Airborne sound insulation referred to the ‘A’ weighting curve

The ‘A’ weighting curve, drawn from the 56 dB datum, forms a very good compromise between the British House Party Wall Grade curve, and the International Standard Organisation R 717 reference curve. Since the ‘A’ weighting curve is already internationally standardised for noise measurements, its adoption as a reference curve for sound insulation measurements would make for a unification and rationalisation of acoustic criteria.The adoption of the ‘A’ weighting curve would also provide a theoretical basis for a quick test for sound transmission using a sound level meter to measure the overall levels on each side of a wall, of a white noise source. When the received level is measured on the ‘A’ weighting network, any serious adverse deviation of the partition below the reference curve would be shown by the higher overall received level.Suggestions for the revision of ISO R 717 to incorporate this proposal are included.Good correlation is shown between the sound level difference, as measured by a meter, and the revised airborne sound insulation index measured by the ISO R 140 procedure, on one sample test.     

Determination of the sound energy level of a gunshot and its applications in room acoustics

In some cases an impulsive noise source such as a gunshot can be a preferred alternative when investigating building acoustics, including sound insulation measurements, when compared to conventional steady state noise sources. A gun equipped with blank cartridges is an impulsive noise source that is lightweight and small enough to be easily transported. The differences in the noise characteristics between individual cartridges for the same gun are usually small, so the impulsive source can be replicated to a high degree. This paper is focused on the practical application of the sound exposure levels produced by a gunshot with a known sound energy level in the rooms under investigation. In this way, the equipment and methods required by the conventional method are simplified significantly. Furthermore, reverberation times need not be measured, since the equivalent absorption area can be directly obtained from the measured sound exposure levels. Using Green’s theorem, the roles of the sound source and measuring microphone were exchanged, which simplified the determination of sound insulation as it was easier to change the position of the gun than the microphone. The results obtained using the impulsive noise source were in good agreement with those obtained using the conventional method. Above 100 Hz, their difference in any frequency band of interest was less than 1 dB.     

Evaluation of the acoustic performance of classrooms in public schools

This paper presents the results of an evaluation of acoustic comfort of classrooms built according to a standard design. Three constructive designs located in the metropolitan area of Curitiba (Brazil) have been evaluated, two schools built under each of these three designs, in a total of six schools. The acoustic quality of the classrooms have been analyzed based on measurements of the reverberation time, sound pressure level inside and outside the classrooms, and sound insulation. Measurements of ambient noise (external and internal) followed the Brazilian Standards NBR 10151 and NBR 10152. Measurement of reverberation time and sound insulation followed the international Standards ISO 140-4, ISO 140-5, ISO 717-1, and ISO 3382. Results (sound insulation and reverberation time) have been compared with reference values found in the Brazilian Standard NBR 1279, and in the Standards ANSI S12.60 and DIN 18041. Results reveal poor acoustical quality of the surveyed classrooms, for all 3 constructive designs studied. The surveyed designs do not meet the guidelines of either the Brazilian Standards or of the International Standards employed as references.     

微穿孔板和小孔喷注——马大猷教授对声学的特殊贡献

微穿孔板吸声体是马大猷教授提出的一项特殊的设计技术,自上世纪80年代以来被广泛地应用在音质处理和噪声控制中。微穿孔板吸声体是一种无纤维的宽带吸声材料,它不仅能够应用在传统的建筑声学和噪声控制等领域中,更有意义的是它适用于高温、高速气流、高洁净、需要透明采光等一些极端条件下。当微穿孔板后面有一定的空腔时,它可以在低频的几个频程内具有很高的吸声系数。在喷注噪声控制理论方面,马教授根据小孔喷注噪声与其压力和直径的关系,根据人的听觉生理和心理特性,提出了在气流或者蒸汽出口的颈部处设计合适的小孔结构,可以大大减少气流噪声对人的干扰作用可听声频段内的声辐射,降噪量一般来说可以达到20~60 dBA的降噪量。这就是小孔喷注理论。本文回顾了马大猷教授在他学术生涯第二个春天里结出的这两颗硕果——微穿孔板和小孔喷注,关于微穿孔板在声场和声源噪声控制中的声学特性理论,主要回顾和讨论了微穿孔板结构的研究进展及其在噪声控制中的实际应用,以及小孔喷注噪声的主要能量转移到超声波频段内的物理概念,这一概念对现代喷注噪声控制的发展依然具有重要意义。      

Minimum acoustical requirements for school buildings

Present-day schools need to be considered from the acoustical point of view to a much greater extent than the formalised schools of a few generations ago, because of the current increase in noise levels in such buildings.The acoustical design of school buildings requires that the selection of the site, as well as the control of exterior and interior noise throughout the whole building, must be taken into consideration.A method for determining the minimum distance between school buildings and various noise sources is presented.The minimum thickness of various building materials for facades and inner partitions which meets sound insulation specifications is calculated.     

A model comparison of the absorption coefficient of a Microperforated Insertion Unit in the frequency and time domains

The absorption coefficient of acoustic materials can be measured either in the frequency or the time domain. At normal incidence, a sample of the material is fitted within an impedance tube and the absorption coefficient is calculated in the frequency domain from the measurement of the transfer function between two microphones [ISO 10534-2. Acoustics - determination of sound absorption coefficient and impedance in impedance tubes - Part 2: transfer function method. ISO, Geneva, Switzerland; 1996]. When the acoustic material must be characterized at oblique incidence or in situ (noise barriers, for instance) the absorption coefficient is calculated from measurements of the loudspeaker-microphone impulse response in the time domain, both in free field and in front of the sample [CEN/TS 1793-5. Road traffic noise reduction devices - test method for determining the acoustic performance - Part 5: intrinsic characteristics - in situ values of sound reflection and airborne sound insulation. CEN, Brussels, Belgium; 2003, ISO 13472-1. Acoustic measurement of sound absorption properties of road surfaces in situ - Part I: extended surface method. ISO, Geneva, Switzerland; 2002]. Since the absorption is an intrinsic property of the acoustic material, its measurement in either domain must provide the same result. However, this has not been formally demonstrated yet. The aim of this paper is to carry out a comparison between the absorption coefficient predicted by the impedance model of a Microperforated Insertion Unit and the absorption coefficient predicted from a simulated reflection trace taken into account the finite length of the time window.     

Experimental sound insulation performance of double frame partitions with slits

In this paper the influence of slits on sound reduction index of double steel frame partitions with and without mineral wool in the cavity was examined. It was shown that the sound insulation of the partition is strongly dependent on the relative position of the slits on each steel frame. As could be expected, the reduction in sound insulation due to slits is lower in partitions without mineral wool in the cavity, since the effect of slits is more important in the case of partitions with high sound insulation.     

Acoustic insulation capacity of Vertical Greenery Systems for buildings

Vertical Greenery Systems (VGS) are promising contemporary Green Infrastructure which contribute to the provision of several ecosystem services both at building and urban scales. Among others, the building acoustic insulation and the urban noise reduction could be considered. Traditionally vegetation has been used to acoustically insulate urban areas, especially from the traffic noise. Now, with the introduction of vegetation in buildings, through the VGS, it is necessary to provide experimental data on its operation as acoustic insulation tool in the built environment. In this study the acoustic insulation capacity of two VGS was conducted through in situ measurements according to the UNE-EN ISO 140-5 standard. From the results, it was observed that a thin layer of vegetation (20–30 cm) was able to provide an increase in the sound insulation of 1 dB for traffic noise (in both cases, Green Wall and Green Facade), and an insulation increase between 2 dB (Green Wall) and 3 dB (Green Facade) for a pink noise. In addition to the vegetation contribution to sound insulation, the influence of other factors such as the mass factor (thickness, density and composition of the substrate layer) and type of modular unit of cultivation, the impenetrability (sealing joints between modules) and structural insulation (support structure) must be taken into account for further studies.     

The choice of frequency weightings and RT correction for measurements in a simple test for sound insulation

A simple form of test for airborne sound insulation could involve generating a broad band pink noise in the source room and measuring the source and receiving room levels with a meter containing frequency weighting networks. In practice, the actual source room spectrum shape will depend on room absorption characteristics and this could lead to an error. The effect of this has been examined by computer simulation. It is also necessary to make some form of RT correction to the receiving room level and two possible forms have been simulated. The results of the simulations have been compared with ISO 717 ratings.     

Development of a simplified field method of measuring sound insulation

A simplified field method of measuring the sound insulation of partitions within the framework of the British building regulations has been proposed and its development is described in this paper. The selection of the source type and the weighting function for the measurement of the overall sound pressure levels and the effects of loudspeaker and room response are discussed.A simple method of normalising for receiving room absorption is proposed and evaluated. Some results of experiments, carried out both in the laboratory and in field conditions, are reported. The results of this study show that the simplified field method has considerable potential for bringing about wide-scale enforcement of the building codes, which have so far been ineffective.     

Numerical modeling of urban sound fields by a diffusion process

In this paper, we present the numerical implementation of a sound field model used in urban acoustics. The mathematical model being based on a classic diffusion equation for the sound energy, a simple finite difference scheme is applied. We give also some finite difference equations for simple boundary conditions, like absorption by a wall and at building edges. The two-dimensional numerical scheme is then compared to analytical solutions of the sound field propagation in a rectangular street with a good agreement, both in the steady state and in the time varying state. Finally it is suggested that the adjustment of usual softwares for heat transfer could be an interesting and low cost way to develop powerful acoustic softwares for the prediction of noise in urban areas.     

An indirect hybrid sound transmission loss controller

The control of sound transmission through panels is an important noise control problem in the aerospace, aeronautical, and automotive industries. The trend towards using lightweight composite materials that have lower sound insulation performance is a negative factor regarding low frequency transmission loss. Double-panel partitions with the gap filled with sound absorption materials are often employed to improve the sound insulation performance with reduced added weight penalty. However, in the low frequency range, the strong coupling between the panels through the air cavity and mechanical paths may greatly reduce the sound transmission performance, making it even lower than the performance of a single panel in some frequency ranges. In this work, an experimental investigation of a new kind of hybrid (active/passive) acoustic actuator is presented. The idea consists of replacing the acoustic absorption material by a hybrid actuator aiming at improving the transmission loss at low frequencies without altering the passive attenuation. A prototype of the system is tested in a plane wave acoustic tube setup. Different kinds of SISO feedforward control implementations were used to attenuate the sound power transmitted through the hybrid active–passive panel using an error microphone or a particle velocity sensor placed downstream with respect to the sample panel. Measurement results of the transmission loss with active and hybrid attenuation are presented and discussed.     

A review of the metal stud stiffness on the sound insulation of gypsum-board partitions

For the sound insulation of a double-panel partition,the stud between two leaves creates a vibration transmission path,which can often be more critical and more important in the mid-frequency range than the airborne path through the cavity.Owing to the fact that partitions with light-weight steel studs are commonly used in building construction,studies on the sound insulation effect of such studs have been conducted.Especially,a model,initiated by Gu and Wang(1983),has been widely studied during the past decades.In the model,the steel stud is considered as an elastic spring with its cross-section stiffness in the sound insulation index prediction of such a partition.Experimental results of different stud profiles have been reported from different testing laboratories and more information has been gained to understand the stiffness effect of the stud on the sound insulation of the double-leaf partitions.In this paper,the authors have given this subject a thorough review and have concluded that a critical problem needs further investigation on the determination of the stiffness of the connecting elements in the double-leaf partitions.     

Noise from neighbours and the sound insulation of party walls in houses

Nine-hundred-and-seventeen residents in a sample of attached houses constructed since 1970 were interviewed in the course of a national survey dealing with nuisance occasioned by noise from neighbours. The airborne sound insulation of the party walls, measured prior to occupation, ranged from zero to 120 dB AAD. Two-thirds of the respondents heard noise from their neighbours and even at performance levels meeting or exceeding the minimum requirements of the Building Regulations nearly 50% did so. Of the total sample, some 18% were seriously bothered by neighbours' noise. Highly significant relationships were found between physical performance rated in dB AAD (Aggregate Adverse Deviation) and a variety of subjective responses. These include reports of hearing neighbours' noise, of being bothered by it, hearing neighbours' conversation, and, in particular, the direct rating of sound insulation quality by respondents, which last appears to provide the most reliable and consistent indication of the likelihood of experiencing nuisance from neighbours' noise. These results provide, for the first time, empirical validation of the U.K. performance rating procedure. In addition, the survey findings emphasize the importance of impact noises, not included in the standardized performance measurements, but which contribute substantially to nuisance, particularly between houses where airborne sound insulation is comparatively good. Other findings indicate that occupants were very satisfied with their general environment and only slightly less so with their homes. Poor sound insulation was a prominent criticism of the dwellings, being ranked third among spontaneous adverse comments and first in a ranking of nine commonly encountered building defects. These results indicate the importance of sound insulation to occupants of recently built houses, placing this aspect of design and construction within a wider context. The overall results of the survey provide a practical guide to estimating the consequences, in terms of occupants' attitudes to noise from neighbours, of raising or lowering standards of sound insulation performance between houses.     

Effect and importance of static-load on airflow resistivity determination and its consequences on dynamic stiffness

Airflow resistivity is a physical parameter which characterizes porous and fibrous sound absorbent materials. It is well-known that such property allows the evaluation of the acoustic behaviour of sound absorbent materials in various fields of application, including automotive noise mitigation, architectural acoustics and building acoustics. In structure-borne sound insulation, airflow resistivity is essential for the evaluation of the dynamic stiffness of porous and fibrous resilient insulating materials used as underlay in floating floors.However, an inconsistency between the dynamic stiffness and the airflow resistivity test conditions can be recognized. In order to evaluate dynamic stiffness of a resilient material, a static load of about 2 kPa is applied, while in airflow resistivity determination this condition is not explicitly required. As a result, the density of analyzed material, in dynamic stiffness and airflow measurements, is different. Since these two quantities are correlated, it is necessary to measure materials under the same conditions of applied static load.In this work the effects of static load (or density after compression) in airflow resistivity determination of various porous and fibrous resilient materials are investigated, and the consequent influence on dynamic stiffness is discussed. A simply empirical relation between density and airflow resistivity is also put forth.The main focus of this paper is to propose an harmonization among requirements of the Standards in order to prevent significant errors in dynamic stiffness determination and incorrect evaluations of the acoustic behaviour.     

Criticism of statistical energy analysis for the calculation of sound insulation—Part 1: Single partitions

Crocker and Price⁴ employed the method of statistical energy analysis to calculate the sound insulation of single and double partitions. This paper deals with the degree of agreement between the results obtained by this method for sound insulation of single partitions and measured values.In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of this method compared with classical methods are discussed. A comparison between the statistical energy analysis method and classical methods for the calculation of the sound insulation of single partitions is made.     

Measurement of sound insulation with a sound level meter

The present technique for measuring the airborne sound insulation of walls and floors, involving measurements in 16 one-third octave bands, is tedious and expensive. The method provides more information than is needed for most purposes, and is more suited to research.Several investigators have proposed the measurement of the overall A-weighted sound level difference using a sound level meter, with a broad band source of white or pink noise. Consistent results have been obtained but their relation to accepted rating methods such as STC is rather empirical.The reference curves used for airborne sound insulation, i.e. STC and HPGW are very similar to the A weighting curve, and if the latter were adopted as the reference curve, there would be a firm theoretical basis for measurement with a sound level meter. Measurement of the difference between the linear sound level of a source of white noise, and the A weighted received level, would in practice be a test of the conformity to the A weighting curve of the transmission loss curve of the partition. Adverse deviations would show as a higher received level. Favourable deviations would have little effect.A study of practical walls and floors, taken from National Building Studies Research Paper 33, showed that there was good correlation between the sound level difference calculated as if it had been measured directly with a sound level meter, and a proposed rating method similar to ISO R717, but using the A weighting curve as the reference curve. Ninety-six per cent of results were within ±1 dB.The practical difficulties of achieving a reasonably flat transmitted spectrum, and of correcting for room absorption will reduce this precision, but bearing in mind the practical success of other short tests, the proposed test should provide a rapid test which is adequate for approval purposes.     

Calculation of sound insulation of ribbed panels using statistical energy analysis

Crocker and Price employed the method of statistical energy analysis to calculate the sound insulation of single and double partitions. As ribbed panels are used in many structures, for example, in the superficial structure of ships, the application of statistical energy analysis to calculate the sound insulation of such panels is discussed. The results of experiments conducted to test the theory are reported. The agreement between theory and experiment is shown to be satisfactory.