The importance of acoustical door seals is derived from a fundamental property of sound: Sound waves travel through any opening with very little loss. While the amount of air flowing through a gap increases in proportion with the size of the gap, the size of the gap in a sound barrier does not matter. A tiny hole transmits almost as much sound as a much larger gap or hole. For example, a one square inch hole in one hundred square feet of gypsum board partition can transmit as much sound as the rest of the partition.
Because of this phenomenon, any unsealed gaps and clearances in door assemblies effectively cancel out the noise reduction benefits of sound rated doors. The performance loss is especially serious at medium to high frequencies, where normal conversation levels usually take place.
For acoustical door seals to be effective at blocking sound, the seals around the head, jamb, and sill of the door must be complete, uninterrupted and airtight throughout the service life of the door. For uninterrupted contact, the door seals must be installed all on the same side of the door and frame. Performance also depends on good surface contact between the seals and the...