Performance of floor mats for heavy-weight impact noise reduction in a 210 mm-thick bare slab apartment houses

Abstract

This study aims to understand the noise reduction performance of floor mats used to cover living room areas to reduce impact noise from children's jumping or walking. Several types of floor mat products, chosen based on their material and thickness, were selected from the market. The thickness of the mats ranged from 20 mm to 40 mm. The floor impact noise characteristics of a 210- mm thick bare slab in an actual apartment house were measured before and after the installation of the floor mat. The results showed that the highest noise reduction performance of up to 5 dB was observed when using a heavy-weight impact source with a bang machine. However, the highest noise reduction performance of up to 8 dB was observed when using a rubber ball as the heavy-weight impact source. The impact of a rubber ball dropped from a height of 40 cm, which simulates frequent living noise, resulted in a maximum reduction of up to 12 dB. In addition, the study discussed standardized methods for rating the heavy-weight impact noise performance of floor mats based on the measurement results.