Review of research reports on floor impact sound in Japan

Abstract

The authors have reviewed technical papers on floor impact sound reported in journals and proceedings published by the Architectual Institute of Japan, the Acoutical Society of Japan, and the Institute of Noise Control Engineering Japan. Research on this subject started in the 1960s in Japan, with considerable delay from the development in this area in North America and Europe. However, in the last decade, approximately 25 papers have appeared on this subject every year, and the total number of the relevant papers in Japan has been found to exceed 400. The number of research works on floor impact sound in Japan is characterized by the use of a soft and heavy impact source (a tire for compact cars). As is widely known, this source is the standard impact source unique to Japan. However, approximately half the recently reported papers deal with noise produced by the tapping machine. This change seems to reflect the Japanese consumers’ general choice of floor lining changing from carpets to wooden floor coverings. This report will discuss the Japanese trend in research on floor impact sound, not only through the number of papers but also through the introduction of relevant social background in Japan.