Building Acoustics Estimation Of Acoustic Performance Of Building From The Performance Of Elements Sounds Levels Due To The Service Equipment

Buildings, Acoustics, Acoustic measurement, Construction materials, Construction systems parts, Acoustic properties and phenomena, Airborne noise, Sound intensity, Building services, Water supply and waste systems (building, Space-heating systems, Air-conditioning systems, Ventilation equipment, Pipes, Ducts (building services), Pumps, Sound insulation, Vibration, Mathematical calculations

Structure-borne sound sources are vibrational sources connected in some way to the building structure. The mechanical excitation of the building structure leads to sound radiation. This is an important source of annoyance in modern light-weight buildings. The prediction of the sound pressure level from structure-borne sound sources is highly complicated because of the complexity involved in the coupling between source and receiver structure. The current standard on characterisation of service equipment in buildings EN 12354-5, can deal with sources on heavy structures (high-mobility source) but to date, there is no engineering method available for the case of coupling between source and receiver. A case study of a washing machine on a wooden joist floor is investigated in this thesis. In the first part, measurements in the coupled state are conducted. It is shown that the normal components are sufficient to predict the sound pressure level. However, this only applies to the coupled state. In the second part, a true prediction is calculated from independently measured source and receiver quantities. The difference between predicted and directly measured sound pressure level leads to considerable errors of up to 20 dB at low frequencies. This shows that the normal components are not sufficient to predict the coupling between a washing machine and a wooden floor.

As the century begins, natural resources are under increasing pressure, threatening public health and development. As a result, the balance between man and nature has been disrupted, with climatic changes whose effects are starting to be irreversible. Due to the relationship between the quality of the indoor built environment and its energy demand, thermal comfort issues are still relevant in the disciplinary debate. This is also because the indoor environment has a potential impact on occupants' health and productivity, affecting their physical and psychological conditions. To achieve a sustainable compromise in terms of comfort and energy requirements, several challenging questions must be answered with regard to design, technical, engineering, psychological, and physiological issues and, finally, potential interactions with other IEQ issues that require a holistic way to conceive the building envelope design. This Special Issue collected original research and review articles on innovative designs, systems, and/or control domains that can enhance thermal comfort, work productivity, and wellbeing in a built environment, along with works considering the integration of human factors in buildings’ energy performance.

The work reported in this thesis addresses the problem of structure-borne sound transmission in buildings. Vibrating sources, such as services plant and domestic appliances, transmit vibro-acoustic power, causing noise complaints by occupants in rooms removed from the source room. There is not yet an accepted practical method of predicting the installed power into floors or supporting walls, and thence the resultant sound pressure in rooms. This study concentrates on the prediction of the installed power from mechanical installations in lightweight buildings composed of framed and ribbed plates. To identify the characteristics of such receiver elements, a field survey has been undertaken, which involved measurement of the point and transfer mobilities of common wall and floor structures. It is shown that the range of measured values of receiver point mobility is surprisingly small and that the constructions investigated often displayed thin plate-like characteristics, with relatively small spatial variations in point mobility. These field measurements give support to the notion of averaging over contacts. This single equivalent receiver mobility has been assembled both from measured data and from the approximate method and then used in combination with single equivalent source data, to yield an approximate prediction of the installed power. The agreement obtained between the exact and approximate values allowed consideration of a practical implementation of the approximate prediction method, based on a reception plate method which yields the activity and mobility of the tested machine as single equivalent values.

Materials for Architects and Builders provides a clear and concise introduction to the broad range of materials used within the construction industry and covers the essential details of their manufacture, key physical properties, specification and uses. Understanding the basics of materials is a crucial part of undergraduate and diploma construction or architecture-related courses, and this established textbook helps the reader to do just that with the help of colour photographs and clear diagrams throughout. This new sixth edition has been completely revised and updated to include the latest developments in materials research, new images, appropriate technologies and relevant legislation. The ecological effects of building construction and lifetime use remain an important focus, and this new edition includes a wide range of energy-saving building components.

This acoustics handbook for mechanical and architectural applications is a translation of the German standard work on the subject. It not only describes the state of art of engineering acoustics but also gives practical help to engineers for solving acoustic problems. It deals with the origin, the transmission and the methods of abatement of air-borne and structure-borne sound of different kinds, from traffic to machinery and flow induced sound.

Bricks and brickwork; Blocks and blockwork; Lime, cement and concrete; Timber and timber products; Ferrous and non-ferrous metals; Bitumen and flat roofing materials; Glass; Ceramic materials; Stone and cast stone; Plastics; Glass-fibre reinforced plastics, cement and gypsum; Plaster and board materials; Insulation materials; Sealants, gaskets and adhesives; Paints, wood stains, varnishes and colour; Energy-saving materials and componets; Recycled and ecological materials; Sustainability

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Noise and Vibration Control in the Built Environment" that was published in Applied Sciences