Anechoic test chamber houses engine test facility

An IAC product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 19, 2005

IAC has built one of its largest ever anechoic test facilities as part of a state-of-the-art engine test facility for FG Wilson in Northern Ireland.

IAC of Winchester, a world leader in the design and build of anechoic testing chambers, has built one of its largest ever anechoic test facilities.

The anechoic chamber will provide a state-of-the-art engine test facility for FG Wilson in Northern Ireland, part of the world-renowned Caterpillar Group.

(IAC has also built anechoic test facilities for many of the world's leading automotive manufacturers).

FG Wilson is one of the largest manufacturers of diesel and gas generator sets in the world.

This multi-million-pound project will both aid manufacturing and R and D at the site, with gensets destined for both the EU and USA marketplace.

Located right in the heart of the local community in Larne, the company's previous open air grass "noise circle" testing facility, was causing noise nuisance.

The new facility eliminates virtually all environmental impact by keeping noise in, and also provides a perfect "repeatable" sound testing environment, keeping wind and weather interference out.

The project which has taken just 12 months to complete, has two components: a hemi anechoic chamber designed with 60 and 40Hz cutoffs - to meet both UK and US regulations; and a reverberation chamber - a concrete structure with nonparallel walls to prevent echo generation.

This has a 100Hz cutoff.

Dubbed "Engineering Centre of Excellence" by FG Wilson, it is believed to be the among the best in the world, meeting the ISO3744 and the 3745 plus the EU standard for the CE mark.

As turnkey provider, IAC handled all aspects of the design and build.

Geoff Howse was designer and Chief Engineer on the project: "We handled all mechanical, electric, acoustic and civil aspects of the job".

"This project utilised all of our extensive acoustic design manufacturing expertise right across a whole range of product areas, including acoustic louvres, silencers, acoustic panels, AHUs, our low frequency, patented metal 'Metadyne' acoustic wedges and acoustic doors".

"The basket doors in the chamber are the largest we have ever manufactured".

Graham Dale is IAC's Business Manager, Industrial: "FG Wilson brought us in for this job as we are the only company worldwide to have done any turnkey project like this before".

"We're also the only company with sufficient commercial confidence plus the right technical skills".

"By choosing IAC they could mitigate the risks involved".

The grand opening of the Engineering Centre of Excellence, was hosted by Mark Sweeney, Managing Director, FG Wilson and took place at the end of June.

Such was its economic significance for the area that it was attended by Angela Smith, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment as well as Bill Rohner, Vice President, Electric Power Division of Caterpillar and John Leslie, Chairman of Invest Northern Ireland.