Architectural Acoustics

William J. Cavanaugh, Gregory C. Tocci, Joseph A. Wilkes

Santika, Beta Bayu

한양대학교
건축공학과
건축음향연구실
Contents

2.5 Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.6 Special Devices

Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

• Acoustical Deck • Acoustical Foam
Metal deck + perforated steel, backed by absorptive material or entirely of Variety of cellular materials, usually made by Polyurethane.
fibrous materials.

NRC range: 0.50 – 0.90 Open cells – more efficient – excellent absorbers,
If exposed, it can used for spaces, such as gym, factories, workshop, etc Noise Reduction; 0.25 for 6 mm, 0.90 (or more) for 50 mm.

Closed cells – less efficiently, less predictably.

Usually use for applied ringing surfaces.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

• Acoustical Masonry Units (AMUs) • Acoustical Plaster
Like Concrete material units. Distinguish by slots that are open to the units’ Distinguished by its porosity after it dries.
hollow cores. It was intended to create jointless surfaces that absorb sound.

Designed to absorb sound by resonance, more effective when the slots

containing metal septa, fibrous fill, or both.

Noise Reduction coefficient on the order of 0.60 have been obtained under
controlled condition, but field installation usually yield much less.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

• Acoustical Tile • Cellulose Fiber
Ceiling material made of mineral fibers of fiberglass.. Variety of fibers that form the basis for materials such as wood wool and
certain types of fibrous plank and fibrous spray.

Absorptivity ranges from approximately NRC 0.50 for the least efficient tiles to
0.95 for the best (fiberglass) lay in panels.
Suspended – more low-freq absorbtion – than glued-on tile.
Membrane-faced tiles provide less high-freq absorption – than those with
porous faces.
Such tiles are usually made of mineral fiber and backed by sealed coating or
foil – CAC (Ceiling Attenuation Class) ratings about 30 – 45.
Typically tiles: high CAC – lower NRC rating, High NRC – Lower CAC rating.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

• Curtains and Fabrics • Duct lining
Curtains absorb sound if they are reasonably heavy (at least 500 g/m2). Usually made of fiberglass and comes in thickness from 13 mm (0.5 in).
Duct lining absorbs sound and thus attenuates noise as it propagates along
ducts.

Lightweight Curtain – NRC 0.20

Heavy, flow-resistant fabric, draped to half are, may rate NRC 0.70 or more.
*Fabrics attached directly to hard surfaces do not absorb sound

Compared with an unlined metal duct, which may attenuate mid-freq sound by
0.15 dB/m, a duct with 25 mm fiberglass lining will yield 3 dB/m. duct lining
just provide little attenuation in low-freq.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

• Fiberglass • Fibrous Batt and Blankets
Excellent sound absorber. The absorptivity of fiberglass depends on flow Usually made of fiberglass or mineral fiber, with densities ranging from 0.01
resistance, which, in turn, is affected by material’s thickness, density, and the kg/dm3 to 0.05 kg/dm3
diameter of the fibers.

If exposed to the room (behind fabric or open grillage) or a ceiling finish (laid
over perforated pans or spaced slats), it absorbs sound and thus reduse noise
and RT in the room, performance can be as high as NRC 0.90, depends on
thickness and on the properties of the facing.
If used between 2 faces of a partition it improve attenuation, absorbing sound
that transit through the partition’s cavity.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

• Fibrous Board • Fibrous Plank
Higher density than batts and blankets, between 0.1 kg/dm3 – 0.32 kg/dm3. Rigid material, usually made of coarse fibers, such as wood fibers, embedded
in cementitious mix.

NRC range from NRC 0.75 for 25 mm fibrous board to NRC 0.90 for 50 mm
board. Less porous or thinner boards, such as those made of compressed Performance depends on thickness and ranges from approximately NRC 0.40
mineral fiber, are somewhat less absorptive. for 25 mm plank to NRC 65 for 75 mm plank. If exposed to the room, fibrous
plank reduces noise and RT in the room
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

• Fibrous Spray • Insulation (Loose)
Sprayed-on insulating materials, often specified for fireproofing (also thermal) Made of cellulose or mineral fibers, is similar to fibrous batts and blankets,
reasons. except that it can be blown or dumped in place.. It improves attenuation
through the partition.

Performance is highly dependent on thickness and application technique. A

well-applied coat of 25 mm thickness may achieve or exceed NRC 0.60.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

• Laminated Glass • Lead Sheet
Sandwich of two or more sheets of glass with viscoelastics interlayers that Lead sheet is metal made of lead or lead alloy. Lead provides excellent
provide damping as the sandwich is flexed. attenuation per unit thickness because it is heavy (approx. 11 kg/dm3)

Lead is easily shaped to comfort to irregularities, which helps avoid holes in

barriers that must be tightly sealed.

Standard tempered or annealed 13 mm plate glass rates in the low 30s, whereas
13 mm laminated glass may approach STC 40.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

• Metal Pans • Mineral fiber
perforated metal pans, backed by fibrous batts, are alternative to acoustical tile common family of fiber that used in the manufacture of acoustical tile, blankets
ceilings, and also can be used on walls. and boards, fibrous spray, and so on.

Depends on the perforated pattern and the type and thickness of the batt,
absorptivity may range from NRC 0.50 to 0.95. Perforated pans do not
attenuate sound unless equipped with a solid back.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

• Sealants • Slats and Grilles
Nonhardening compounds used to seal joints and cracks in many construction Often believed to have acoustical value, slats and grilles serve only to protect
types. The acoustics value of sealants lies in their ability to render partitions the material behind them (fiberglass).
airtight.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.5 Acoustical Materials

Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.6 Special Devices

• Acoustical Doors
Attenuate sound, rated from STC 40 to the low STC 50, special rate would be
STC 60. An ordinary door without seals rates about STC 20
• Acoustical Windows
almost double or triple glazed (sometimes with space between the panes), often
laminated and of unequal thickness, and the reveals (inner sides of frame) are
sound absorbing.
ordinary windows less then STC 30 to mid 30s. Acoustical windows range from
STC 40 to as high as STC 60.
• Air Springs
custom designed, in principle, an air spring consists of a trapped volume of air
encased in flexible jacket. Isolation efficiencies well in excess of those
achievable with steel springs can be engineered.
• Duct Silencers
Sound attenuator or sound traps, comercially made units designed to fit
rectangular or round ventilation ducts of various sizes. Typically containing
fiberglass-packed baffles, absorb sound and thus attenuate duct-borne noise.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods
2.6 Special Devices
• Elastomers
Elastomers, such as neoprene, are rubberlike materials used in the
manufacture of resilient family of elastic, mounts and hangers of other devices
whose purpose is to avoid rigid contact and thus to attenuate noise or
vibration. The efficiency of the clastomer is related to its hardness (durometer),
geometry, and loading. Durometer typically ranges from 30 (softest) to 70
(hardest). A typical recommended loading for a 40-durometer waffle pad made
of neoprene is on the order of 4.2 kg/cm.
• Flexible Connections
Flexible connections are flexible inserts used in duct or piping systems. Flexible
connections for ducts are usually made of canvas or leaded vinyl (and located
between two sections of metal duct, often between the fan outlet/inlet and the
main ductwork. Flexible connections for other applications include various
types of flexible hose, and flexible conduit. The common purpose of all these
connectors is to create resilient breaks in ducts and pipes and thus to attenuate
vibration that is conducted along these otherwise rigid elements. Flexible
connections are essential in all duct, pipe, and conduit runs between a piece of
vibration-isolated equipment and the building structure.
• Floating Floors
Floating floors is the name given to floor systems consisting of a structural slab
(preferably a concrete slab of some mass) and a second, raised slab, which is
resiliently supported on mounts specifically engineered to attenuate sound. A
well-executed floating floor made of concrete may approach STC 70. Lighter
systems, such as those made of wood, provide considerably less isolation, but
may be useful where the structure cannot support the weight of a floating
concrete slab.
• Functional Avsorbers
Made primarily for large assembly spaces or industrial applications, often in
the form of free-hanging cylinders, functional absorbers combine surface
absorptivity with tuned resonances to absorb sound. In a broader sense,
functional absorbers also include a variety of free-hanging baffles and screens
made of fiberglass insulation and covered with fabric, saileloth, or perforated
vinyl. Performance of functional absorbers is usually given in sabins per unit,
rather than sabins per square foot of surface area. Like absorptive room
finishes, functional absorbers help reduce noise and reverberation in the room.
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods
2.6 Special Devices
• Quadratic-Residue Diffusors
Consist of a series of narrow "wells" of unequal depth, separated by even
narrower plates, giving them a distinctly ribbed appearance. QRDS have the
unique property of diffusing sound, that is, of scattering the reflections over a
wide are at right angles to the wells. Applications include broadcast and
recording studios, control rooms, and wherever specular reflection, as off a flat
surface, is to be avoided. Quadratic-residue diffusors can be made of any hard
material. They can be engineered to work over a wide range of frequencies.
• Resilient Channels and Clips
consisting of an offset strip of metal that acts like a spring have been used to
improve sound attenuation for many years. Inserted between gypsum board
and studs or joists, they can improve performance by up to 6 STC points.
• Resilient Mounts
esilient mounts, like resilient hangers, are used to isolate building constructions
as well as machinery. Typically, resilient mounts consist of steel springs, or of
elastomer or compressed fiberglass elements. Mounts of the latter kind (usually
50 mm tall) are used to support floating floors. Their purpose, if used to create
a resilient break, as in a floating floor, is to improve attenuation. If used to
support fans, pumps, and other machinery, they act as vibration isolators.
• Resilient Hangers
isolation devices designed to support suspended ceilings, suspended pieces of
mechanical equipment, or ducts and pipes. The resilient elements may be steel
springs, pieces of elastomeric material, or compressed fiberglass. Resilient
ceiling hangers, usually used where the ceiling is suspended some distance
below the floor structure, perform much the same task as resilient clips or
channels, but more efficiently; they reduce sound transmission and thus
improve attenuation. Resilient equipment hangers, in contrast, are primarily
vibration isolators; they are a direct counterpart to the resilient mounts
specified for floor-mounted equipment..
Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods

2.6 Special Devices

Chapter 2
Acoustical Materials and Methods
2.6 Special Devices
• Resilient Underlayments
Made of a variety of materials (fiberglass, rubber, cork, nylon) in a variety of
combinations, resilient underlayments are thin (generally 6 to 25 mm) layers of
resilient material, designed for use between a hard (wood or tile) floor finish
and the floor structure. The object is to create resilient break between the two
and thus to improve attenuation, specifically of impact sounds. Improvements
of 10 or more IIC points over bare floor are possible.
• Sound Seals
Sound seals or gaskets are airtight seals made of pliable materials such as
neoprene or vinyl. Such seals are an in- dispensable part of acoustical door and
other similar assemblies that when closed are expected to attenuate sound. The
seals are activated either by mechanical force (by engaging a latch and thereby
compressing the seal) or by magnets, or both. A perfect (air and light-tight) fit
is essential if the full acoustical potential of a door (or other) panel is to be
realized.
• Steel Springs
Generally of the coil type, steel springs form the core of most resilient mounts
and hangers. They can be engineered to provide static deflections of up to 130
mm, although deflections between 25 and 50 mm are much more common. For
comparison, static deflection of elastomer mounts/hangers seldom exceeds 13
mm. Consequently, steel springs can offer considerably lower natural
frequencies, and therefore greater isolation efficiencies, than any other springs
except special-purpose air springs. Steel springs (often in combination with
elastomeric inserts, to reduce high frequency transmission along the coil) are
used primarily to isolate vibrating equipment such as fans, pumps,
compressors, and so on. They are also used in ceiling hangers designed for
critical applications, and occasionally in floating-floor systems
• Sway Braces
Braces include resilient connectors of various designs whose purpose is to
provide structural-specifically lateral support, but without creating any rigid
ties. The insulating medium is typically neoprene or fiberglass attached to steel
clips or angles.