Impact Sound Insulation Using Timber Platform Floating Floors on a Concrete Floor Base

Abstract

This paper looks at the performance that can be achieved using timber platform floors on concrete floor bases in order to design a platform floor that could provide at least 29dB ΔL_w (both loaded and unloaded) for use in floor constructions described in Approved Document E (2003 Edition). Reconstituted open cell foams were identified as resilient materials that could provide suitable static and dynamic stiffness under lightweight timber floating floors. Using two layers of reconstituted foam a platform floor comprising 22m tongue and grooved chipboard achieved 29dB ΔL_w when loaded, and 30dB ΔL_w unloaded. Indicative tests on double platform floating floors indicated that they may be beneficial in floor designs where negative values of ΔL can not be tolerated due to critical impact sound insulation and structural stability requirements. A double floating floor could use dynamically stiffer resilient materials than would be needed in a single floating floor and still provide the required impact sound insulation and structural stability.