Evaluation of proposed ASTM standard to measure the normalized insertion loss of doors

Abstract

There is currently no ASTM method for field measurement of the acoustical noise isolation specific to doors. Measurement of the overall noise reduction of the composite wall/door assembly or the Apparent Sound Transmission Class of the door can be attempted using the methods in ASTM E336, but these methods are not well suited to measuring doors. Doors typically have poorly defined source and receiving rooms, such as long and narrow corridors, stairwells, or outdoor spaces, which often do not meet the room requirements of ASTM E336. The sound fields are rarely diffuse, and the measurement locations are not well defined in the ASTM standard. An alternative insertion loss method (i.e., a comparison of the sound pressure levels with the door open and closed) was developed by MJM Acoustical Consultants (Michel Morin, Research project on the noise isolation provided by access doors in multi-dwelling buildings, 1993), and a draft ASTM standard has been developed based on this method. A laboratory testing program has been designed evaluate the proposed method and investigate variations in the test method. The results of the laboratory testing program are presented.