Super Therm® Adds a New Dimension: Sound & Vibration Control
Independent ASTM testing confirms Super Therm® not only controls heat – it also reduces vibration and helps block airborne noise from a single applied coating.
Much More Than Thermal Performance
For decades, Super Therm® has been specified around the world to reduce heat transfer and improve thermal performance.
Now, independent laboratory testing confirms another important benefit.
Super Therm® also helps reduce noise.
Due to the many properties and nature of ceramics, they deliver a significant range of natural benefits as a total engineered surface management system. Testing under two internationally recognised ASTM standards demonstrates that a single coating provides a dual acoustic benefit by:
- Damping vibration in thin metal panels (ASTM E756)
- Helping block airborne sound transmission through wall and enclosure assemblies (ASTM E90 / ASTM E413)
Two Independent ASTM Tests…Yet Two Different and Significant Benefits
VTEC Laboratories – ASTM E756 Vibration Damping Performance – pdf
Every piece of mechanical equipment vibrates. Fans, pumps, chillers, generators and air handling units all transfer energy into the metal panels that surround them. Those panels behave like the skin of a drum, amplifying vibration into audible noise while continually placing stress on the structure itself. Independent ASTM E756 testing has shown that Super Therm® helps dissipate this vibration energy before it can build into resonance, reducing panel vibration, lowering radiated noise and helping minimise long-term fatigue. See the test pdf.
Super Therm® was tested by VTEC Laboratories under ASTM E756 using the Oberst cantilever-beam method to measure how effectively the coating dissipates vibrational energy. The governing metric is the Material Loss Factor (MLF) — the higher the value, the more vibration energy the coating converts to heat and removes from the panel. Applied as a thin 0.1-inch layer, Super Therm® delivered an MLF of 0.134 to 0.224 across all seven resonant modes tested (at 69.9°F), with damping strengthening as frequency rose. Any MLF above roughly 0.1 is considered effective damping, so the coating performed well across the entire range. Mode Frequency (Hz) CLF E (psi).
| Hertz Hz | Comparison |
|---|---|
| 115.6 | Is a low-bass, resonant hum that sits slightly above the musical note A2 |
| 324.2 | Sounds like a steady, clear, medium-high pitched tone, similar to an “E” musical note in a sound bath |
| 636 | Produces a steady, continuous pitch that sounds like a clear, melodic tone, comparable to a high-pitched hum or a pure, ringing chime |
| 1053.8 | Is a continuous, pure, high-pitched tone that sounds very similar to a piercing electronic whistle or a high-end tuning |
| 1576 | Produces a clear, steady, high-pitched whistling or buzzing tone. |
| 2209.2 | Produces a high-pitched whistle or sine-wave tone, falling squarely into the upper treble range |
| 2954.6 | Produces a very high-pitched tone, similar to the sound of a high bird chirp, a police whistle, or the uppermost treble notes on a piccolo or flute. |
Thin steel and other material panels naturally vibrate.
That vibration becomes the familiar “drumming” heard on:
- Equipment enclosures
- Pipework
- Ducting
- Rooftop HVAC
- Generator housings
- Compressor panels
The ASTM E756 testing measured Super Therm‘s Material Loss Factor (MLF) between 0.134 and 0.224 across seven resonant modes.
Material Loss Factors above approximately 0.10 are generally regarded as effective damping, meaning Super Therm® consistently reduced vibration throughout the entire test range.
Super Therm® Results:
Less vibration.
Less panel resonance.
Less radiated noise.
Airborne Sound Transmission — ASTM E90 / ASTM E413 – pdf
A second independent test examined how coated wall assemblies transmitted airborne sound.
Three identical wall systems were tested with increasing Super Therm coverage.
Results showed:
| Wall Assembly | STC Rating |
|---|---|
| Single coated face | 38 |
| Exterior coated | 39 |
| Both sides coated | 41 |
The testing confirmed Super Therm contributed measurable improvement to Sound Transmission Class (STC), helping reduce airborne noise passing through coated assemblies.
A Complete Acoustic Story
Many products address only one side of the noise problem.
Super Therm® addresses both.
It helps:
- Reduce vibration at the source
- Reduce airborne sound transmission through the structure
Simply put:
Damp the source. Block the path.
Why This Matters
Industrial facilities are facing increasing pressure from:
- Property-line noise limits
- Community noise complaints
- OSHA workplace exposure requirements
- Expensive retrofits after equipment has already been installed
Traditional acoustic solutions often require:
- Heavy insulation
- Secondary barriers
- Acoustic blankets
- Large enclosures
Super Therm® works differently. Blocking heat with ceramics that are designed to face various solar heat waves and not absorb is verified by the same ceramics not allowing sound to cause them to vibrate. All this is due to density and size in the quad-matrix ceramic coating since 1989.
Because it is applied directly onto the vibrating surface, it reaches areas conventional acoustic products often cannot while simultaneously providing world-class thermal management.
Ideal Applications
Super Therm® is suited to many industries where thin metal panels create unwanted vibration or noise, including:
- Data centres
- CRAC and CRAH units
- HVAC ducting
- Compressor skids
- Gas regulator stations
- Cooling fan housings
- Rooftop HVAC equipment
- Generator enclosures
- Transformers
- Marine bulkheads and deckheads
- Industrial machinery
- Equipment guarding
- Conveyor systems
- Pipework
- Pump enclosures
One Coating. Multiple Functions.
Unlike traditional coatings designed for only corrosion protection or appearance, Super Therm® adds multiple performance benefits in a single application, including:
- Thermal management
- Solar heat blocking
- Condensation control
- Vibration damping
- Airborne noise reduction
- Corrosion resistance
- Class A Fire performance
- Long-term durability
It is another example of Engineered Surface Management—where Super Therm® actively improves how the surface performs 356 days a year, not simply how it looks.
Learn More
Discover where Super Therm® can be applied, review the independent ASTM testing and explore how a single coating can improve both thermal and acoustic performance.
→ Explore Super Therm® Sound & Vibration Control
Super Therm®
From Superior Products International II, Inc. — The World’s Coating Innovator™.
