High Sound Insulation Research Articles

Building Structures for High Sound Insulation

Building Structures for High Sound Insulation

Design of a test facility for transmission loss measurement

This paper describes the design, construction and performance of a test facility for transmission loss measurement. The receiving portion of the facility consists of a 118 m 3 reverberation room, while the source room is a 1·0 m 3 pit with high sound insulation. The partition being measured makes up the top of the pit. A series of measurements concerning the performance of the test facility are presented and discussed.

The acoustics of the new Changi International Airport in Singapore

A previous paper has described the general acoustic design of the new international airport in Singapore and some of the noise control measures adopted. This paper reports on some of the subsequent field tests and measurements carried out in the main areas of the airport since the completion of the actual construction works and prior to the opening of the airport to the public. Sound transmission measurements were made following ISO/R140 involving field tests of both the facade as well as the internal partitions. Special sound generating equipment providing up to 110 dB of white noise was used in some of the measurements. This was necessary in view of the high sound insulation values designed in some parts of the building facade. Reverberation time measurements were obtained following the recommendations of ISO/R354 and room absorption values obtained using Sabines' formula. Background noise levels were measured both prior to the opening of the airport to the general public as well as afterwards to study ...

A discussion on building technology in the 1980s - Noise and the sound insulation of buildings

It is claimed that noise results from failure to take into account the full consequences of our activities. Noise causes today an unjustifiable interference with human comfort and well-being. An outstanding task for the building industry in the 1980s is to ensure a proper noise climate in new buildings. The target must be to obtain a noise level which is so low that the noise causes no interference with human activities. Problems related to indoor noise sources in buildings are discussed. It is to be expected that the public demand in the 1980s will call for more severe requirements than at present. There will be a request for having within a dwelling one room which is highly insulated from the other rooms. The 1980s will present a request for apartment buildings with flexible flats. This will call for special sound insulation provisions. The noise level produced by intruding outdoor noise causes today severe nuisance. The use of building facades giving a high sound insulation is not an ideal method to be used for sound reduction. Reducing the noise emitted by outdoor sound sources provides the most attractive and most effective means of noise abatement. It is unlikely that the outdoor noise level can ever be reduced to such a level that outdoor noise produces no problem. Other methods for reducing the noise level at the facades of noise exposed buildings must be applied. Screening is a useful measure. Buildings used for noise-insensitive activities can be utilized. Earth banks or barriers are other examples of screening devices. Effective noise abatement will, however, not be possible unless land use planning is radically reconsidered in view of its use as a tool for noise abatement.

The airborne sound insulation of glass: part 3

This paper has been published in three consecutive issues of Applied Acoustics. This final part consists of the author's conclusions and findings and the tabulated data discussed in Part 2. A considerable amount of information has been collected which was not previously available in one paper and some areas in which more information is required have been indicated. An empirical equation relating the mean sound insulation of single glazing to glass thickness has been derived but this has not been possible for double glazing. The author concludes that the effects of isolating the panes of a double window and the design of openable double windows need to be examined in more detail. In addition, agreement as to which is the most appropriate method, diffuse or directional sound fields, for measuring the insulation of windows and other facade elements needs to be reached. A standard presentation of results, including full details of edge mounting, panel dimensions, frame construction, the properties of absorbent material used for lining the edges of the air space of double windows and an indication of the accuracy of the measured values ought, we feel, to be adopted. However, the results of laboratory measurements can only serve as a guide. The external sound field, the building construction and the amount of absorption in the room can all influence the effective sound insulation of a completed building. Further studies of the effects of these factors, particularly the first two, are necessary so that they can be taken into account at the design stage of a building. It is important that the sound insulation of windows should not be considered in isolation from the rest of a building. For example, if windows with good sound insulation are installed the internal partitioning should have an appropriately high sound insulation if distraction from internal noise sources is to be avoided. The ultimate success of the acoustical environment of a building depends on the satisfaction of the building's occupants, therefore, objective measurements should be supplemented by subjective studies. The cost of the various methods of improving sound insulation must also be related to their subjective benefits.

The airborne sound insulation of glass: Part 1

This paper is to be published in three consecutive issues of Applied Acoustics. This first part is a brief survey of the theory and practice of the measurement of the sound insulation of glass. In Part 2 the effects of changes in the various parameters will be discussed. The tabulated data supporting this discussion will constitute the final part. With the increase of noise in the external environment more attention is being focussed on the need for better sound insulation of buildings. If high sound insulation is required, the window and its design become important. Although results of sound insulation measurements obtained in the laboratory are not strictly comparable with the values achieved in actual buildings, laboratory measurements are necessary as a basis for design decisions. There is a need for a review of the currently available results of such measurements which this paper is intended to provide. The theoretical aspects of the sound insulation of both single and double panels are briefly outlined but the major part of this paper is concerned with the presentation of the results obtained by various experimenters. Recommendations as to which window construction should be used for protection against a specific noise, such as traffic noise or aircraft noise, are not made, since this would require a discussion of the subjective aspects of noise, which is outside the scope of the present work.

Offices with high sound insulation

Two prototype offices were built from lightweight materials using the “floating box” principle. Measurements show that both the impact and the airborne sound insulation between the offices is comparable with Grade 1 (U.K.) insulation between dwellings. This type of construction is particularly suited to frame buildings where floor loading can present serious problems. Cost analysis indicates that it compares very favourably with other systems giving comparable insulation.