Course info

Building codes stipulate minimum performance requirements regarding noise transmission through common interior walls and floor/ceiling assemblies that separate a dwelling unit from either a public area or an adjacent dwelling unit. In the 2018 International Building Code (IBC), two parameters are used to establish these minimum acoustical requirements: Sound Transmission Class (STC) and Impact Insulation Class (IIC). Compliance with these requirements may be demonstrated either through testing or through engineering analysis based on empirical test data from other similar assemblies. This presentation provides an overview of the new American Wood Council (AWC) empirical model which may be used for analysis of wood-frame floor/ceiling assemblies to estimate the code-regulated sound transmission parameters. A report titled Technical Report 15 – Calculation of Sound Transmission Parameters for Wood-Framed Assemblies, available at awc.org, provides the basis for the calculation-based analysis approach.