Research in timber construction for engineering, psychoacoustically validated planning and consulting tools for noise protection

Project background

In the context of climate change, timber as a building material and timber construction is an important factor in the transformation of the construction sector towards sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. For the transformation to succeed and be supported by residents, it must not be accompanied by a loss of quality and comfort. This also applies to noise from technical building systems, for which no planning tools exist to predict acoustic comfort in a valid and reliable manner. In timber buildings and especially in "low-tech buildings", noises from wastewater systems are considered to be the most disturbing due to their information content and association. However, there is currently no way for manufacturers of installation systems and decoupling elements to carry out targeted sound insulation planning that includes the entire transmission chain from the stimulating wastewater installation to the perception by the occupant.

Project objective

The overall aim of the project is therefore a method-based, engineering-relevant description of the acoustic processes from the excitation source to the propagation in the building to the effect on the occupant. However, the latter must not be described solely by a technical predictor, but must be validated by methods proven in psychoacoustics (evidence). As part of this overall objective, planning tools suitable for engineering purposes are being developed for predicting the sound insulation of technical building systems, valid and reliable prediction methods for acoustic comfort perception are being developed and building design optimizations are being specified. The targeted Innovations are first developed at a scientific level and then prepared as engineering procedures for application in companies.

Project procedure

Within the framework of the overall objective,

• characterization of structure-borne noise from wastewater systems for timber and lightweight construction
• develop and validate a novel, direct measurement method for the installed structure-borne sound power in timber and lightweight construction
• carried out acoustic optimizations on wastewater systems and timber structures,calculated predictions of sound transmission in timber and lightweight construction
• developed planning tools suitable for engineers to predict the sound insulation of technical building systems
• developed valid and reliable forecasting methods for acoustic comfort perception
• Created concepts for linking the prediction models to integrated planning approaches.
  

Innovation

The aforementioned sub-goals of the proposed research project address issues from the entire transmission chain from (noise) sources to subjective evaluation by the occupants. The innovation and at the same time the challenge is, among other things, to consistently provide the already existing scientific methods from individual sub-areas in a complete overall package using the example of wastewater systems in timber and lightweight construction. The aim is to develop an engineering method for noise protection planning of noise from wastewater installations for timber/lightweight construction based on psychoacoustically validated predictors, which on the one hand leads to concrete planning and action instructions for planners, product manufacturers and executing trades and on the other hand finds its way into national and international regulations. Innovative and novel approaches are pursued in all sub-areas of the transmission chain, which, due to the complexity of wastewater systems and their transient excitation behavior, together with the first-time consideration of fastening and decoupling measures in timber construction, go far beyond the state of the art of "simple" sources, but are indispensable for engineering-relevant, psychoacoustically evidence-based, user-related sound insulation planning in timber construction.