Development of a low-frequency impact noise metric
David W. Dong, John J. LoVerde · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2013
Low frequency footfall noise (“thudding”) is a common source of complaints in lightweight joist-framed multifamily projects. Previous work by the authors has indicated that the low frequency impact sound pressure levels (LFISPL) from a standard ISO tapping machine are highly correlated with occupant reaction [LoVerde and Dong, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 112, 2201 (2002), LoVerde and Dong, INCE Inter-Noise 2004 Proceedings, 167 (2004)]. In order to be useful, the raw LFISPL must be translated into a single number that maintains the high correlation with subjective reaction while providing adequate dynamic range to distinguish the performance of different assemblies. Candidate metrics are evaluated.