Experimental Study on Sound Insulation Performance of Partition Walls Joined to Steel Beams

An experimental study was conducted to confirm the sound insulation performance of a partition wall that was joined to a steel beam. Fireproofing protections, such as sprayed rock wool, are used to protect steel members from heat in the case of fire. However, the influence of transmitted sound from steel members with fireproofing protections and from joints of the partition wall and steel members has not been quantitatively investigated. Therefore, the sound transmission loss was measured using specimens that consisted of a partition wall and a steel beam, which was coated with sprayed rock wool. The results showed that the sound transmission loss of the specimen was lower than that of the partition wall element. It was inferred that the mass-spring-mass resonance of the fireproofing protections on the steel web reduced the sound insulation performance of the specimen. Moreover, the influence of the transmitted sound from the steel web was greater than that from the joints of the partition wall and the steel beam. In addition, when the gypsum board was added to the specimen as a ceiling, it was confirmed that the sound insulation performance of the specimens was equal to that of the partition wall element.