ASTM E336-15

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Designation: E336 − 14 E336 − 15
Standard Test Method for
Measurement of Airborne Sound Attenuation between
1
Rooms in Buildings
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E336; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.
INTRODUCTION
This test method is part of a set of standards for evaluating the sound-insulating properties of
building elements. It is designed to measure the sound isolation between two rooms or to estimate
lower limits for sound transmission through a partition element installed as an interior part of a
building. Others in the set cover the airborne sound transmission loss of an isolated partition element
in a controlled laboratory environment (Test Method E90), the laboratory measurement of impact
sound transmission through floors (Test Method E492), the measurement of impact sound transmis-
sion in buildings (Test Method E1007), the measurement of sound transmission through building
facades and facade elements (Guide E966), the measurement of sound transmission through a
common plenum between two rooms (Test Method E1414E1414/E1414M), and measurement of the
normalized insertion loss of doors (Test Method E2964).
1. Scope
1.1 The sound isolation between two spaces in a building is determined by a combination of the direct transmission through the
nominally separating building element (as normally measured in a laboratory) and any transmission along a number of indirect
paths, usually referred to as flanking paths. Fig. 1 illustrates the direct paths and some possible structural flanking paths. Additional
non-structural flanking paths may include transmission through common air ducts between rooms, or doors to the corridor from
adjacent rooms.
1.2 The main part of this test method defines procedures and metrics to assess the sound isolation between two rooms or portions
thereof in a building separated by a common partition including both direct and flanking transmission paths or the apparent sound
insulation of the separating partition. Appropriate measures and their single number ratings are the noise reduction (NR) and noise
isolation class (NIC), the normalized noise reduction (NNR) and normalized noise isolation class (NNIC), and the apparent
transmission loss (ATL) and apparent sound transmission class (ASTC). With the exception of the ATL and ASTC under specified
conditions, these procedures in the main part of the test method are only applicable when both room volumes are less than 150
3
m .
NOTE 1—The word “partition” in this test method includes all types of walls, floors, or any other boundaries separating two spaces. The boundaries
may be permanent, operable, or movable.
1.3 The NR and NIC between two locations may always be measured and reported though conditions present will influence how
measurements are made. Restrictions such as minimum room volume or dimensions or maximum room absorption are imposed
for all other measures and ratings in this standard. Thus, conditions may exist that will not allow NNR (NNIC), ATL (ASTC) or
FTL (FSTC) to be measured. Where a partition between rooms is composed of parts that are constructed differently, or contains
an element such as a door, it is not possible to measure the ATL and ASTC of the individual elements or portions of the partition.
2
To evaluate the field performance of a door less than 6 m in area, use Test Method E2964.
1.4 Annex A1 provides methods to assess the sound transmission through a partition or partition element with the influence of
flanking transmission reduced. These methods may be used when it must be demonstrated that a partition has achieved a specified
minimum sound attenuation. The results are the field transmission loss (FTL) and field sound transmission class (FSTC).
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E33 on Building and Environmental Acoustics and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E33.03
on Sound Transmission.
Current edition approved April 15, 2014Sept. 1, 2015. Published July 2014December 2015. Originally approved in 1971. Last previous edition approved in 20112014 as
E336 – 11.E336 – 14. DOI: 10.1520/E0336-14.10.1520/E0336-15
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