Prediction of Sound Insulation & Impact Isolation of Construction Elements
‘Uses Sound Transmission Class, STC and Impact Insulation Class, IIC values to predict the environment’
This involves assessing the ability of the building components to reduce airborne and impact noise transmission between spaces. The process quantifies and predicts the level of sound attenuation provided by building elements (walls, ceiling, floors, doors).
Airborne Sound Insulation: measures the ability of building elements to block sound transmitted through air (speech, music, noise from mechanical equipment). Sound Transmission Class (STC) or Weighted Sound Reduction Index (Rw) of construction elements are predicted, while taking into consideration the mass, stiffness and damping properties of materials and construction details.
Impact Sound Isolation evaluates the ability of building components to reduce the transmission of footfalls noise. The value of Impact Insulation class (IIC) or Weighted Impact Sound Pressure Level (L’n,w) of floors and ceilings are estimated. Such values take into account parameters like material resilience, mass distribution and structural coupling.
Through this, an informed decision can be made in the selection of materials and construction techniques, in order to achieve desired levels of sound insulation and impact isolation in residential, commercial and institutional buildings.
