Experimental study on heavy-weight floor impact sound control of vibration-proofed tatami mats constructed widely on a concrete slab and dry floating floors

Abstract

This study investigates the structural properties of a 55-mm thick tatami mat floor, a flooring prevalent in Japan. Building on previous research that introduced a tatami mat floor designed for vibration isolation, this work extends the investigation to heavy-weight floor impact sound mitigation on tatami mats measuring 900 × 1800 mm. The current study expands the tatami mat size to 2700 × 2700 mm and evaluates the sound insulation performance of vibration-isolated tatami mats placed on a concrete slab and dry floating floors. The experimental findings are summarized as follows: (1) The deployment of vibration-proofed tatami mats atop dry floating floors yielded notable improvements under tire-induced vibrations, achieving reductions of 4-6 dB in the 63-Hz band, 3-7 dB in the 125 Hz band, 4-6 dB in the 250 Hz band, and 6-9 dB in the 500 Hz band. (2) Similarly, with rubber ball-induced vibrations, installing vibration-proofed tatami mats on dry floating floors resulted in sound level reductions of 2-3 dB in the 63 Hz band, 4-5 dB in the 125 Hz band, 8 dB in the 250 Hz band, and 8-11 dB in the 500 Hz band.