Acoustic and Sound Damping Jargon Buster
The introduction of Part E and other building regulations has brought with it a host of new terminology related to acoustics. Here we explain some of the key ones - new and old - to help people make sense of acoustic products and installations.
Airborne soundSound that travels through the air, often related to speech or media Impact soundSound resulting from direct impact on a building element Structure bourne soundSound which is carried by the structure of a building Robust DetailA construction type that has been pre-approved and found to comply with Part E regulations. This means that pre-completion testing (see below) is not required. Pre Completion TestingA new requirement to Part E regulations meaning that structures without a Robust Detail will be tested prior to completion to check they reach the required acoustic standards. Resilient LayerA layer of 'resilient' material (such as Impacta 4551 or Impacta Rubber) that isolates an element (such as screed or floating floor) from another element (such as the base floor) Floating LayerA surface layer that rests on a resilient layer Final Floor FinishCarpet, vinyl, laminate or other top floor finish Flanking TransmissionSound transmitted between two rooms using an indirect path, such as the top or bottom of a partitioning wall |
Floating Floor TreatmentOften referred to as the FFT. An FFT may use battens, cradles or platform base - all of which use a resilient layer to provide isolation from the base floor Internal WallAny wall that does not have a separation function between dwellings Separating WallWall that separates adjoining dwellings R,wThe measurement used to rate airbourne sound insulation of a material or building element in a laboratory. CtrThe spectrum adaptation term to take account of specific sound spectra, which are predominantly low frequency - only used as a correction to airbourne measurements. D'nT,wThe measurement used to measure the airbourne sound insulation between two rooms (on site) D'nT,w + CtrSee above, but with the low frequency correction factor included L'n,wThe measurement used to measure the impact sound insulation of floors. L'n,w = laboratory testing L'nT,wAs above but tested on site |
