Car Designers are working hard to make your driving more and more pleasant. In this quest, engineers are working hard to keep the noise level minimal in the passenger cabin and make it more soundproof. Through years of testing, engineers find that car windshield is a major source of sound transmission inside the passenger compartment. It leads engineers to a new innovation in cars i.e. Acoustic Windshield.
Source of Noise in a Car
- Car Engine
- Air Fluctuations on the windshield at high speed.
- Air drag at the edges of the car and mirrors
- External noise due to other vehicles on the road
One way to reduce the noise level in the compartment was to increase windshield thickness. Which ultimately translates into high weight and hence reduced performance and body restructuring. It’s not only expensive but also impractical as increasing thickness only reduces marginal noise levels.
How is Acoustic Windshield made?
Engineers find an innovative way to reduce noise. They sandwich a transparent acoustic vinyl layer between windshield lamination. This additional Vinyl layer absorbs noise in tune to 2-3 dB. It helps to make the inner cabin quiet enough that passengers that allow people to converse without shouting. An additional layer also helps in reducing windshield thickness without negatively affecting noise levels. It also helps to shave off Car weight and hence make it more efficient.
This new Vinyl layer is also applicable in car sidelites that further improve noise levels inside the car cabins. An additional benefit of this acoustic windshield is that it helps to absorb harmful UV radiation and hence is also helpful for health perspective.
If your car has an Acoustic windshield installed, you just got it replaced by an Acoustic one. Tough ordinary windshields cost low on your pocket, it will not be a nice saving. An ordinary windshield will change the characteristics of your car and hence you will feel increased noise levels in your cabin.
You should also look at the windshield monogram/logo during windshield replacement for its technical specifications. Usually, an Acoustic windshield logo has “Acoustic” or the letter “A” mentioned in it. At Auto Glass Masters the acoustic windshields we use are with PVB Lamination of the best quality supplied by OE manufacturers like AIS, Saint Gobain, Pilkington .