A Quiet Place to Escape from the World

Wind and road noise transmitted through the car windows is a major source of a vehicle's interior noise. And increased cabin noise can affect not only the driver's experience, but also increases driver fatigue.

Noise reduction inside cars and consequently, improvement of acoustic control is becoming one of the main objectives of carmakers. Since the vehicle's glazed surface is continuously increasing, automotive glazing has become a very significant path for noise penetration inside the car.

The use of acoustic windshields has increased significantly over the past decade. One in seven vehicles produced today has an acoustic windshield. The use of acoustic windshields allows carmakers to lighten their cars by using thinner glazing without sacrificing acoustic comfort.

Laminated windshields have been used on vehicles for more than 60 years. When interior noise became an issue, the old "fix" was to increase mass, and thicken the windshield glass. This thicker windscreen reduced the noise but also increased the vehicle weight.

Now using laminated glass made with an advanced Saflex Q series acoustic interlayer, designers can reduce interior noise without increasing the windscreen weight. Switching an ordinary windshield to one made with Saflex advanced acoustical interlayer immediately reduces wind and road noise by up to 3 dB. This acoustical improvement is manifested as improved noise quality as shown in improvement to the Articulation Index (AI).

Customers equate quiet with quality. This perception becomes increasingly important as we move to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Consumers are demanding the same amenities in their smaller vehicles they enjoy in the vehicles they currently drive. As a result, passenger comfort gains a new level of importance for OEMs. And, acoustic benefits are essential to passenger comfort as well as consumers' perception of overall vehicle quality

Acoustical laboratory evaluations demonstrate the improvement in sound transmission characteristics of Saflex advanced acoustic interlayer compared to tempered glass or standard glass laminates. Track testing on production vehicles has repeatedly confirmed the acoustical benefits when substituted for standard tempered glazing.

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