Evaluation of plasterboard partition wall sections in terms of requirements for noise control

Abstract

Building acoustics is known as one of the main indoor environmental conditions which holds utmost importance while considering the design, construction, and operation of buildings. Furthermore, it has gained greater importance together with the growing awareness of the adverse effects of noise on human health and psychology. As a result of these pertinent findings, the Regulation on Protection of Buildings Against Noise (RPBAN) was published in the Official Gazette on May 31, 2018, and was officially enforced. Under this regulation, the criteria related to architectural acoustics, such as sound insulation, background noise levels, and reverberation time, are evaluated using an acoustic performance classification system divided into six categories. Newly designed buildings are expected to achieve at least Class C acoustic performance, while existing buildings undergoing renovation are required to meet a minimum of Class D. Achieving the sound insulation values specified for different acoustic performance classes in buildings is dependent upon various factors such as the inclusion of material properties of different densities and thicknesses, variations in the joint details of building components, and application conditions. Consequently, significant differences often arise between airborne sound insulation values obtained under laboratory conditions and those recorded in the field. Within the scope of this study, 10 different wall variations that were formed into dry wall systems were applied and measured for airborne sound insulation values at the Turkish Standards Institution's Tuzla Building Materials Fire and Acoustic Laboratory. These applications were conducted at various times, using different inner materials, wall types, and gypsum board densities. To make calculations with the simulation program, the Rw values obtained from laboratory measurements were assigned as the sound transmission loss values of the partition wall sections defined between the rooms. The laboratory-measured results were then simulated within a controlled digital environment under three different scenarios, and the resulting DnT,w+C (DnT,A) values were compared with the standards outlined under formal regulations. The results obtained from the three different evaluated hypothetical scenarios showed that as the volume of the receiver room increases, i.e., as the V/S ratio increases, the calculated D +C value rises.