A round robin on sound insulation in buildings

Abstract

In a working group in the Austrian Federal Environment Agency a round robin on the measurement of sound insulation in buildings (airborne sound insulation between two rooms according to ÖNORM S 5100-1—very similar to ISO 140-4; impact sound level according to ÖNORM S 5100-2—very similar to ISO 140-7; airborne sound insulation of a window according to DIN 52210-5) has been performed according to ISO 5725 and EN 20140-2 (ISO 140-2). From the data of 12 participants (for airborne and impact sound insulation measurement between rooms) and eight participants (for airborne sound insulation measurement of a window), each with five repeat measurements, the repeatability and reproducibility are calculated for the values versus frequency as well as for the single number quantities. These are compared with the values given in EN 20140-2. The values given in the standard were found to be higher than the results of this round robin. Based on the measurements it is recommended that measurement of the reverberation time with pistol shot and backward integration and the MLS (maximum length sequence) method be included in the relevant standards. The latter method is especially useful in buildings with high sound insulation and interfering background noise.