Silence and comfortSilence and comfort

What is sound insulation

and why is it worth taking care of?

Sound insulation is a feature that directly affects quality of life. Being able to isolate oneself from unwanted noises means, in practice, peace of mind for householders, privacy and less risk of conflict with neighbours. In order to make the house our refuge, the walls should effectively reduce the sound between the different rooms.

Protection against noise

Loudness is measured in decibels (dB). For example, 38 dB is the sound level corresponding to the volume of a hoover.

The ability of a partition (wall, ceiling, floor) to attenuate sound is referred to as sound insulation. It is also expressed in decibels, mainly using the ratios RW, RA,1, RA,2, R’A,1 oraz R’A,2. Higher wall insulation means less unwanted sound in the room. It is worth knowing that a reduction of 2 or 3 decibels is difficult for the human ear to perceive. By contrast, attenuating the volume by 6 or 7 decibels is perceived by our ears as halving it. If the attenuation level of the baffle is increased by 20 dB (e.g. from 49 dB to 69 dB), acoustic comfort will increase dramatically. 

Norgips offers solutions to effectively dampen noise from outside and the intensity of sound between floors and rooms inside the building. The available systems are divided into three categories:

  • Rw up to 49 dB
  • Rw from 50 dB to 59 dB
  • Rw from 60 dB to 72 dB

If the level of attenuation of the partition is increased by 20 dB (e.g. from 49 dB to 69 dB), acoustic comfort will increase dramatically.

Norgips partition walls and curtain walling make it possible to meet the guidelines for different building types. The requirements for acoustic insulation of partition walls in residential buildings are specified in PN-B-02151-3:1999. Its high soundproofing effect and ease of installation make it the most popular way of enclosing spaces.

Peace of mind without disruption

There are different types of noise:

  • Airborne sounds are music coming from behind a wall or a busy street
  • Impact sounds are the footsteps of a neighbour on the upper floor
  • Reverberation is the effect of echoes

Each of the above sounds needs to be appropriately muffled using baffles. To make sure you have taken comprehensive care of your acoustic comfort, choose system solutions and enjoy undisturbed peace and quiet.

For it is not only the right types of plasterboard that are responsible for sound insulation, but also the sealing tapes, the correctly selected profiles, the insulation material and the accuracy of the installation of the respective partition.

Solutions for the demanding

Norgips has a range of plasterboards that help to dampen noise much better than standard solutions on the market.

Meet Acoustic Norgips!

Acoustic plasterboard type A is used as sheathing for partition and curtain walls, suspended ceilings and attic enclosures to achieve increased sound insulation. If, on the other hand, you need a partition that, in addition to its soundproofing properties, meets high requirements in terms of increased humidity, strength, hardness and fire resistance, you should use Acoustic Super type DFH2IR, which, thanks to its high mass and special additives, has better parameters for improving sound insulation.

Norgips systems are subjected to numerous tests in laboratory conditions to ensure acoustic comfort in all conditions.

Acoustic insulation

RW – weighed specific acoustic insulating power coefficient

RA,1 – specific acoustic insulating power assessment coefficient

RA,2 – specific acoustic insulating power assessment coefficient

RA,1,R – designed specific acoustic insulating power assessment coefficient RA,1

R’A,1 – specific acoustic insulating power approximate assessment coefficient R’

K – flanking sound transmission

All glossary terms

Acoustic insulation

Acoustic insulation – partition capability of ensuring protection against noise. As regards plasterboards, Acoustic insulation is equated with protection against air-carried sounds. Acoustic insulation is expressed in decibels [dB], mainly using the RW, RA,1, RA,2, R’A,1 and R’A,2 coefficients.

The basic requirements regarding acoustic insulating power are defined in the PN-B 02151-3:1999 standard. Presently, work is underway to include the new version of the PN-B 02151-3:2015 standard in the Ordinance on technical conditions to be met by buildings and their locations.

RW – weighed specific acoustic insulating power coefficient

RW – weighed specific acoustic insulating power coefficient, expressed in [dB]. It is used to generally assess a partition according to requirements applicable in the majority of EU countries. A value obtained in a laboratory test performed on a partition. The value corresponds to the 500 Hz sound frequency on a reference curve from a acoustic insulating power chart for a partition.

RA,1 – specific acoustic insulating power assessment coefficient

RA,1 – specific acoustic insulating power assessment coefficient taking into account the spectral adaptation coefficient C (RA,1 = RW + C), expressed in [dB]. A value obtained in a laboratory test performed on a partition. A coefficient corresponding to acoustic insulating power protecting against medium- and high-frequency air-carried sounds characteristic for e.g. social noise generated by people. This coefficient is used mainly to assess the acoustic insulating power of internal partitions.

RA,2 – specific acoustic insulating power assessment coefficient

RA,2 – specific acoustic insulating power assessment coefficient taking into account the spectral adaptation coefficient Ctr (RA,1 = RW + Ctr), expressed in [dB]. A value obtained in a laboratory test performed on a partition. A coefficient corresponding to the acoustic insulating power protecting against low-frequency sounds characteristic for, e.g. external noise (heavy street traffic).

This coefficient is used mainly to assess the acoustic insulating power of external partitions.

RA,1,R – designed specific acoustic insulating power assessment coefficient RA,1

This coefficient is determined by decreasing the specific acoustic insulating power coefficient RA,1 by an allowance for performance errors (RA,1,R = RA,1 – 2 dB). The coefficient is used to assess partition walls in multi-family building flats and to estimate the acoustic insulating power R’.

R’A,1 – specific acoustic insulating power approximate assessment coefficient R’

R’A,1 – specific Acoustic insulation approximate assessment coefficient R’ taking into account the spectral adaptation coefficient C. The R’A,1 coefficient takes into account the Acoustic insulation protecting against medium- and high-frequency air-carried sounds achieved in given application conditions. R’A,1 thus takes into account the flanking sound transmission K. The value of the coefficient is obtained during a field acoustic test or estimated in calculations. It is used mainly to assess the acoustic insulating power of the majority of internal partitions.

K – flanking sound transmission

K – flanking sound transmission, i.e. an allowance for the sound transmitted by neighbouring partitions (ceiling, adjacent walls). The K allowance depends on the partition geometry, method of joining it with other partitions and the type of adjacent partitions. Calculating the flanking sound transmission is usually a complex task for which an acoustician should be employed.

Applicable requirements for the required acoustic insulating power coefficients are defined in the PN-B 02151-3:1999 standard (presently work has been underway to include the new version of the PN-B 02151-3:2015 in the Ordinance on the technical conditions for buildings and their location).

All glossary terms
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Rafał Kaczmarczyk
Deputy Technical Support Manager
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