Methodology for measuring and predicting heavy-weight impact noise transmission

Abstract

Noise and vibration from activity in fitness facilities, in particular dropping of weights, is a common source of disturbance and complaint in the United States of America (USA). Products have been developed to mitigate such impact, but quantitative and comparable data of their effectiveness is lacking. In the United States, there is no standardized method for evaluating the reduction in noise or vibration provided by these products, and also no method for predicting noise and vibration levels in potentially affected spaces. The authors’ previous research (Internoise 2015, Noise-Con 2016) developed a preliminary test method to evaluate athletic tile flooring with heavy weight drops. The method is based on the reduction in floor vibration when the products are inserted. The method is analogous to the delta-Ln term in the EN12354 calculation method, except applying to heavy weight sources, and can therefore be used to predict the resulting sound levels in receiving spaces. This paper reports additional measurements on different structural systems to validate the applicability of the method. Various flooring products are compared, and the accuracy and repeatability of the measurement method is evaluated.