorptive. Drywall panels, including QuietRock, have an NRC value of 0.15.

A framing component used on walls and ceilings as a decoupling mechanism between the framing and the drywall.

The process of cutting the face paper surface of a gypsum board with a blade and then snapping the gypsum board and back paper to cut the board.

An exterior board that is comprised of a mold, moisture, and mildew resistant, non-combustible gypsum core. It can be encased in either treated paper or glass mat facers for use as an exterior cladding in commercial or residential buildings.

A means that causes a dissipation or loss of sound transmission from one space to another. 

Constrained-layer damping uses materials that are viscoelastic (such as QuietGlue Pro) between ridged plates or panels. In our case, the resulting QuietRock panel uses shear-loading and vibration decay to reduce noise transfer. Another example is extensional damping, whereby a polymer such as QuietCoat is applied to nonporous surfaces to cause a damping effect.

A metric of how well a wall, partition or floor/ceiling systems attenuates airborne sound over a range of frequencies. Though it is ultimately the result at 500Hz.

A commonly used term that usually implies an intent for sound isolation.  Technically the word “soundproof” means the absence of all sound, including ambient noise; a completely unattainable goal.  In buildings, an acceptable degree of sound isolation is the attainable goal.

An independent international safety science company that provides product testing and certifications. Drywall products and assemblies using drywall products are certified by UL.

A gypsum board used primarily as an interior surfacing for building structures. Also commonly referred to as  “drywall”,  “gypsum board”, or “gypsum panel.”