Application of compact silencers as a noise barrier to a naturally ventilated double-skin façade

Abstract

A prior study of the acoustical performance of a double-skin facade (DSF) as a noise barrier was carried out based on the percentage of the air vent open surface area, shading louver configurations, and shading louver surface materials. Earlier research findings led to experimental investigations of the acoustical performance capabilities of compact silencers to replace DSF air vents as both noise barriers and air channels because DSF air cavities, which contribute to natural ventilation performance (e.g., wind-driven or buoyancy-driven performance), are acoustically vulnerable to noise transmitted through the air vents. This experimental investigation aims to explore noise reduction (NR) through compact silencers applied to DSF air vents. Double-skin facade mock-up test cases were designed based on three test scenarios of a ventilation open surface area: (1) a 100%air vent open surface area (open mode), (2) a 0% air vent open surface area (closed mode), and (3) a compact silencer. From a data analysis of DSF mock-up test results, the overall NR values of a DSFmock-up ranged from20 to 37 dB(A) depending on the number of compact silencers and the shading louver orientation used. Configurations of compact silencers and shading louvers helped the DSF mock-up achieve additionalNR values of 5 to 10 dB(A) depending on the test case. Moreover, applying compact silencers to a naturally ventilated DSF mock-up led to significant noise reduction at low frequencies (125Hz).