Prediction of airborne sound and impact sound insulation provided by single and multilayer systems using analytical expressions

In this work, the authors use analytical solutions to assess the airborne sound and impact insulation provided by homogeneous partitions that are infinite along their plane. The algorithm uses Green's functions, derived on the basis of previous work by the authors on the prediction of airborne sound insulation provided by single and double panels. The model is now extended to handle multilayer systems, allowing the simulation of three-dimensional loads applied in both the acoustic and solid media. The model is validated against experimental results and compared with simplified expressions for single, double and triple panels. The results provided by the analytical model were found to provide a good agreement with the experimental results, except in the vicinity of the coincidence effect in the presence of thicker panels. The applicability of the proposed tool is then illustrated by analyzing the acoustic behavior provided by single layers and by a suspended ceiling. Different variables are studied, such as the mass, the stiffness of the layers, the position and direction of the load within the elastic medium and the presence of porous material in the fluid layers. It was found that the model is able to simulate the acoustic phenomena involved in single and multilayer systems. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.