Development of a modified impact testing method for simultaneously evaluating multiple floor toppings

摘要

Materials such as floor coverings, screeds, and resilient matting are commonly applied on top of a floor-ceiling (structural) assembly to improve the impact noise insulation. Theory and experience show that the benefit of such materials increases with frequency, with minimal effect below the natural frequency of the resilient materials and the largest effect at high frequencies. This improvement in impact insulation is added to the base performance of the structural assembly. Floor design can involve multiple parameters (finish floor, screed thickness, resilient mat thickness) even from the same manufacturer or product line, and the number of permutations rises quickly. These permutations must also be tested on multiple structural assemblies. The authors investigated a modified testing method where multiple top-side assemblies could be installed on the same structural assembly, allowing for a more efficient testing process allowing direct comparison of materials. The expectation is that airborne and low-frequency impact insulation would be consistent since the base assembly is unchanged, but high-frequency impact insulation would provide the same, consistent result as a full-scale test. Data from the investigation is presented and analyzed to validate the model and document the uncertainties.