Evaluation of Floor Impact Sound Reduction Effect of the Buffer-Type Floor Structure according to the Shape of Shear Connect

This paper presents the results of reviewing the effects of the shear connector form on the stiffness-increased floor structure that uses a shear connector that was proposed as a means to reduce floor impact noise. The shear connector forms reviewed in this study were the joist type and the round type, and the floor impact noise was assessed through an experiment on mock-ups modeled after the living room of a 59m2 apartment. The results of measuring the floor impact noise showed that the floor structure with shear connectors had reduced light-weight and heavy-weight floor impact noises compared to the basic buffer-based method. However, the joist type had a better effect in reducing the light-weight floor impact noise compared to the round type, and it also lowered the heavy-weight floor impact noise by 2dB (bang machine) and 3dB (impact ball) compared to the round type. These results arose from the composite effect of the floor structure, and it is deemed that the joist type will be more effective in reducing floor impact noise than the round type.