Noise Measurement Results

In January 2021, the acoustical engineers of the company “Akustik Engineering Luckinger e.U.” carried out an acoustic measurement on a building in Vienna, where our Akustik + Sylomer® products were installed.

The measurement was made after a renewal of the ceiling structure in an apartment building.

The ordered product for this renewal was the Akustik GB Nonius + Sylomer® 15 (art. 23685):

Akustik GB Nonius + Sylomer® acoustic hangers are manufactured as standard with a defined Sylomer® density to suit point loads up to 50 kg. The natural frequency at their optimum load point is less than 8-10 Hz. These technical properties provide a high level of noise and vibration isolation in wooden structures. Its metal parts are coated to withstand corrosive environments.

The Akustik GB Nonius + Sylomer® 15 hangers, thanks to its special design, were fixed easily on to the wooden beams. They were assembled with 2x 12.5 mm gypsum boards and hanging at least 180 mm from the wooden beams. The gap was filled with mineral wool.

The acoustical engineers of “Akustik Engineering Luckinger e.U.” carried out an impact noise test with the new hangers installed within the ceiling. The transmission room of the impact noise measurement was a bedroom located on the 11th floor whilst the receiver room was a bedroom located on the 6th floor.

The measurement results show a significant reduction of the impact noise from 57 dB (before the implementation of our hanger) to 48 dB (after the installation of the Akustik GB Nonius + Sylomer® hangers). Thanks to this reduction of the impact noise this installation now meets the requirements established by the standard of the Austrian Institute of Construction Engineering (OIB-guideline 5):

*FIIC = Field Impact Insulation Class

The following diagram shows the comparison of the impact noise before vs after the renewal using the Akustik + Sylomer® hangers:

The diagram clearly shows the improvement after the renewal, where the Akustik GB Nonius + Sylomer® mount has been used as an acoustic hanger for the ceiling.

For the frequencies above 800 Hz, the construction of the exterior walls is allowing transmission and it can be seen the improvement is not significant in this range. To improve the values at higher frequencies, it has been recommended to use an acoustic solution for the walls.

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT

With the aim of improving the university campus, University of Deusto decides for its headquarters in San Sebastian, to add a new Library and a multi-sport room.

As there is not enough space, it is decided to place one on top of the other, leaving the multisport room on the upper floor and the library on the lower one.

The library contains study rooms prepared for work groups. Students require a quiet and peaceful environment in order to carry out such activities.

The multisport hall consists of a basketball / handball / indoor football court, as well as its stands for the public.

Therefore, the conditioning and acoustic insulation had to be optimal to carry out the two activities correctly.

Building of the University of Deusto de San Sebastián.

For this project, the acoustic engineering company AAC was selected, a company placed in Vitoria. To achieve the high acoustic performance, research was carried out and AMC MECANOCAUCHO, as well as other suppliers, was contacted to improve the structural noise transmission.

Layout of the second floor (top) and the first floor (bottom) of the building.

Once the project specifications were known, the AMC MECANOCAUCHO team carried out the necessary calculations and simulations. Important characteristics such as the necessary elastic, mechanical and long life properties were taken in to consideration to fulfil the high level of expectation for this project.

The challenge was even bigger as the mount should enable the maximum possible volume to the room. With this aim, AMC MECANOCAUCHO had to develop a new floor mount that could be embedded into the concrete slab. Based on the standard floating floor mounts, such as FZH+Sylomer®, the mount´s dimensions were modified and a new PU micro cellular compound was added to this mount, a more resilient compound from Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH.

“The challenge was even bigger as the mount should enable the maximum possible volume to the room. With this aim, AMC MECANOCAUCHO had to develop a new floor mount that could be embedded into the concrete slab.”

Acoustic floor mounts FZH + Sylomer®.

ACOUSTIC MOUNTS FZH + Sylomer®

The acoustic insulation of a floor using acoustic mounts FZH + Sylomer® is an antivibration system using specific supports embedded directly in to the concrete. These floating floor Jack up mounts are placed on the lower floor and once in position the corresponding room´s concrete is poured over the top. Once the concrete slab has set, the mounts are leveled by the bolts available in the floating floor Jack up mounts. This process raises the new slab and elastically decouples it from the rest of the building by creating an air gap between the lower floor and the concrete slab. This gap provides a high level of thermal and acoustic insulation to the structure, ensuring it is not passed through to the rooms below.

Distribution of FZH + Sylomer® floating floor Jack up mounts prior to pouring concrete.

Regarding the long life behaviour, this new anti vibration material is based on a similar blend as the one used in tests carried out at the universities of Berlin and Munich, which showed that the elastic properties of the material remain unchanged after 40 years of service in the field. This means an elastic suspension with optimal properties for the entire useful life of systems insulated with this material.

Sylomer® durability tests.

In addition, PU and Sylodyn® materials offer very high chemical resistance, so their characteristics do not vary in the presence of the main chemical agents that affect the performance and durability of other materials used for soundproofing structures.

PROJECT

For the surface of the activity room, the system between the lower study room and the court floor is made up of a layer of compression concrete on a hollow core slab on which the FZH + Sylomer® acoustic mounts were placed. A concrete slab, a layer of EPS insulation as thermal insulator and another layer of concrete as a levelling element were placed on these acoustic mounts before placing the PVC floor layer.

Scheme of the system between the study room and the sports court.

Distribution diagram of the acoustic mounts FZH + Sylomer®.

To avoid the adverse effect that could be produced due to the compressed air between the concrete slab and the building floor, some openings were made in the rock wool of the sides to ensure the correct air movement. This air circulation avoids a spring behaviour from the stagnant air, which as a result increases the natural frequency of the system when it is compressed.

Furthermore, a laser system was used to ensure correct levelling of the slab and a uniform distribution of the load over the entire surface during the lifting of the slab. In this way, excessive deflection of the sides is avoided, which could compromise the stability of the system.

The first result that the AMC MECANOCAUCHO team obtained for this project was that obtained from the simulations carried out with the project data.

For the bleacher area, it was proposed to use a solution using Sylomer® strips under the structure. Considering the total load of the structure and the number of strips to be used, calculations were made and the most suitable soundproofing material was selected from AMC’s range of acoustic materials.

Scheme of the stands of the sports hall.

Since any rigid connection between the room and the structure is a way for the transmission of vibration and noise, in addition to the lower insulation of the floating slab, achieving a complete separation of the room from the rest of the structure is critical in this type of construction. For this reason, an elastic sheet was placed around the entire perimeter of the slab to ensure a cushioned joint between the slab and the wall.

Side elastic joint of the floating slab.

Before carrying out the work, Audiotec, a benchmark company in the field of architectural acoustics and a regular user of the floating floor Jack up mounts of the FZH + Sylomer® range, carried out a theoretical calculation of the sound emission foreseen in the study room. These calculations were based on normal noise emission values ​​in the stands of sports halls with similar characteristics, obtaining good results, but always in the absence of confirmation by means of on-site measurement.

After the execution of the floor using the acoustic mounts FZH + Sylomer®, Audiotec carried out an on-site acoustic test in order to know the provisional soundproofing results of the system. The results obtained gave confidence that when the installation was finally complete the level of isolation would be excellent.

For the installation, AMC wall ties type EP400 were used for the wall surface and type EP600 wall ties for the connecting areas between the wall and the ceiling or the concrete slab and the wall.

This last part is important to avoid the rigid connection between the upper floor and the wall, which would reduce the level of soundproofing in the room due to the structural noise that would be transmitted to it. The wall ties used in this project are made of a rubber base, although they would also be available in a Sylomer® version.

For the placement of the wall ties used in this project, a staggered distribution has been chosen, since an excess of wall ties would excessively increase the rigidity of the structure, reducing the level of soundproofing.

With this, the recommended wall ties distribution for this project is the one shown in the following image.

Recommended layout for wall ties.

The following drawing shows the final construction scheme of the system.

Final construction scheme of the soundproofing system between the study room and the court.

In the following drawing you can see in greater detail the meeting between the wall and the ceiling of the sports activities room.

Detail A. Zoom of the meeting between the ceiling and the wall of the court.

While in the following drawing you can see in greater detail the encounter between the wall and the floor of the same.

Detail B. Zoom of the meeting between the floor and the wall of the court.

Once the installation was complete, different measurements were made to study both the airborne and impact noise levels. To get the most realistic results, these measurements were carried out whilst a basketball match was being played in the building.

Measurements while a basketball game was being played

The measurements with the highest level of importance would be those made between the sports hall and the interior of the library. The airborne noise results for this case are shown in the following graph:

While the results for the isolation against impact noise are shown in the following graph:

Considering that the minimum requirements for acoustic insulation established in Decree 213/2012, of October 16, on acoustic pollution of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country for activities that are capable of transmitting noise to neighboring premises for residential, administrative, health or educational purposes. The maximum impact noise levels would be 40dB, as shown in the following table, so it can be seen that the sound insulation results offered by FZH + Sylomer® acoustic supports are excellent.

The following table shows the impact noise limits, it can be seen that the sound insulation results offered by FZH + Sylomer® acoustic supports are above and beyond the requirements of the norm.

In the same way, the minimum airborne noise isolations for this type of room would be the following, with the sports hall of this project entering the first group:

The following video shows how the installation of the floating floor Jack up mounts has been carried out for this project. As it can be seen and has been said within this text, the installation process is very simple and does not require either a great infrastructure or any excessive machinery.

This project is a clear example of how to combine two opposing activities in a tight space, such as a sports court and a library, where the impacts of the game and the fans of the first could interfere with the concentration and silence of the latter. These constructive solutions may be the future of building, as cities increasingly have less buildable area but the need to provide spaces for different types of activities within the same construction. Therefore, it is necessary to have the best quality and best acoustic supports, in which AMC MECANOCAUCHO continues to be a benchmark.

To this end, AMC MECANOCAUCHO has a wide range of models of FZH + Sylomer® floating floor Jack up mounts with different load capacities, which can be adapted to a wide range of applications. This is achieved thanks to the possibility of using different densities of Sylomer®, obtaining a load range from 140 Kg to 965 Kg per mount.

AMC MECANOCAUCHO manufactures anti vibration mounts and has a team of application engineers to help your installation needs so do not hesitate to contact our technical department if you require help on this topic.

This article shows the tests results of a suspended ceiling for a real world installation when used in a Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) structure.

Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) structures are made of layers of timber boards that are glued to one another. The boards of each layer are oriented perpendicular to adjacent layers so similar structural properties can be obtained in both directions.

In general, timber structures are harder to acoustically isolate due to their lower mass compared to concrete structures. Due to this, the proper selection of acoustic insulation products becomes more critical.

THE PRODUCT THAT HAS BEEN TESTED IS:

AKUSTIK 1 + SYLOMER

The Akustik 1 + Sylomer® acoustic hangers have been conceived for the suspension of acoustic false ceilings, vibrating pipes and machinery that must be suspended. The outstanding properties of Sylomer® microcellular polyurethane achieve excellent insulation values compared to other substrates that use rubber or cork or a combination of both.

These anti vibration mounts are manufactured in three special Sylomer® mixtures to better adapt to the load of each application. A wide variety of fixing elements facilitate their installation and are better adapted to each type of work. Their robust metal parts resist tensile loads of 650 to 1000 Kg and are supplied with an anticorrosive treatment capable of withstanding the most demanding environments.

The natural frequency at its optimal load point can reach values below 8 Hz. These technical properties also provide a high level of noise and vibration isolation when used in lightweight wooden structures.

RESULTS OF THE TESTS

In order to show the acoustic advantages when using Akustik 1 +Sylomer® acoustic hangers in a Cross-Laminated Timber structure, impact noise and airborne noise tests are carried out.

This installation also had to comply with noise regulations detailed in Section 5.1.2 of the Domestic Technical Handbook to the Building (Scotland) Regulation 2004. The relevant criteria for new build dwellings are reproduced in the next table, provided as the design performance standard for the control of sound through separating floors.

The results of the acoustic tests with each configuration are shown below:

SCHEME		DESCRIPTION
		22mm Chipboard 6mm Plywood 15mm Omnie Lowboard heating material + Ø12mm underfloor heating pipes 22mm OSB3 Floating Floor Deck 70mm Wooden battens 25mm Mineral Wool 150mm CLT EGO-CLT-150 Radiata Pine Akustik 1 + Sylomer® 50 50mm Mineral Wool 2x 15mm Plasterboards
Impact noise results - calculated according to Standard BS EN ISO 140-7:1998		Airborne noise results - calculated according to Standard BS EN ISO 140-4:1998
L’nTw: 49 dB	IIC 61	DnT,w: 61 dB	STC 62
Go to the Impact Noise Results Report (PDF)		Go to the Airborne Noise Results Report (PDF)

The results obtained indicate that the sound insulation performance of the tested separating floor construction has complied with the requirements of Section 5 of the aforementioned Regulations, DnT,w≥56dB and LnT,w≤56dB.

These results clearly show how effectively the noise insulation can be improved in CLT structures by using Akustik 1 + Sylomer® acoustic hangers.

Do not hesitate to contact our application engineers for more information on this product

In the province of Barcelona, just 15 km from the capital, is the town of Tiana. In the extension of the public music school, they decided to use materials that were as sustainable as possible and respectful with the environment.

BUILDING DEFINITION

On the slopes of the Sierra de la Marina, for the public institute of Tiana, a new independent building has been added. This will house more classrooms and a dining room for the students from the town.

Despite using a light wooden structure, the managers of the project were not willing to sacrifice comfort level due to structural noise transmission. For this, Acustics Ambient engineering company, with the help of AMC Mecanoaucho designed the suspension of the floating floor with mounts such us Akustik + Sylomer® floor mount.

These mounts are based on Sylomer, a microcellular polyurethane with optimum noise attenuation properties over a wide frequency range, which avoids annoying trouble due to noise transmitted by the structure itself, a very common problem with lightweight CLT structures.

The finally determined construction system for the floating floor is formed by the following materials:

1. CLT 140 structure 2. Akustik + Sylomer® 25 Floor Mount (cod. 23562) 3. Timber batten 4. Mineral wool 30 Kg/m3 - 160 mm height 5. Chipboard 22 mm 6. Finishing linoleum floor

IMPACT NOISE MEASUREMENTS:

In order to evaluate if the noise isolation standards are fulfilled, impact noise level measurement is conducted according to ISO 16283-2.

The measurement was carried out between a classroom on the 1st floor (emitting area) and the dining room (receiving area), one over the other.

The construction system used with the Akustik + Sylomer® 25 floor mount, in addition to meeting easily the insulation values required by the standard, the obtained isolation satisfied the high school's management with a level of L'nT,w (Ci) = 42(0) dB according to ISO 717-2.

Original Report 1 (PDF)	Original Report 2 (PDF)

AMC together to Acoustics Ambient achieved silent classroom to help knowledge growth of the young people of Tiana.

In addition to the vertical adjacent rooms, also horizontally adjacent rooms were tested according to ISO 16283-2. The obtained impact noise values were also satisfying with a level of L'nT,w (Ci) = 43(0) dB according to ISO 717-2.

AMC together to Acoustics Ambient achieved silent classroom to help knowledge growth of the young people of Tiana.

Original Report 1 (PDF)	Original Report 2 (PDF)

INSTALLATION OF THE AKUSTIK + SYLOMER® FLOOR MOUNT

As seen in the installation video, the use of the Akustik + Sylomer® floor mount is simple and fast for rising floating floors. No special skills or tools are needed for the installation. In addition, allows to level the floor on-site and eliminate variations in the structural floor surface.

LABORATORY TESTS OF THE AKUSTIK + SYLOMER® FLOOR MOUNT

In order to show the acoustic advantages when using Akustik + Sylomer® Floor mount, an external technological centre has performed impact and airborne noise tests using many different configurations in light wooden structures.

In the link below are shown the results for every configuration. Based on the obtained test results,an airborne noise reduction up to 26dB and impact noise reduction up to 32dB can be obtained.

Comparative tests | AMC Mecanocaucho (akustik.com)

INTRODUCTION

In August 2022, the acoustical engineers of an external company carried out an acoustic measurement on a residential building in Germany, where our Akustik + Sylomer® products were installed.

An acoustic ceiling has been installed to combat complaints of structure borne noise throughout the wooden construction.The impact noise level requirement of 46dB was not being fulfilled with the existing installation.

THE PRODUCTS TESTED ARE THE FOLLOWING

The noise measurement was made after the renewal of the ceiling structure. The ordered product for this renewal was the EP 700 + Sylomer® 30 (art. 23711):

EP 700 + Sylomer® acoustic hangers are manufactured as standard with a defined Sylomer® density to suit point loads up to 75 kg. The natural frequency at their optimum load point is less than 8 Hz. These technical properties provide a high level of noise and vibration isolation in wooden structures. Its metal parts are coated to withstand corrosive environments.

RESULTS OF THE FIELD TESTS

Main Characteristics

The EP 700 + Sylomer® 30 hangers, thanks to its special design, were fixed easily on to the wooden beams. They were assembled with 2x 15 mm gypsum boards and hanging at least 100 mm from the wooden beams. The gap was filled with mineral wool.

Scheme	Description
	1. Parquet 22mm 2. Screed 45mm 3. Impact sound insulation EPS 20mm 4. EPS plate 40mm 5. OSB board 18mm 6. Grid with gravel 60 mm 7. Nail Laminated Timber 180 mm 8. Mineral Wool 40mm 9. Metal profile 40 mm 10. 12,5 mm thick plasterboard

Scheme	Description
	1. Parquet 22mm 2. Screed 45mm 3. Impact sound insulation EPS 20mm 4. EPS plate 40mm 5. OSB board 18mm 6. Grid with gravel 60 mm 7. Nail Laminated Timber 180 mm 8. EP 700 + Sylomer® 9. Metal profile 40 mm 10. Mineral Wool 40mm 11. 2x 15 mm thick plasterboard

Results

The acoustical engineers carried out an impact noise test with the new hangers installed within the ceiling. The transmission room of the impact noise measurement was located on the 2nd floor whilst the receiver room, with a volume of 38 m3, was located on the 1st floor.

The measurement results show a significant reduction of the impact noise from 49 dB (before the implementation of our hanger) to 41 dB (after the installation of the EP700 + Sylomer® hangers). Thanks to this reduction of the impact noise this installation now meets the requirements established by the customer:

The following diagram shows the comparison of the impact noise before vs after the renewal using the EP700 + Sylomer® hangers:

Impact noise results - calculated according to Standard ISO 10140-3
Report (PDF)

The diagram shows that after the renewal there is a clear improvement in the problematic low frequency impact noise, this has been achieved thanks to the structural isolation provided by the EP700 + Sylomer® acoustic ceiling hanger.

Do not hesitate to contact our application engineers for more information on this product.

INTRODUCTION

You may have noticed that in recent years, the number of gyms has been increasing. There are several factors that have contributed to the proliferation of them. Some of the key factors include:

• Increased awareness of the importance of physical activity.
• Changes in lifestyle
• Technological advances
• Social media and online marketing
• Increased competition

However, it is important to isolate different elements in a gym to reduce the level of noise and vibration that can be transmitted through the floor, walls, and other surfaces. Noise and vibration can be disruptive to users of the gym and can also cause damage to the gym equipment and other structures.

There are several benefits to isolating the different machines in a gym:

• Reduced noise levels: Isolating the machines in a gym can help to reduce the level of noise that is transmitted through the floor, walls, and other surfaces. This can create a more enjoyable and comfortable environment for users of the gym.
• Increased safety: Vibration isolators can help to reduce the level of vibration that is transmitted through the floor, which can improve the stability of the gym equipment and reduce the risk of accidents.
• Improved equipment performance: Isolating the machines in a gym can help to reduce the level of vibration and noise that is transmitted to the equipment, which can improve its performance and extend its lifespan.
• Reduced maintenance costs: Reducing the level of vibration and noise that is transmitted to the gym equipment can help to reduce the wear and tear on the equipment and may lower the frequency of maintenance and repairs needed.

In this context, there was one sports hall located at Paris which received several complaints from the neighbours. Due to that, the acoustic assistance from ECKEA was asked for solving the noise pollution linked to the operations of the sports hall to neighbouring accommodation.

Among the different actions that were carried out, several products from AMC Mecanocaucho were installed in a guided weight machine.

THE PRODUCTS TESTED ARE THE FOLLOWING

These anti vibration mounts have been designed for the insulation of gymnasium machinery:

MPR+SYLOMER®:These washers were positioned under the pads / weights.

TSR FIT: These mounts were positioned under the 3 TSR Fit of the guided weight machine.

RESULTS OF ACOUSTIC TESTS

A noise measurement was carried out before and after the installation of the previously mentioned mounts. In addition, each one was also studied separately to evaluate the effectiveness of each one.

Based on the results, it was possible to comply with current regulations in the case of both installed supports.

See the obtained results below:

Differential: corresponds to the difference between the activity noise level (noise measured in the gym during the activity) and the background noise level (noise measured in the gym without activity).

• GREEN or C: Complies with the regulations
• ORANGE or NC: Does not comply with the regulations

SUMMARY OF RESULTS

Without MPR+Sylomer/Without TSR Fit	With MPR+Sylomer/ Without TSR Fit	Without MPR+Sylomer/ With TSR Fit	With MPR+Sylomer/ With TSR Fit

Feel free to contact our application engineers for more information on these products.