Steel % Guide Sound Isolation and Noise Control in Steel BuildingsSteel Design Guide Sound Isolation and Noise Control in Steel Buildings Benjamin Markham, LEED AP Acentech Cambridge, MA Eric Ungar, Sc.D., P.E. Acentech Cambridge, MA AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTIONAISC © 2015 by American Institute of Steel Construction All rights reserved. This book or any part thereof ‘must not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The AISC logo is a registered trademark of AISC. The information presented in this publication has been prepared in accordance with recognized engineering principles. Whi or relied upon for any specific application without c verification of its accuracy, suitability and applicability by a licensed professional engineer, designer, or architect. 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Printed in the United States of AmericaAuthors Benjamin Markham, LEED AP, is the Director of Architectural Acoustics at Acentech Incorporated, Cambridge, MA. Mr. Markharm—as a consultant in room acoustics, sound isolation, and mechs architects and building owners on the desiga or renovation of several hundred buildings, from music facilities to classroom build ings and residential towers. He currently teaches architectural acoustics as a Lecturer at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design: at the MIT Department of Architecture: and at the Cornell University College for Architecture, Art, and Planning. al noise and vibration control—has advised Eric Ungar, Se.D., PE, is the Chief Engineering Scientist at Acentech Incorporated, Cambridge, MA. Dr. Ungar has worked in the areas of vibration and noise, structure-borne sound, structural and machinery dynamics, and stress analysis since 1958, recently focusing on facilities and buildings that accommodate extremely vibration-sensitive equipment or that require high resistance to vibration-related damage or malfunction. He previously taught machinery dynamies and applied mechanies at New York University and earlier participated in atomic weapons development at Sandia Corporation. A fellow and past president of several professional organizations, he isa recipient of the Gold Medal for Noise Control and Acoustics of the American Society ‘of Mechanical Engineers and of the Gold Medal of the Acoustical Society of America Acknowledgments The authors thank the American Institute of Steel Construction for funding the development of this document and for assistance in ts preparation, Minh Tran helped prepare the figures, and other members of the Acentech staff, especially Jonah Sacks, peo vided useful commentary and support. The authors thank Dr. Michelle Vigeant for introducing them to the opportunity to develop the Design Guide, She and all ofthe following AISC reviewers and staff members made significant editorial improvements to the document, and their contributions are gratefully acknowledged, John Cross ‘Cynthia Duncan Louis Geschwindner Jonathan Humble Margaret Matthew I Segui West Preface ‘This Design Guide provides guidance for achieving suitable acoustical environments in steel transmission must be considered for every building under design. This Guide will provide a discuss the tools available o assist the designer in selecting appropriate assemblies to address sound transmission in steel ings. A Glossary is provided at the end of this Design Guide to define terms that may be unfamiliar to the reader. 18. The control of sound ‘of the issues involved at ramed build-CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 ROAD MAP: HOW TO PROC! CHAPTER 3 SOME BASICS . TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. WITHA DESIGN 3.1 NOISE, SOUND, SOUND PRESSURE 5 32 PREQUENCY, SPECTRA, FREQUENCY BANDS 5 33. SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS, DECIBELS . .. 3 34 WAVE PROPAGATION, SPEED OF SOUND, WAVELENGTH. «22. 6 35. SOUND FIELDS IN ROOMS 6 3.6 SOUND PERCEPTION AND METRICS 6 3.7 CONTROL OF NOISE IN ROOMS 9 3.7.1. Sound Absorption of Materials 9 3.7.2. Reverberation Time 10 CHAPTER 4 ACOUSTICAL CRITERIA FOR ROOMS. u 4.1 STEADY-STATE CRITERIA: NC RATINGS. . 11 4.2 CRITERIA POR TRANSMITTED TRANSIENT SOUND u 43 PRIVACY... veel 43.1 Electronic Sound Masking 2 4.3.2 Levels of Privacy and Privacy Metrics. . . 12 cHAPT! SOUND ISOLATION CODES AND. STANDARDS 5.1 INTRODUCTION 15 52 OFFICES 5 5.3 MULTIFAMILY DWELLINGS. ...........15 53.1 National Model Code Requirements... 15 53.2 HUD Guidelines...... 22... 15 54 SCHOOLS .. . 16 55 HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. - 16 5.6 COURTS. 16 5.7 OTHER REFERENCES AND GUIDES .. ... 17 5.7.1 International Code Couneil Guideline 622010... 7 5.12 “Groen Building” Standards and Guidelines: "0 CHAPTER 6 SOUND SOUR 61 64 65 AIRBORNE SOUND SOURCES 19 6.1.1 Typical Interior Sound Sources 19 6.1.2. Typical Exterior Sound Sources... 19 IMPACT SOUND SOURCES... 2.5.20 MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT 20 6.3.1 Converting Sound Power Level to Sound Pressure Level 20 63.2. Estimating Mechanical Equipment Sound Power Levels v.02... ceeeeveeees 21 63.3 Plumbing Noise ‘CALCULATING SOUND LEVELS FROM SEVERAL SIMULTANEOUS SOURCES. . .. .21 SAMPLE CALCULATION: MECHANICAL NOISE IN A ROOM 2 CHAPTER 7 AIRBORNE SOUND ISOLATION . . 25 ray 72 73 CHAPTER 8. BUILDING A 81 BASIC CONCEPTS 25 7.1.1 Transtnission Coefficient and ‘Transmission Loss. 25 7.1.2. Multi-Component Constructions... .25 713 Noise Reduction 25 METRICS 26 7.2.1 The Sound Transmission Class Metric. ..26 7.2.2 Outdoor-Indoor Transmission Class and Other Ratings 26 7.2.3. Ficld-Based Metries of Airborne Sound Isolation 20 CONSIDERATIONS FOR AIRBORNE SOUND, ISOLATION IMPROVEMENT a1 7.3.1. Mass per Unit Area, Stiffness and Damping 21 7.3.2. Separation . 28 733 Minimizing Gaps, Leaks and Planking 28 734 Matching Sound Transmission Through Constructions. 30 73.5 Absorption in the Receiver Space. ... . .30 EMBLIES......2+- 31 ISOLATION OF AIRBORNE SOUND FOR HORIZONTAL ADJACENCIES AND. FACADES. «eee 31 8.11 Metal Stud Walls. 31 8.12 CMU Walls, Combination CMU/Metal Stud Walls, and Shaft Walls. ... 02... 31 B13 Fagades. e200 eeeceeeee eee eB82 83 84 85 CHAPTER 9 EQUIPMENT NOIS 9.1 92 ISOLATION OF AIRBORNE SO\ VERTICAL ADIACENCIES, 8.2.1 Floor/Ceiling Assemblies UND FOR 8.2.2 Suspended Ceilings and Floating Floors 8.23. RoofiCciling Sound Isolation Data IMPACT SOUND INSULATION 83.1 Metrics 83.2 Test Data and Guidelines FLOOR/CEILING ASSEMBLIES ACOUSTICAL DECK. . INTRODUCTION NOISE CRITERIA 9.2.1 Hearing Damage Limits 9.22 Community Sound ISOLATION . 37 37 37 38 38 39 a2 43 45 45 45 45 93 ROOFTOP MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT NOISECONTROL. 0.2. eeees eves. AS 9.3.1 Airborne Sound Throuzh Roof and Wall Structures eee eevee eee AS 9.3.2. Structure-Borne Noise... 2... 46 94 MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT ROOMS. 4a 94.1 Sound Isolation. aT 94.2. Vibration Isolation... 0.22. .0.2..47 GLOSSARY OF TERMS «...s0e0cceeeseeeeees 49 SYMBOLS . ABBREVIATIONS REFERENC!Chapter 1 Introduction Modern buildings must protect their occupants from exces- sive noise intrusion, ensure their acoustical comfort, and provide favorable conditions for listening and communies tion, To achieve these goals efficiently and economically, building designers need to take the relevant considerations into account, beginning early in the design process, and (© purste their proper implementation. Acoustical objectives enter into the design of every building, and recent years have seen increased stringency of acoustical requirements and increased emphasis related to “green” design. ‘The goal of this Guide is to provide the design commu- nity with an understanding of the issues involved and with tools to address these. It is important to note that it is not the material types and the framing systems that establish the acoustical performance of a building, but how the relevant building elements are selected and assembled. ‘Thus, the desired acoustical performance of building can be achieved by appropriate design, while framing and materials ean be chosen on the basis of the usual design considerations, such as structural efficiency, design flexibility, cost, schedule and environmental impacts. ‘The Guide begins with a road map that lays out a logical ‘approach toward achioving suitable acoustical environments in buildings, proceeding from the selection of quantitative goals to identification of noise sources to be considered and to delineation of how to deal with the noise intrusions. Not- ing that no the reader to the behavior of sound and 10 some acousties terminology, together with metrics for the perception and acceptability of sound. The Guide goes on to address crite- ria for acoustical comfort and privacy in rooms intended for various occupancies, including the related codes and stan- dards. After providing quantitative information on widely ‘encountered noise sources inside and outside of a building, the Guide discusses sound isolation in detail including the related metrics, effects of structural parameters and acousti- treatments, the effects of “weak links” such as acous- tically inappropriate windows and gaps at doors, and the isolation performance of wall configuration that are widely used in steel buildings. Finally it deals with the control of noise that the mechanical equipment produces in a building and in the building surroundings. The considerations pre sented in this Guide are applicable to buildings of all struc tural types, but the Guide’s focus regarding some details is ‘on steel structures. ¢ is unwanted sound, the Guide then introduces AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS /12/ SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30Chapter 2 Road Map: How to Proceed with a Design An ideal, logical approach toward achieving desired acous. tical environments in buildings is outlined in this section with the intent of providing general guidance regarding how a design may proceed. However, in many practical situa- tions, some of the steps outlined here may be abbreviated considerably. ‘A rational starting point is to determine what needs to be achieved in various spaces. For example, how quiet does an office need to be, and what are the requirements for a large conference room? Quantitative acoustical criteria for all spaces of interest may then be selected. These matters are discussed in Chapters 4 and 5 of this Guide ‘Next, consider what elements might interfere with achiev- ing the desired acoustical conditions, What sources of intruding noise are there inside and outside the building? Where are loud conversations or amplified presentations likely? What mechanical (HVAC) equipment serves the var fous rooms? Where are impacts from extensive foot traffic expected? Quantitative data on the noise from commonly encountered sources appears in Chapter 6. Once there is an understanding of the salient noise sources and of the spaces of interest, the paths by which the noise travels from a given souree (© a given space ean be ‘considered, and the noise in each space of interest from each source that affects it can be predicted. By comparing the predicted noise to the aforementioned criteria, the amount ‘of noise reduction that is needed can then be determined, ‘Then consider how to obtain the desired noise reduetion tak- ing into account all of the contributing sources and paths. For example, exterior noise can get into a building via the building’s envelope, including its fagade and roof, particu larly through any openings or weak components. Noise can bbe transmitted from room-to-room via the separating walls, particularly via openings such as gaps under doors. Imps sounds from footfalls can be transmitted via the floor a ceiling construction. These considerations are discussed in Chapter 7, and practical guidelines for building assemblies are presented in Chapter 8. Noise and vibration from mechanical systems also nced to) be taken into consideration. Noise from mechanical equip- ‘ment tends fo travel in and along ducts. In addition, this ‘equipment and attached piping and conduits can make walls and floors to which they are attached vibrate, causing these structures to radiate noise much like large loudspeaker mem- branes. These issues are discussed in Chapter 9. AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS /34/ SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30Chapter 3 Some Basics 31 NOISE, SOUND, SOUND PRESSURE Noise is unwanted sound. Sound may be visualized as a propagating vibration of the air. It involves small pressure fluctuations above and below atmospheric pressure; human hearing senses these fluctuations, These fluctuations are referred to as sound pressure. (At 3 ft from a person speak ing normally, the sound pressure is about one-millionth of ressure.) Fluctuations may be produced by irnegulaities in air lows (e., turbulence, chopping or mod- ulation of flows by fan blades, reeds of musical instruments, ‘or human vocal chords) or by vibrating structures (e.g, loud= speaker membranes, drum heads, window panes, walls and floors of buildings). 32 FREQUENCY, SPECTRA, FREQUENCY BANDS Tn a pure tone, the sound pressure varies sinusoidally with time. (See the Glossary for definitions of terms such as pure tone and sinusoidal.) The pressure fluctuation associated with a pure tone is characterized by its magnitude and fro- queney. Frequency, measured in cycles per second (or Hertz, abbreviated as Hz) is simply the number of times per second the pressure cycles from positive to negative values and back again. The frequency of a tone is perceived as its pitch. The ‘magnitude of the pressure fluctuation is related to the tone"s loudness, as described further in Section 3.3. Most pressure fluctuations associated with noise of practi- cal interest consist of a multitude of components with dif- ferent magnitudes and frequencies. Such a complex sound may be described in terms of its spectrum—the distribution fof magnitude versus frequency of its components, Because ‘most complex sounds encountered in practice are made up of many components, it has become common practice to group the components into bands of frequeney and to deter- ‘mine for each band a representative pressure magnitude that is a measure of the total sound pressure of all components in the band, Details of how this representative pressure is deter- ‘mined are given in textbooks [e.g., see Long (2014)] and are beyond the scope ofthis introduction; it sufices to indicate bere that, generally, a greater representative pressure may be expected in a wider frequency band that encompasses more frequency components, Various frequency band arrangements may be used For the aforementioned grouping of components. For some applica~ tions, it may be convenient to use bands of constant width (eg, 1 Hz or 10 Hz), but for the wide range of frequen- cies involved in audible sound, itis advantageous to employ an arrangement of bands where the widths of succes bands differ by a constant factor. In the most widely used arrangement—that of standard octave bands—the frequency ‘bandwidths differ by a factor of 2: the first extends from 11 to 22 Hz, the second from 22 to 44 Hz, the third from 44 to 88 Hz, ete. These hands customarily are referred to by their center frequencies: 16 Hz for the first band, 31.5 Hz for the second, 63 Hz for the third, ete, The standard cen- ter frequencies are the rounded-off geometric averages of the frequencies at the lower and upper bounds of the band ‘Third-octave bands may be used where finer frequency reso- lution is desired; here, successive bands differ by a factor of /2, and the successive center frequencies are 16, 20, 25, 31,5, 40, 50, 63... Hy, 3 SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL, DECIBELS ‘The sound pressure magnitudes encountered in most prac- tical situations range between about 0.000000003 psi and (0.3 psi (or about 0.00002 Pa and 2,000 Pa).* Express the sound pressure magnitudes in terms of their logarithm does away with the tedious problem of keeping track of the decimal places and results ina scale that more closely aligns with perceived loudness. Accordingly, it has become stan- dard practice to work with sound pressure in terms of the sound pressure level, SPL, a logarithmic measure expressed in decibels (dB). The sound pressure level in a given f ‘quency band is related to the root-mean-square sound pres- sure, pin that band as G1 where SPL = sound pressure level, dB. und pressure, psi (Pa) Pag = reference value of pressure, psi (Pa) A reference value is needed because the logarithm can only be taken of a dimensionless number. Because values ‘other than the standard reference pressure cited here may be used in some cases, itis good practice o indicate the refer- ‘ence pressure when stating an SPL value—that is, to write SPL (4B re 20,Pa) instead of just SPL (4B). Unfortunately, + Both US. customary wits and SI nls ar inluded inthis paragraph and fn Figures 3-1 and 3-2 for eetornce purposes. US. customary wis a2 ‘i troughout he remainder ofthe Design Ge AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS /5this good practice is not always followed. If no reference value is given, the standard reference value is likely meant The reference pressure valute commonly used is 2.9 x 10? psi (20 Pa) and corresponds roughly to the weakest sound that can be heard under ideal conditions. Thus, the thresh- old of hearing perception corresponds to an SPL of 0 dB. In contrast, an SPL above 130 dB tends to produce pain in the ear at 300 ft from a jet aireraft taking off, one is likely to be exposed to an SPL of about 130 dB. Note that don- bling of the sound pressure results in 2 6-dB inerease in the sound pressure level: halving of the sound pressure results in 4 6-dB decrease. 34 WAVE PROPAGATION, SPEED OF SOUND. WAVELENGTH A localized pressure disturbance generates propagating ‘waves, much like a stone dropped into a pond generates rip- ples that propagate concentrically from the source—except that in an open volume of air (a volume without obstruc~ tions), the disturbances spread spherically (i.e., in three dimensions), whereas ripples on a water surface spread in too dimensions. As the disturbances propagate further from the source, the energy they contain is spread over a larger area, resulting in a decrease in sound pressure with increas- ing distance. In open air, the sound pressure is inversely pro- portional to the square of distance from the source; the SPL decreases by 6 dB per doubling of the distance. ‘The small pressure fluctuations associated with sound propagate in air at the speed of sound (approximately 1,120 fs). As a single-frequency wave passes a fixed point in space, the sound pressure a that point fluctuates between ‘4 minimum and a maximum. The time between the arrivals ive maxima is called the period, which is equal 10 the reciprocal ofthe frequency. The distance the wave trav- els during the time interval it takes for successive maxima to reach a fixed point (or the distance between successive pressure maxima ata given instant) is called the wavelength. ‘The wavelength, 2, period, J, frequency, f, and sound speed, are related by of suet 62 J = frequency, Hz avelength, fL As is well known from physics, propagating. affected only minimally by obstacles that are considerably smaller than a wavelength. Thus, for example, the transmis- sion of noise at 50 Hz—the wavelength of which is about 20 ft—cannot be reduced appreciably by a 3-t-wide shield, 35 SOUND FIELDS IN ROOMS Unlike in the open air, sound pressure fluctuations result- ing from a localized source in the confined air volume of room generally do not propagate without being affected by the room's boundaries. among other obstacles. Sound ‘emanating from such a source may propagate as it docs in the open air outdoors only until it impinges on a solid sur- face: there it may be partly absorbed and partly reflected ‘The reflected sound wave then suffers a similar fate when it, in turn, encounters an obstacle, and the process is continued. Where many reflected waves cause the sound to be evenly Jistributed throughout the room (as averaged over a sinall voluine of the room), essentially independent of the distance from the source, itis called a diffuse sound field, ‘A sound pressure field is often also characterized relative toa source. In a limited area near a sound source in a room, the sound pressure may vary as it does outdoors, with the sound pressure level decreasing by 6 dB per doubling of distance; the field in this arca is often called the free field ‘or near field. The field in the rest of the room is called the far field relative to the source. The field that is far from all sources is called reverberant, Sound may be radiated into a room not only from local- ized sourees, such as TVs or HVAC duct outlets, but also as structure-borne sound from extended structures (such as floors, ceilings, walls, windows) that may be set into vibra- tion by sources that can be at some distance from the root. Such sources (described at length in Chapter 6) may impart structural vibration directly (e.g., impact sources) or via the air (¢.g.,an audio system loud enough to vibrate the ceiling ‘or walls substantially). Structurally transmitted sound can be ‘more significant than sound transmitted directly through a separating wall or ceiling: itis then said co flank the direct transmission. The transmission (and attenvation) of sound via structures is determined by the details ofthe structure— mass and stiffness, in particular. As such, structure-borne sound behaves differently in different constructions (steel, concrete, wood, etc.) 36 SOUND PERCEPTION AND METRICS Humans of normal hearing are able to perceive sound at frequencies from approximately 20 Hz. to approximately 20,000 Hz, although the onset of hearing loss limits the Uupper end of that range significantly for many people. In terms of sound pressure level, human hearing ranges from approximately 0 dB to approximately 140 dB at mid frequencies (around 1,000 Hz), but our sensitivity to sou and our thresholds of perception vary with frequency. Fi ure 3-1 shows the extent of human hearing graphically, from the threshold of hearing to the threshold of pain, ‘As Figure 3-1 illustrates, humans are more sensitive to sound at 2,000 Hz (where we ean hear sound at 0.dB) than 6 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30we are at 50 Hz (where sound pressure level must exceed 40 dB to be audible). Similarly, audible sounds of the same sound pressure level at different frequencies are not per- ceived as equally loud. For broadhand or mid-frequency sound, a change in SPL of roughly 3 dB corresponds t0 a just noticeable difference in loudness. A 10-dB change cor- responds to a doubling (or halving) of loudness. ‘As described in Section 3.2, typical sounds have a com- plex spectrum with many frequency components. Its none~ theless useful for some purposes to express a sound level in terms ofa single number. Several metrics exist that attempt to describe complex sound spectra with a single value, tak- ing imto account the frequency dependence of human hear- ing. The two most common of these metrics are A-weighted decibels (dBA) and noise criteria (NC) ratings. A-weightod decibels can be measured directly with a sound level meter outfitted with the appropriate filters and weighting functions. They may be calculated by applying ‘a weighting factor (o the sound pressure level measured in each octave or third-octave band and then logarithmically summing the individual weighted levels. The weighting fac- tors, defined in ANSIASA S14, Specification for Sound a 100 160 00 0 100 1600 2000 Level Meters (ASA, 2014), are based on research into sound levels that listeners perceive as being equally loud. The A-weighted sound pressure level has been shown to corre- late well with subjective assessment of loudness For typi Tow to moderate sound levels. (The correlation breaks dow somewhat for very loud sounds like rock concerts and jet engines.) In common practice, A-weighted levels are used to characterize outdoor noise (e-g., in state and local noise lations) and are sometimes provided by equipment man- cturers to describe the loudness oftheir products. NC ratings were developed to characterize background sound in buildings due to mechanical equipment and other building systems. NC ratings are determined by compar- ing measured or expected sound levels against a series of standard NC curves shown in Figure 3-2 by the tangeney method. The lowest standard NC curve that is not exceeded by the measured sound level in a room is the NC rating. The spectrum in the example in Figure 3-2 has a rating of NC 30, as governed by its 250-Hz. value. The specific curves and the tangency method described here are defined in ANSVASA S12.2 (ASA, 2008). A range ‘of similar or derivative metrics exist, but NC ratings are most = aThreshoitof Pain 2500 150 2000 630 12500 16000 20000 Fig. 3-1. Range of human hearing (Zwicker and Fast, 1999; Yost and Killian, 1997). AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS /7% 70 € = & Noes £0 8 Ne-s0 2 4 No-55 2 0 5 8 No-so a 3 No-as 5 40 3 Ne-40 z a 3 No3s 3” é No.20 o0 No.2s No-20 —barple sound spectum to ~ Nos ° 3 68125250 8001000» 2000 40008000 Octave Band Center Frequency, Hz ‘The example spectrum has a rating of NC-30, determined by the value at 250 Hz. Fig. 3-2. Standard noise criteria (NC) curves with example sound spectrum. 8 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30Table 6-1. Sound Absorption of Common Building Finishes Absorption Coefficients, Hz Noise Reduction Material 425 250 00 | 1000 | 2000 | 4000 | Coeticient Wood floor 0.48 on 10 | 007 | 0.08 0.07 0.10 Carpet, on concrete 0.02 oo | or | oar | 060 0.66 0.30 Sein. eypsum board on 35. steel studs, insulation incavity | _°-'8 eee | oot | oes | 908 ons pos “Fin. fabrie-wrapped glass fiber cnet ci oes 0.08 ose | ose | 10 10 10 0.80 in, fabric-wrapped glass bar a eee 029 oe 10 10 10 10 4.00 ‘Suspended mineral fber aes toca 0.28 oso | oso | 075 | ors 078 0.60 Suspended glass fiber acoustic | 9.75 oso | oso | oos 4.00 4.00 0.20 caling tio typical common in practice inthe United States. The principal ut 3.7.1 Sound Absorption of Materials ity of NC ratings is to establish simple single-number crte- ria for mechanical system background sound levels during design; noise levels achieved in the field ean then be assessed against these criteria Both A-weighted levels and NC ratings suffer for their simplicity; because they are single numbers that desetibe complex sound spectra, various sounds that do not sound the same will have the same A-weighted level or NC rat- ing. Further, because the methods are different, two sound spectra with the same A-weighted level may have different NC ratings, and vice versa. Where its critica to understand or regulate sound levels precisely, octave or third-octave band levels or criteria are more appropriate than any single ‘number metric 7 CONTROL OF NOISE IN ROOMS There is an important difference between blocking sound and absorbing it. A bunker lined with thick steel plates may block out noise from the exterior very effectively (thanks to the mass), but it will be highly reverberant inside the bunker because steel plates are highly reflective of sound, not sound absorptive. This Guide is primarily about sound isolation, and absorption can be very helpful as part of a sound isoks tion stratogy as discussed in Chapter 7: absorption between mass layers (Section 7.3.2) can improve transmission loss, TL, and sound-ubsorbing finishes in the receiver room can improve noise reduction, (NR). Sound absorption is impor tant to the acoustical character of rooms as well as how reverberant or lively the sound is. Absorption can reduce reverberation, and in so doing improve the intelligibility of speech in & lecture hall or control the buildup of activity poise in a restaurant or banquet ball All materials can be assigned an absorption coeflicicnt, typic cally represented with the symbol «. The absorption coef umber between O and | that defines the percentage ‘of sound that i absorbed by the material, with 0 represent ing total reflectivity and | representing perfect absorption, In this ease, perfect absorption can be conceived of as an open wwindow—sound will go out and no portion of that sound will be reflected back. Absorption vaties with frequency. A mid-feequency’ aver- age in common use, suitable for evaluating the absorp properties of materials in the speech frequencies, is called the noise reduction coeficient (NRC). The NRC is simply the arithmetic average of the ubsorption coeliciens in the 250-, 500, 1,000- and 2,000-Hz octave bands. The total ‘quantity of absorption provided by a material is equal to its absorption coefficient times its surface area. The product, symbolized by the letter a sin units of sabins. Sound absorption can be measured in a laboratory rever- ‘eration chamber following ASTM C423 (ASTM, 2009, using material mounting conditions defined in ASTM E795 (ASTM, 2005). Materials affixed directly toa substrate tend to absorb less sound than those mounted on furring or oth- cerwise suspended away from the substrate, paniculary at low froquencios. The benefit of furing ean be increased if sound-absoebing insulation is added tothe eavity behind the absorptive finish The absorption coefficients of typical building materials may be found in standard acoustics textbooks e-2. Long (2014) and Egan (1988); consult manufacturer's literature for data on specialty sound-absorbing finishes. Data for par- ticularly common materials are provided in Table 3-1 cients AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS /937.2. Reverberation ‘The amount of time it takes for an impulsive sound in a room to decay 60 dB is called its reverberation time. An empiti- cal formula for reverberation time was set forth by Wallace Clement Sabine at Harvard (after whom the unit of sound absorption is named) ar=00 ¥ o» where RP= reverberation time, § V =r00m volume, ft @ = (otal absorption, sabins A large room with mostly hard surfaces (e.g, cathedral) will have a long RT—S seconds or more—while a smaller room with many sound-absorbing surfaces (¢.., a recording studio) will have a short RT—under a half second. Class rooms have an RT of 0.6 to 0.7 second or less (depending ‘on their size) in order to comply with ANSVASA $12.60 (ASA, 2010) requirements; concert halls typically have an RT on the order of 2 seconds fully oceupied. Requirements for reverberation time may be found in many of the stan- «dards cited in Chapter 5 of this Guide alongside the sound isolation requirements, 10 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30Chapter 4 Acoustical Criteria for Rooms 4 STEADY-STATE CRITERIA: NC RATINGS A variety of texthooks and other references suggest typical limits on interior background sound levels due to mechani- cal systems (predominately) or other continuous and steady building systems noise. Table 4-1 presents some of these criteria Its advisable thatthe criteria applied on a building proj- ect be confirmed by a qualified acoustical consultant; this sticularly critical for performing arts centers, recording wilites, educational facilities and other low-noise spaces. fa 42. CRITERIA FOR TRANSMITTED TRANSIENT SOUND. Except for mechanical noise, noise transmission in buildings typically is transient: speech sounds, residential activity, music, footfall, ete. In some cases, regulations or guidelines that specifically apply to the sound isolation performance of building constructions must be met; these are discussed in Chapter 5. In most scenarios, however, criteria for sound isolation performance of building elements must be deter- ‘mined by taking account of the background sound in the rnoise-sensitive room in question. Even where sound isola tion regulations or guidelines exist itis appropriate to check these for compatibility with the room background noise and likely source levels. Sources are described in Chapter 6: criteria for transmitted transient sound levels in relation t© steady. state ambient sound level are described inthis section. Humans ean perceive certain instantaneous noise (espe= cially tones—sounds with speeteum charaeterized by a par- ticularly prominent frequency component) at levels as much as 10 dB below the steady-state broadband ambient noise Tevel of a room. AS such, the criterion for the maximum sound level of transient sounds in a highly noise-sensitive environment, such as a music space or professional record- ing studio, should be 10 dB more stringent than the criterion for steady-state background sound level—unless the back ground sound criterion is already at or near the threshold of audibilty, in which ease the audibility threshold defined in ANSI/ASA $12.2 (ASA, 2008) Appendix E would apply. In contrast, some rooms can tolerate a certain level of tran sient noise that is audible above the ambient sound. A faintly audible airplane overhead might be unacceptable during a professional orchestra rehearsal but would be unlikely to raw notice or complaint in a hotel lobby. The acceptable difference between the level of a transient sound signal and the background sound level is shown in Table 4-2 for various room usages. Inthe absence of specific sound isolation performance cri: teria (Chapter 5), decisions about the sound isolation require ments of walls, loor/celing assemblies, windows, and other building elements can be made on the basis of an under- standing of the source level (Chapter 6) and the backgrou sound requirements, For example. assume that aircraft fying near a proposed new academic building produces 80 dB in the 500-Hz. octave band at the site. Table 4-1 indicates that in classrooms the background level should be NC-30, while na research lab it could be NC-45. Table 4-2 indicates that intruding sound from an extetior source like aircraft should result in interior noise levels that are ~3 to 0 NC points from the background sound in a teaching environment (say, NC-25), but a more relaxed criterion (0 to +5 4B) is suitable for research (NC-50 in our example). This analysis indicates that classeoom windows and fagade construction should pro- Vide as much as 55 decibels of sound attenuation at 500 He: 80 dB exterior noise minus 25 dB noise criterion equals 55 dB of required attenuation, (NC-25 correspondls (0 25 dB. at 500 Hy; NC levels are named after their values in the 500-Hz octave band.) By contrast, the fagade of the research laboratory need only provide 30 dB of sou 500 Hz: 80 dB exterior noise minus 50 dB criterion equals 30 dB of required attenuation, (The steps of these sample jons are tabulated in Table 4-3.) attenus 43° PRIVACY Acoustical privacy— the sense of being separate from and undisturbed by sound in an adjacent arca—is a function ‘ot just of the sound isolation created by intervening struc tures, but also of the background sound level inthe listener's space. This is because continuous background sound masks ‘otherwise intruding sound levels. The preceding example illustrates the point—a research laboratory with a continu ‘ous background sound level of NC-45 can achieve sufficient privacy with building constructions that provide only 30 to 40 dB of attenuation at S00 Hz, whereas a classroom with a background sound level of NC-30 will require more robust building constructions to achieve the same level of freedom from intruding noise. Itis a common misconception that pri- vvacy equates to quiet; in fact, privacy results from achieving 1 sufficiently low tansient-to-background noise ratio a ‘often benefits from significant levels of steady background AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / 11Table 4-1. Background Noise Criteria (NC) for Various Occupancies Building Types Rooms NC Rating Reference(s) thing ons xo ASHRAE Hanabook HVAC AppicaPons, Gh Residences % (ASHRAE, 2011) Baitooms:kichons | 95 | ASHRAE Hancock: HVAC Applications, Gh. #8 Guestooms,sufes | 20 | ASHRAE Hanatook HVAC Applcaors, ch. 48 votes eeingpanauet [49 | ASHRAE Handbook: HYAC Applicaton, Ch 48 Tobbylsuporisenics | #0 | ASHRAE Hanabook: HVAC Applications. Ch 8 ASHAAE Handbook: HYAC Agpleatos, Ch 4B; 100 Pat fos co | Foss Standards rhe Peis Bangs Service (GSA, 2010) ofce bungs ASHRAE Herbal HVAC Aap Oi: P10: Teleconference rooms | 201025 | Faciities Standards for the Public Buildings Service Soumonaa | ap ASHRAE Hanatook HVAC Applicators, ch, &; P15 Open-pl Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service Perfomance spaces, | SHOW 182" | ansyAsn S122 Amex: "Cea or Recording ecerng sios os reshld ot |S ad Or Low Naso Staton” (ASA, £08) Performing arts centers ® “Acoustical Design of Music Education Facilities (MeCue Rehearsal spaces | 2010s | Acosta Dosen Patent ms, eam | gp, gq | Gudeires or Das and Consucton oan Care rote, doses fies Facies Fl, 201) Tomiingiay | aetwag | ules for Desig and Coon o Fay Gare seme Feces * ‘Multiple-occupant ‘35 to 45 | Suldolines for Design and Construction of Health Care pat cae sees Foes wow seinas | Stes Deane Cision sath Ge cours Gourvoon | 251030 [us cours Design Guo (SA, 2007 Laboratories Research lab* 351050 | ASHRAE Handbook ANSI/ASA $12.60 (ASA, 2010) (35 dBA and NC-30 are senoos asso % rough eruhalon) ‘youn lacitun —— sag | Worship Space Acoustics nr al, 2705 ASHRAE Religious faci rsp ‘toes | Wore S "Depending on communication requirements. Teaching labs should have lower background sound levels than pure research labs, with minimal Se ae 1 Electronic Sound Masking In some circumstances, background sound levels can be increased in a controlled manner to improve privacy by use of an electronic sound masking system. Such commercially available systems comprise loudspeakers and a control mod tule configured to emit a continuous and uniform spectrum of background sound tailored specifically (in most cases) (0 mask speech, because speech and other sounds inthe speech spectrum are the most typical sources of intrusive or distract- ing noise. Electronic sound masking systems may be sui able for open-plan offices (and some closed ones), library reading rooms, and other spaces whore privacy is desired and speech communication is not required over significant distances. 43.2 Levels of Privacy and Privacy Metrics Speech privacy requirements may range from freedom from distraction to confidentiality. Ina large library reading room, freedom from distraction is a typical and reasonable goal; it is acceptable if nearby conversation is audible and even intelligible if one attends to it, but not distracting to a per- son reading or working, In an executive office, in contrast, 12/ SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30‘Table 4-2, Criteria for Wansmitted Transient Sounds Based on Usage Room Usage ‘Transient to Background Noise Difforence (NC points or dB) Critical listening (music performance, sound editing, etc.) and confidential speech “10 (or the threshold of hearing, whichever Is greater) “Teaching, earning, studying “Si00 ‘looping, residential activity “5100 Office work, research “51045 Circulation, waiting, support functions. 351010 Table 4-3, Example Calculations of Sound Isolation Requirement (600 Hz) Classroom Research Lab ‘Stoady-stato criterion from Tablo 4-1 308 4505 Plus transient eriteron from Table 4-2 “608 506 Equals criterion for intruding sound level 25.08 5048 ‘Source level 8008, ‘8008 Minus criterion for intruding sound level 25.08 50 d8 Equals sound isolation requirement 55.08, 20.08) Table 4-4, Rolation of Speech Privacy to the Al and PI metrics Level of Spoech Privacy Al PI Confidential speech privacy <0.05 395% ‘Normal speech privacy, closed office 015 85% ‘Normal speach privacy, open pian <020 > 80% ‘Marginal or poor speech privacy <0.20 >70% No speech privacy > 030 70% ‘one typically expects confidentiality—speech in such spaces ‘must not be intelligible in adjacent spaces, and if audible. only very faintly so. In certain highly sensitive circum- ies, an even higher level of privacy is required, such as security Several metrics exis to characterize speech privacy or its inverse, speech intelligibility. These include articulation index, the privacy index (ASTM, 2008), sound transmission index (IEC, 2011), speech intelligibility index (ASA, 2012), and others. Articulation index (AT) ranges from 0.0 (total privacy) to 10 (perfect intelligibility); privacy index (PI) is simply equal to 1 ~ Al, expressed as a percentage, rang- ing from 0% (perfect intelligibility) to 100% (total privacy). AT values are calculated by taking a weighted sum of third- ‘octave band signal-to-noise (transient-to-background) ratios, Various textbooks and references [e.g., FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities (FGI, 2010)] have related these metrics to levels of speech privacy, as described in Table 4-4 Speech privacy in closed rooms can be achieved by pro- Viding intervening structures that are highly sound isolating ‘or by use of structures with limited (but nonzero) sound iso- lation performance and adding sufficient background sound. Guidelines for sound-isolating constructions are presented in Chapter 7 of this Guide. Inthe open plan, speech privacy can be achieved by using a combination of sound-absorbing ceiling finishes, barriers between sources and listeners, and ‘elevated background sound (sound masking). Sound absorp- tion (not to be confused with the blockage of sound trans- mission through a construction) is discussed in Section 3.7 AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / 1314/ SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30Chapter 5 Sound Isolation Codes and Standards S11 INTRODUCTION Chapter 4 described an approach to determining sound isola- tion requitements based on background sound criteria and privacy requirements. This chapter describes requirements for sound isolation performance of building elements stip- ulated in building codes, federal or state regulations, and standards, ‘Sound isolation eriteria are typically expressed in terms of sound transmission class (STC) and impact insulation class IC) ratings. STC is a laboratory measure of how much air- borne sound a structure blocks; IIC is an analogous measure of insulation of noise resulting from impact, such as footfalls fon structures. Because these metries pertain only to labora tory measurements, some standards and regulations also ref- erence in-situ metrics, including noise isolation class (NIC), normalized noise isolation class (NNIC), and normalized impact sound rating (NISR). For the attenuation of exterior noise, some references also use outdoor-indoor transmission class (OITC), a metric similar to STC but with a slightly ferent frequency content that more realistically characterizes sound transmission blocking of building facades. These met- rics are discussed in greater detail in Chapter 7 ofthis Guide. 5.2 OFFICES ‘The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) document P-100, Facilites Standards for the Public Buildings Service (GSA, 2010), defines a range of acoustical criteria for GSA offices. The document includes background sound level requirements, requirements for the use of sound-absorbing surfaces, and sound isolation criteria for walls and floor! ceiling assemblies. Unlike most references discussed in this chapter, which rely on laboratory-based STC values, the GSA stipulates minimum NIC requirements as shown in Table 5 ‘The P-100 standard goes on to recommend specific wall constructions that typically meet the NIC requirements shown in Table 5-1; these guidelines are summarized in Chapter 7. 5.3.1 National Model Code Requirements The International Building Code (IBC) (ICC, 2015) requires “walls, partitions, and floorfesiling assemblies separating dwelling units from each other or from public or services areas” to mest a minimum of STC 50, or 45 if fieklested. ‘The requirement applies to resident-corridor walls but not to unit entrance doors. Further, it requires that loor/ceiling assemblies meet a minimum IIC 50, or 45 if field tested, In practice, designers compare building constructions to published laboratory-measured STC and IIC ratings of lar assemblies or rely on a qualified acoustical consultant STC and IC ratings of assemblies have been published by sound isolation procluct manufacturers and the Califor- hia Department of Health Services Office of Noise Control (DuPree, 1981). DuPree (1981) is the “Catalog of STC and IC Ratings for Wall and Floor/Ceiling Assemblies” and is ‘no longer maintained by the State of California, but iis still ‘useful reference for certain assemblies. Additionally, some building trade organizations and others have published STC and TIC ratings of assemblies: examples and guidelin also given in Chapter 7 of this Guide. Some published data tare also obtained from tests on mock-ups or during building ‘commissioning 2 HUD Guidelines ‘The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published “A Guide to Airborne, Impact, and Struc ture Borne Noise-Control in Multifamily Dwellings” in 1967 (Berendt et al., 1967). Although no longer maintained by HUD, this document continues to be a standard reference in the industry. It defines STC and LIC eriteria for three grades of residences, ranging from luxury buildings and buildings in quiet areas (Grade 1) to minimal requirements (Grade I), ‘The latter have mostly been superseded by minimum code requirements (sce Section 5.3.1). The requirements are based on adjacencies; a bedroom adjacent to a bedroom in tn abutting residence has a different eriterion from a kitchen adjacent to an abutting kitchen, for example. For Grade 1, criteria range mostly from STC 55 to STC 60, depending on the adjacency, and from IIC 55 to IIC 65, again depending on the adjacency. A Family room above a bedroom has the most stringent criteria (STC 60 and IIC 65): living room above a living room should achieve STC 55 and IIC 55, and stacked ‘cortidors need only meet STC S0 and IIC 50. HUD also published an exterior noise guidebook (HUD, 2009), which is used to regulate site selection of HUD-funded projects. The document establishes criteria for exterior noise levels and a standard method for ealculat- ing them based on proximity to aitpors, railways and high- ways, Ifthe calculated exterior noise levels exceed certain thresholds, HUD stipulates. sound isolation performance AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / 15Table 5-1. Sound Isolation Criteria in GSA P-100" ‘Space Minimum Sound Isolation (NIC) Teleconference facility 93 ‘Meeting rooms, training facilities 48 Private officas— confidential privacy 45 Private offices—normal privacy 40 Private offices normal privacy, low voice level at Child care center at carrmarid tom GGAP 100 DI 3.2 (GEA S010, Table 6-2, Sound Isolation Criteria TRANSV/ASA S12,60—Part ‘Space Adjacent to a Core Learning Spaco Minimum Sound Isolation (STC) “Another core learning space, therapy room, health ‘equipment room, cafeteria or gymnasium care room or another space requiring acoustical 50 privacy ‘Common-use and public-use tot room 33 Corridor (not including the Goon, star, office or a5 Conference room ‘Music room, performance space, mechanical 0 © samnmanad rom ANSVASA S120 Table 4 ASA AOD, requirements for building envelope constructions in order to achieve a certain maximum interior sound level. Under most cumstances, the building envelope is required to provide an average attenuation of 25 dB to 30 4B. 54 SCHOOLS The definitive standard for acoustical performance of class- rooms and other spaces in schools is ANSVASA $12.60 (ASA, 2010). In addition to indicating background noise cri- teria (cited in Table 4-1), ANSUASA $12.60 mandates mini ‘mum sound isolation criteria These include OITC criteria of walls with and without windows ranging from OITC 30 on ‘a quiet site to OFTC 50 on the noisiest permissible sites, and STC ratings for wall and flooriceiling assemblies that sepa- rate core learning spaces from adjacent spaces, as shown in Table 5-2, ‘The Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Schools guideline (USGBC, 2009) and the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) stan- dards (NEEP, 2014) also contain guidelines for school sound isolation performance. These guidelines reference ANSW ASA S12.60 but, in certain cases, deviate slightly from the ANSI standard HEALTH CARE PACILITIES ‘Tho Facilitios Guidelines Institute Guidelines for Design ‘and Construction of Health Care Facilities document (FGI, 2010) includes criteria for sound isolation performance between enclosed rooms (in terms of STC ratings) as well as criteria for speech privacy for both enclosed and open- plan spaces. The speech privacy criteria are stated in terms ‘of PI, AI, spesch transmission index and speech interference index, but essentially stipulate normal privacy in open-plan spaces and have criteria for both normal and confidential speech privacy in enclosed spaces that conform to Table 4-4 of this Guide. The sound isolation performance design criteria are sum- ‘matized in Table 56 COURTS ‘The U.S. Courts Design Guide (GSA, 2007) stipulates back- ground sound requirements (cited in Table 4-1) as well as noise isolation requirements. Like the GSA P-100, these criteria are stated in terms ofthe field-hased noise isolation class (NIC) rating. Highlights from these requirements are 16 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30Table 5-3, Sound Isolation Griteria in FGI ‘Adjacency Minimum Sound Isolation (ST¢) Patient room Patient room (same floor) 50 Patient room Patient room (above/below) 53 Patiant room Public space 50 Patiant room Service area 60 NIGU Patient room or corridor 50 Exam room Public space 50 “Treatment room Room 50 “Consultation room Public space or pallant roam 50 MRI Room Pationt or exam room 60 MRI Room Public space 50 Exam room Exam room (no electronic masking) 50 Exam room Exam room (with electronic masking) 40 Pallant room, exam room, Wealmant enababealneseiani Corridor (with closed door) 35 * Sunmanzsa wom Gunes basign ard Gorctucton of Heath Cav Faces Tae 12-5 FGI 2010) Courts Design Guide® Minimum Sound Isolation (NIC) Courtroom 55 t0 60 ‘Judge's chambers 50 Witness room 55 Most offices 35 todd “Tal jury suite or grand jury hearing room 70 Interview rooms, certain ofices requiring 55 confidential speech privacy S Sumarzoa wom te US. Cals Design Gude Table 142 SA 2007) 87 57.1 OTHER REFERENCES AND GUIDES International Code Council Guideline G2-2010 The International Code Council (ICC) developed the “Guide- line for Acousties” which is applicable to a wide range of| commercial and multifamily buildings (ICC, 20103). The suideline includes both acceptable and preferred criteria and states the criteria both in terms of feld-ested ratings and laboratory-tested ratings. No dstinetions are made based on adjacency or room usc—the same preferred and acceptable criteria are applied tall adjacencies, which init the pract cal utility of the guideline. The ICC guidelines are summa. rized in Table 5-5. AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLi A Standard forthe Design of High-Performance Green Build- ings, Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (ASHRAE, 2014) includes a number of acoustical criteria for interior sound isolation as well as sound isolation of the building ‘envelope for buildings on noisy sites or near significant noise sources. The ctiteria, in Section 8.3.3 of the standard, are consistent with those summarized elsewhere in this sec- tion—residemtial criteria are equivalent to the International Building Code requirements, and criteria for school class= rooms are consistent with ANSVASA 12.60. Similarly, the International Green Construction Code (WCC, 20100) ATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / 17"Table 5-5. Sound Isolation Griteria in “Guideline for Acoustios™ ‘Sound Isolation Metric ‘Acceptable Performance Preferred Performance ‘Airborne, fel tested (NNIC) 52 57 ‘Airborne, lab tested (STO) 55 © Impact, fe tested (NISR) 32 57 Impact, lab tested (10) 35 0 = Sammars ym Gael fr Assi Taleo 2 (S520) includes sound isolation criteria as well. Section 807.4 stipulates background sound criteria (broadly consistent with ASHRAE and other sources) and also requires 1 mini- ‘mum of STC 60 around mechanical or emergency generator equipment rooms. ‘The U.S. Green Building Council has published several LEED guidelines, and many of these reference acoustical criteria. The LEED 2009 for Schools New Construction and ‘Major Renovations (USGBC, 2009) includes sound iso- lation eiteria that references ANSVASA $12.60 as part of an enhanced acoustical performance credit. LEED Refer- ence Guide for Green Building Design and Construction: Healthcare Supplement with Global ACPs (USGBC, 2009a) includes a credit for an acoustical environment that refer- ‘ences FGI (2010). LEED BD+C (vd) (USGBC, 2013) includes an “acoustic performance” credit that applies to new construction projects and highlights a range of cal criteria including sound isolation criteria. Ifa project is slated to meet green building standards or credits, the lan- guage of these credits should be carefully reviewed. 18 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30Chapter 6 Sound Sources 6.1 AIRBORNE SOUND SOURCES. In this section, the sound levels of various typical sound sources ave presented in order to enable the reader to deter- mine criteria for sound isolation performance of building constructions following the approach described in Chap- ter 2. References are cited in case the reader requires more detailed spectral information, 6.1 Typical Interior Sound Sources ‘The sound levels and spectra of speech are standardized in ANSI/ASA S35 (ASA, 2012), Methods for Calculation of the Speech Inteligibilty Index. Four levels of vocal effort are standardized: normal, raised, loud and shout. The aver- age male speech peaks at mid-Frequencies (500 to 1,000 H) for normal, raised, loud and shouting speech are roughly 54 dB, 61 dB, 67 dB and 75 dB, respectively, measured 3 ft from the source. The normal and raised levels at in standard ing for speech privacy in offices and health care ies and asa reference for residential sound isolation Large gatherings of people ean, of course, hocome much louder than a single talker. The authors have measured the SPLof cocktail partes runging from 75 dBA to over 85 GBA. The level depends on crowd size and density. as well a oom volume and the presence o absence of sound-absorbing fin- ishes, Lively restaurants (often playing background music) can exceed 85 dBA, and bars and nightelubs can excced 100dBA, ‘The sound levels of unamplified musical instruments ‘ary significantly but for most design purposes, assume that the SPL produced in appropriately sized rooms for music practice, rehearsal and performance is in the range of 90 0 95 dBA when ensembles suitable for those rooms are play- ing at nearpeak loudness. Ata distance of Sf in open ais, a Solo piano at fortissimo is at 90 dBA: at mezz0-piano! smezzo-forte the piano is roughly at 80 dBA and at pianis- simo, about 73 dBA. Levels ar hishest between 125 Hz and 500 Hr, with the unweighted levels in those octave bands roughly equal to the overall A-weighted levels: SPL tapors of above 1,000 Hz. A violin at fortissimo is roughly at 92 BA (with more energy in higher-frequency bands than the piano). Sound evel measurements of fortissimo passages in individual practice rooms (one musician), large concert halls (100 orchestral musicians) and recital halls (at most, 30 musicians) all hover around 90 dBA rooms that are sub- jectively to0 small forthe size of the performing ensemble can be upwards of 5 ABA louder. The problem af excessive Joudness is most acute in low-ceilinged rehearsal rooms with insufficient sound-absorbing treatments and overly large ‘ensembles; in the worst cases, rooms ean exceed 105 dBA (Pirn, 1973). ‘The loudness of amplified sound is quite variablo—tyy cal television usage may be only slightly louder than typi cal speech, while indoor pop music venues can exceed 110 dBA. Amplified music often contains significantly more low-frequency sound energy than unamplified music, and this is more difficult to isolate. Designing sound isolation for very loud sources—such as amplified music venues, nightclubs, and the like—typically requires thorough sou level measurements of the specific Ficility to characterize the source level and sometimes requires imposition of sound level limits 6.1.2 Typical Exterior Sound Sources Fordesign of building fagades for sound isolation, one needs to know the exterior noise levels at the building site. For noise-sensitive buildings ora sites with high levels of amt ‘ent noise (typially due to proximity fo major transportation infrastructure or to industrial facilities), onsite sound level measurements are needed because exterior noise levels can vary significantly. For more typical applications, an approxi- imation of likely site sound level may be sufficient. ‘A variety of tools are available to estimate noise exposure from aircraft, road and rai. These include the Federal Hig way Administration (FHWA) traffic noise model (TNM), a software application used to predict noise exposure from highways that is required to be used forall federally funded highway projects. Similarly, the Federal Aviation Associa- tion's integrated noise model (INM) is used to predict noise in areas surrounding airports and heliports. Many airports publish noise contour data (maps of noise levels surrounding ‘the airport) that are based on the INM. In addition to these, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a noise assessment calculation method- ‘ology for predicting noise at a proposed building site with proximity to highways, rail or airports; noise analysis using the HUD calculation procedures is required for HUD-funded projects. variety of commercially available software pack- ages also exist with more sophisticated modeling options (in many cases extensions of TNM andl INMD. ‘These models and procedures project day-night average noise levels (ij) —a daily averaged A-weighted sound level that places a 10-dB penalty on noise exposure at night. HUD bases its recommendations for exterior sound isolation on the criterion that imterior residential space should not exceed Lin 4S, Residences and schools within the Lain 65 contour AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / 19surrounding airports may qualify for certain federally funded sound isolation programs: new residences or schools within these areas typically must demonstrate that building envo- lopes are designed to achiove no greater than [qe 45 indoors. For other facilities, sound isolation criteria may be based on peak or 10th percentile noise levels rather than daily aver- ages; some of the software-based modeling programs can predict these statistics. Levels from transportation sources depend on the type of | vehicles, their speed, the frequency of the pass-bys, the type of the condition of the surface (in the case of highway and rail noise), and the distance and topography (including pres- ence or absence of barriers) between the site and the noise source. For very long trains and for highway sources in par- ticular, sound levels tend to fall off at arate of 3 4B per dou- bling of distance rather than the 6 dB per doubling described in Section 3.4; this is because a highway source is a line source ruther than a point source and, as such, radiates sound cylindrically rather than spherically. ‘An individual diesel locomotive will produce up to 75 dBA at idle and up to 90 dBA at full load at a distance of 100 ft. The A-weighted sound level of a freight train fon straight unwelded track at a distance of 100 ft may be approximated by: tye asso wn where Ly =A-weighted sound level at 100 ft from the track, apa, V. =train speed, mph Further estimates of train noise ean be Found in Bender etal. (1974) or by using the HUD train noise estimation procedure. A few rules of thumb can aid a basic understanding of highway noise: ‘+ A truck is roughly as loud as 32 cars. + There is roughly a 10-dB increase with a 10-fold increase in traffic volume; that is, 2,000 cars per hour is roughly double the louciness of 200 cars per hour, + Traffic at 55 mph is about twice as loud (10 dB higher SPL) as waft at 15 mph. ‘A medium-sized truck at 55 mph at 50 ft away on a tradi- tional road surface produces about 80 dBA. ‘The FHWA has set a criterion of 70 dBA for 10th percentile exterior noise levels a residential property (FHWA, 2010) 62 IMPACT SOUND SOURCES The most common impact sound source is footfall associ- ated with people walking. Other common sources include rolling cars, floor impacts in fitness centers or gymnasiums, and rain, Sound levels resulting from impact sources are difficult to predict and can vary widely. For example, sound levels «due to footfall vary with walker weight and stride, shoe type and floor/eeiling assembly details. A process for converting mpact insulation class (IIC) ratings of floorlceling assem- blies into SPL in the receiver room is presented in Warnock (1992). Warnock found that the footfall of a typical walker wearing leather-sole shoes with rubber-tipped heels pro- «duces about $5 dBA in the room below a floorceiling assem- bly that achieves IIC 45, Inmost cases, criteria for insulation from impact noise are ‘based on those summarized in Chapter 5 of this Guide. In ‘cases of more extreme impact sources (e.g, fitness centers), in-situ measurements of impact sound levels at existing or ‘comparable facilities are needed to determine the extent of required impact isolation. Rain impact noise on lightweight metal roof decks varies with the intensity of the downpour and can range from 40 dBA to nearly 80 dBA if the roof? ing assembly is not treated. It extends over a wide fre- ‘quency range, with peak levels typically between 250 and 500 Hz. Roof assemblies to adress rain noise are described in Chapter 7. 63M HANICAL EQUIPMENT Noise from mechanical equipment often is a critical com- ponent requiting sound isolation, Por most major builds HVAC equipment, noise data can be obiained from man factusers. Such data are typically either measured directly in certified Inboratories or calculated or extrapolated from other data. Measured data are most reliable; data that have been calculated or extrapolated can sometimes vary from tctual conditions by as much as 10 dB oF more in eritical ‘octave bands. When making sound isolation design de sions based on equipment noise data itis important to verify the origin of the noise data. 6.3.1 Converting Sound Power Level to Sound. Pressure Level ‘The data provided by manufacturers are typically given in terms of sound power rather than sound pressure. The di ference is analogous to the difference between the wattage sity (eg., in lumens or foot- candles) at a given distance. In the open ait, if the source is sitting on a flat plane (e.,, the earth oF a rooftop), sound will radiate hemispherically, and sound power level (often, abbreviated PWL or Ly) and sound pressure are related by: SPI PWL=10log(2nd”)+10.3 62) where SPL. = sound pressure level, dB PIL = sound power level, dB a tance from the source, ft 20 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30(The constant factor 10.3 dB in this equation is simply a unit correction; this correction factor is 0 dB if d is in meters.) The equation is based on the surface area of a hemisphere (2nd*y; the PWL of sources with other directivity patterns can be converted to SPL using a similar function based on the surface area of the particular sound radiation pattern, Indoors, the conversion from PWL. to SPL. depends not only on distance from the source, but also on the characteristic of the room and a source directivity factor (e.g, whether the source is in the middle of the room or in a corer), per Equa- tion 6-3: a And? iivne(2e+4}oi08 ay irectvity factor for a source on a flat surface =4 fora two-surface corner for a three-surface comer room constant, f, given by Equation 6-4 4 total acoustic absorption, sabins erage absorption coefficient, equal to a divided by the total room surface area Sound absorption (a and @ is discussed in Section 3.7 of this Guide, 6.32. Estimating Mechanical Equipment Sound Power Levels If noise data from the manufacturer are not available or not reliable, estimates of noise levels of various equipment (efiigeration equipment, air handling equipment, heating equipment, cooling towers, pumps, engines, generators. and transformers) can be found in Miller (1980), Long (2014) and other noise control textbooks. The following surmmary table of approximate sound level data represents relatively conser- vative (high) estimates of mechanical equipment noise: per Miler, 80 to 90% of mechanical equipment will be of equal or lesser SPL than the values presented in Table 6- In addition to airborne noise generated by mechanical equipment, secondary noise generated in roof decks or other structures by equipment vibration can be a significant source of noise. Chapter 9 of this Guide includes guidelines for the control of both noise and vibration of mechanical equipment. Noise in ducted air systems results from fans, fan coil ‘nits, variabl boxes and other terminal boxes, and turbulence in the airflow (associated with airflow velocity, duct geometry and disturbances in the airstream caused by dampers, grilles, registers and diffusers). The pre- diction and control of noise in duct systems is beyond the scope of this Guide; the reader is referred to the ASHRAE Handbook: Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Applications, Chapter 48, “Noise and Vibration Control” (ASHRAE, 2011), for a fairly comprehensive treatment of the subject. 6.3.3 Plumbing Noise Plumbing can generate significant noise when pipes are rigidly mounted to walls and other building structures that reradiate the pipe vibrations as audible sound. Depending fon the water pressure and the manner in which the pipe is mounted, supply piping can generate between 30 an 55 dBA. Corresponding to water and eflluent flow through plastic (e.g., PVC) waste pipes, levels as high as 60 to 65 dBA have been measured in residences below the source Cast iron waste pipes can avoid this issue, and flexible decoupling and heavy pipe lagging can be used to address ‘existing noise problems associated with plastic pipes. 64 CALCULATING SOUND LEVELS FROM SEVERAL SIMULTANEOUS SOURCES To obtain the total sound levels associated with muktiple sources (€.g., multiple pieces of equipment in a mechat cal room or multiple exterior noise sources), add the sound pressure of sound power. Recalling that levels expressed in decibels are unitless logarithms of actual sound pressure (or power) divided by a reference value, decibel levels cannot be added arithmetically. One option for adding SPL or PWL values is to convert the quantities from decibels to basic units (e.g., pressure squared or power), then add result values and take 10 times the log of the sum. A simpler pro- cess isto use Table 6-2: to add two decibel quantities, simply lake the numerical difference between the two and add the ‘corresponding value from the table to the greater of the two, For example, if tis determined that the SPL ina mechan- room is 80 dBA due to one of two identical air han- ling units in the space, the total SPL. ean be found using ‘Table 6-2: the difference in level between the two sources is 0 dBA (80 dBA — 80 dBA = 0 dBA), and thus we add 3 dB to the louder source to find the total level in the room is 83dBA, The process using Table 6-2 can be repeated to ot the level corresponding to multiple sources. The calculated resull may vary by 1 or 2 dB, depending on the order of oper- ation, but this variation generally is not significant, Where greater precision is required, add the values logarithmically as described in the preceding text. AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / 21‘Table 6-1. Sound Power Level (PW1) Estimates for Common Mechanical Equipment Equipment ‘A-Welghted PWL ‘Spectral Characteristics Chillers with reciprocating ‘97 BA (under 20 tons) to ‘Significant SPL throughout the audible range: comprassors 4103 dBA (aver 80 tons)* (greatest in the 500-Hz octave band Chillers with rotary-scrow : cee 90 dBA Significant peak at 250 to 500 Hz CChillars with centrifugal 93 dBA (diract-drive, 100 tons) to_| Steatest SPL at 260 Hz, except forthe largest chillors, where energy is greatost at 1000 to compressors 111 GBA (diract-drive, 1600 tons) * 2000 Hz Boies Sot 00 BHP ooa Ghetest Stat 81 and 8-H bands aig of Groot SP at ard 6 He band apoio Boers, 207 to 2000 EHP s8.0BA at 3 dB/octave at 250 Hz and above: ‘Cooling towers,” propaller-iype, Greatest SPL at 63- and 125-Hz bands, tapering off under 100 HP '90+6 log (fan hp) dBA at 3 dB/octave outside those bands Cooling towers,” propeller-type, Greatest SPL at 63- and 125-Hz bands, tapering off ‘over 100 HP 86+10 log (fan hp) dBA at 3 dB/octave outside those bands Cooling towers centrifugal fans, | > Greatest SPL at 31- and 63-Hz bands, tapering under 80 HP 77+ log (fan hp) EA gradually (- 2dB/octave) above the 63 Hz band Cooling towers,” propeller-type, Greatest SPL at 31- and 63-Hz bands, tapering over 80 HP (85+7 log (fan hp) dBA gradually (~ 2dB/octave) above the 63 Hz band 5 Groot St 5a 125 band, apn of ‘Air-cooled condensers: TT#12 tog (CC) BA Se tpoctens butoide thece banae on aPenng Packaged FIRG octopus ivconportosnr | ei12Ieg(¢0) aa Groot Sought om 5050 He ™ Note daa for cil are yplcaly valle om mandacures thal are wove labo an thas etalon. ° Coatng towers reduce eubstantily more noise on the inet aed cechago (op) sides than on tho ercoced sos ofthe lower. Soe Mier 1080) for Suttnalinfornason about cooing tower sound oon cect. 5 oc iseaningcapaty. ton (on = 12.000 Tune) “Table 6-2. Simple Method for Decibel Addition Difference (48) of[i[2[s;4[s[s6][7[e[s]w ‘Amount dB) tobe addedtoloudersouce| 3 | 3 | 2/2it1i;1{i1{1{1 fi] 0 65 SAMPLE CALCULATION: MECHANICA, Fir calla the ats amount of abortion inthe mn, NOISE INA ROOM salon in Table 63. Abvorpion cootiients for cae Consider conference room that 25 fe one, 15 wide, HFA oar, and rine Mer ACT can be found in and 9 ft tall with a carpet floor, painted gypsum board on stecl stud walls, and suspended mineral fiber acoustic ceiling tile (ACT). The room has two floor-mounted fan coil units: one near the center of each of the longer wall, approximately 15 ft from an entrance door near the center of ‘one ofthe shorter walls. Each fan coil unit has a sound power evel of 50 dB at 500 Hz. What is the sound pressure level at 500 Hz at the door? The average absorption coeflicient isthe total absorption (sabins) divided by the total surface area: 22/ SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30‘Table 6-3. Sample Mechanical Noise Calculation ‘rea, ff ‘Absorption Coefficient at 509 Hz ‘Absorption, sabins Walls a walls: 720 total ‘Gypsum board: 0.04 720 # x 0,04 = 29 sabins Floor 375 18 Carpet 0.14 375 Wx<0.14 = 53 sabins Coming 3751 Mineral ber ACT 0.50, 75 TE x 0.50 = 188 sabine Teas 170K 270 sabins ‘The room constant, per Equation 6-4, is: ret 4 a 270 sabins 10.184 sabinsiit® Sait With the fan coil units on the floor inthe center of a long wall, the directivity factor, Q. is 4, per the definition pro- vided in Equation 6-3. Per Equation 6-3, the sound pressure level at the door as the result of a single fan coil unit i: = lo £ +4) 3 63) sei=pmsiony(=2--4)s03 2504810164] —4 +4 103.8 4n(is fh) 3310 son sian There are two such fan coil units equidistant from the door. Per Table 6-2, 3 dB is added to account for the second source of equal SPE. Thus, the SPL at the door at S00 Hz. SPL 242 dB + 3B 45 dB From Figure 3-2, this sound level at 500 Hz corresponds to approximately NC-40. Per Table 4-1, this background sound level substantially exceeds typical noise criteria for private offices or teleconference rooms. AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / 2324 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30Chapter 7 Airborne Sound Isolation 7. BASIC CONCEPTS: 7.1 ‘Transmission Coefficient and Transmission Loss As sound encounters a structure (a wall, a flooriceiling assembly, a window, etc.) a fraction of the sound is trans- mitted through it. The fraction of sound pressure transn ted through a structure at a given frequency is called the coefficient of wansmission, t. The unit-less coefficient of transmission ranges from 1 (100% of sound is transmitted) to 1/1,000,000 or less for structures that transmit very Tittle sound, In buildings, there is typically more of a concern regard- ing how much a building’s construction blocks sound than with how much it transmits. A measure of how much sound a structure blocks is transmission loss, The transmission loss, TL, expressed in decibels, is related to the transmission coef ficient by 1 TL =10log? a1 eT om For example, the transmission coefficient of brick wall at 500 Hz: may be roughly 10“, Per Equation 7-1 its TL at that frequency is equal to 40 dB. 7.12 MulticComponent Constructions In many cases, building constructions are composites, made up of several elements —an exterior wall with windows or an interior partition with a door, for example. The sound transmission of the composite construction is @ function of the transmission coefficient of each component, weighted according to its percentage of the total urea of the interven ing construction: 20S fone Eat oo urface area of the mth component, Sina) =toral surface area of the intervening construction ‘common to both the source and receiver sides, f iransmission coefficient of the overall composite ‘% = Iransmission coefficient of the nth component Using the composite transmission coefficient, the composite Ti cat be caleulated using Equation 7-1 ‘A sample composite construction TL. calculation illus: trates an important consideration in building acoustics—the ‘effect of cracks and gaps. Assume that a 10-ft by 10-ft brick wall has a TL of 40 dB. at 500 Hz. Also assume that there is a gap or crack in the wall with an area totaling 0.01 £7, perhaps 10 fi long and .001 ft wide (.012 in. wide). Solv- ng Equation 7-1 for t, the transmission coefficient of a wall with a TL of 40 dB is 10. The transmission coefficient of a ‘crack is 1.0 (total transmission). From Equation 7-2, we find: Sout _ (io J(i00 8) nfo se) “oon? +001) * (i001? +001 #7) =2x104 2) Using this value of + in Equation 7-1, the composite TL. ofthe assembly is then calculated to be 37 dB. Although the crack represents only 0.01% of the total area, the overall TL. ‘of the brick wall is reduced from 40 to 37 dB—a 3-4B redue- tion, constituting a considerable degradation, 7.1.3. Noise Reduction ‘Transmission loss is a function solely of the properties of the blocking structure (e.g. partition or floor/ceiling assem- bly). But the properties of the receiver room also affect the sound level. The receiver room is on the opposite side of the ‘blocking structure from the source room—the room with the sound source init) Ifthe receiver room is small with highly sound-reflective surfaces (e.g. a bathroom), the sound levels will be greater than ifthe receiver room is large with sound- absorptive surfaces (like a well-treated classroom). The di ference between sound levels on the source side and those on the receiver side of un intervening construction is called the noise reduction, NR; it takes properties of the receiver room into account. Noise reduction is related to trans by Equation 7-3: loss NR=TL+10log 7-3) R=TL+1Olog 73) where Mi '= noise reduction, the difference between sound levels ‘on the source side and those on the receiver side of an intervening construction, dB. surface area of the intervening construction com- mon to both the source and receiver sides, ft transmission loss per Equation 7-1, dB AISC DESIGN GUIDE 30 / SOUND ISOLATION AND NOISE CONTROL IN STEEL BUILDINGS / 25total acoustic absorption inthe receiver space, sabins (see Section 3.7) For example, a classroom with a sound-absorbing ceiling ‘may have roughly 700 sabins at 500 Hz, The size of the wall between adjacent classrooms may be 250 ft, Per Table 5-2, the sound isolation performance of such a wall should be STC 50 oF greater. At 500 Hz, an STC 50 wall has a TL of approximately 50 dB. The actual noise reduction between classrooms with an STC $0 wall will be (per Equation 7-3 = TL +10log -3} NR=TL+10lop2 a) =30.08-+10)oe( EET") 250 sasab Note that Equation 7-3 applies to the far field of the receiver space, one or more wavelengths from the sound iso- lating assembly in question; at listener locations very near the intervening assembly, the characteristics of the room are ‘ot as prevalent and NR is roughly equal to TL. Simple deti- vations of Equation 7-3 can be found in Kinsler et al. (1999) and other acoustis textbooks. 7.2 METRICS As indicated in Chapter 6, sound transmission class (STC) is a metric of blocking of sound transmission of construc~ tions determined from idealized laboratory measurements, (Outdoor indoor transmission class (OITC) isa more realistic ‘measure of real-world sound transmission isolation of build- ing facades. Noise isolation class (NIC) is a simple mea- sure, taken in the fied, of airborne noise reduction across a building structure. These and other metrics are described in greater detail in this section, 7.2.1 The Sound Transmission Class Metric STC is. single-number rating used to evaluate the transmis- sion loss of building constructions; it is measured ia a labo- ratory environment. Just as SPL is dependent on frequency and NC ratings or A-weighted decibels are single-number approximations of overall SPL, TL is frequency dependent, tand the STC rating is a single-number approximation of overall TL, ‘The process for measuring aitborne transmission loss in a laboratory is standardized in ASTM Test Method E90 (ASTM, 20096), and the process for calculating the resul- tant STC is standardized in ASTM E413 (ASTM, 2010). The caleulation process involves fiting a reference STC contour to measured (or calculated) third-octave-band TL data. The STC rating is taken as the value ofthe shifted reference con- tour at 500 Hz, nber metric, the STC does not fully ‘characterize the transmission loss of a structure or assem- bly. Because the STC value is calculated based only on TL data from 125 Hz. to 4,000 Hz, STC is not a sufficient metric for conditions where low-frequency sound transmi sion is important (eg, at a nightclub or adjacent to a diesel engine). Also, because the metric isa single number, it does not differentiate between assemblies that are weak in one frequency range only (but otherwise may be quite robust) and those that are generally weak throughout the spectrum. Furthermore, because STC can only be measured in a labora tory under highly controlled conditions, it does not account for the variations and weaknesses that inevitably are intro

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