Aku20 - Searching for Optimal Single Number Quantities in EN ISO 717 Correlating Field Measurements 20-5000 Hz to Occupant's Ratings

Invited paper

Christian Simmons

Simmons akustik / Luleå Univ.of Techn.

Wednesday 3 june, 2015, 09:40 - 10:00

Auditorium 2 (592)

Abstract:
The standards EN ISO 717 parts 1 and 2 are used in most building regulations to summarize the sound insulation of building elements or whole buildings as single number quantities in the frequency range 100-3150 Hz, denoted R’w and L’n,w. In recent years multifamily residential houses constructed with lightweight materials, e.g. timber frames or thin-gauge steel profiles, have increased in popularity. It is proposed that the present version of EN ISO 717 sound insulation standards do not correlate satisfactorily to subjective ratings given by the occupants in light weight buildings since they behave differently from a vibro-acoustical point of view compared to heavy constructions. In an attempt to solve this problem, spectrum adaptation terms ranging from 50 Hz were introduced in EN ISO 717 in 1996. Sweden made these spectrum adaptation terms (C50-3150 and CI,50-2500) mandatory in 1999. Nevertheless, it has been suggested in a previous research project (AkuLite) that extending the frequency range down to 20 Hz could improve the correlation between these criteria and the subjective ratings given by the occupants in buildings with light weight floors. In the meantime, surveys based on the COST TU 0901 questionnaire showed that other types of impact sounds than footsteps may cause serious annoyance in concrete buildings, a feature that was not captured by previous questionnaires that asked specifically for footfall noise. At the conference, preliminary results will be presented and discussed, both with the standardized tapping machine and the soft impact source (rubber ball) in ISO/DIS 16283-2. The Aku20-project runs until the end of 2016.

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