Wooden floor is designed to absorb sound
Empa researchers are working on a new solution to reduce footfall noise in wooden buildings. The first experiments have already been successfully implemented. Industrial partners will soon be sought.
According to a press release , researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research ( Empa ) are working on a world first in soundproofing wooden buildings. In particular, it is about reducing footfall noise. The researchers use a physical theory from the 1990s.
The theory is about so-called acoustic black holes. Parabolic recesses in a material should be able to “swallow” vibrations such as sound. However, this theory has not yet been tested in either timber construction or building acoustics. Stefan Schoenwald, head of Empa’s building acoustics laboratory in Dübendorf, has now carried out precisely such experiments with his team.
In its experiments, the team has already calculated acoustic spectra on the computer. Then it tested whether the computer model corresponded to reality. In fact, there were only deviations of up to 5 percent, which the researchers explain, among other things, with the natural variation of the wood.
The researchers now also want to develop a method that can automatically show the best arrangement and shape of the acoustic black holes on any ground size and shape. Then it is necessary to look for industrial partners. During the tests, Empa has already cooperated with the timber construction company Strüby AG in Seewen SZ.