Developing guidelines for a reproducible method for low-frequency impact measurements in buildings

The impact noise performance in buildings is evaluated using the measured radiated sound pressure level when impacted by a standard tapping machine. Recent work has shown that there can be 4 - 5 dB variation in the sound pressure levels at different measurement locations in the room. This can lead to a high reproducibility error for field tests. In this work, the authors have developed a novel reciprocity-based measurement method that shows approximately 1 - 1 .25 dB standard deviation in low-frequencies. Additionally, this method provides output/input ratio-based measurements, which can be useful in design predictions. The method was developed using a simulation model and verified using testing in three structures.