Materials and design measures applied to an elevator shaft, machine room, and car structure to reduce airborne and structure-borne noise transmission to adjacent building spaces.
Full Definition
Elevator acoustic insulation addresses two distinct noise paths: airborne noise (motor hum, door operation, fan noise radiating through shaft walls) and structure-borne noise (vibration transmitted through guide rails, buffers, and fixings into the building frame). Effective solutions combine shaft wall mass (minimum 250 kg/m² for residential), resilient rail brackets with elastomeric isolators, anti-vibration pads under the machine bedplate, floating machine-room floors, and acoustic cabin ceiling/wall panels. Target noise levels in adjacent residential rooms are typically ≤35 dB(A) per ISO 16032 and DIN 4109-4. In Turkey, TS EN ISO 16032 is the reference standard for elevator noise measurement. Gearless PMSM machines inherently produce lower noise than geared machines; however, high-frequency PWM switching noise from VVVF drives requires attention to motor cable shielding and drive choke selection.
