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 Δ Lw (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 Δ Lw when loaded, and 30dB Δ Lw unloaded. Indicative tests on double platform floating floors indicated that they may be beneficial in floor designs where negative values of Δ L 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.