INSULATION

SOUND AND THERMAL

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION IV

PRESENTED BY:
● Aashish Chaudhary
● Ashish Oli
● Kewal Lama
● Indra Prakash Shah
PRESENTED TO: ● Kabim Shrestha
● Ar. Rojina Bista ● Nischal Vaidya
SOUND
• Anything that can be heard is a sound.

• It is produced by a vibrating body.

• Requires medium (solid liquid or gas) for

transmission.

• It is transmitted through the air in form of

waves.

Classification of Sound on basis of transmission

● Airborne sound

Transmitted through air and travels directly to the receiver. Eg. Radio, Conversation.

● Impact Sound

Transmitted through structure

Noise of footsteps, hammering, furniture movements, dropping of utensils on floor etc.

Impact sounds are troublesome and often are very sharp

Classification of Sound

1) External (Outdoor) sound or noise -

Road traffic, railways, aeroplanes, moving machinery, machines in nearby factory or building etc.
● Major aspects of a building design
● The main barrier is the shell or the envelope of the building

Factors to be considered are:

● Mass of the enclosing structure
● The continuity of the structure
● Isolation by double leaf construction 2) Internal (indoor) sound or noise:
Conversation of people, moving of people or
furnitures, crying of babies, playing of radios or
other musical instruments, operation of cisterns and
water closets, noise of typewriter, banging of doors
etc.

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Noise
• Annoyance- irritation
• Disturbance of sleep
• Interfere with the ability to hold a normal conversation
• Damage to hearing

Magnitude of noise level from sources:

S.No. Types of sources of sound Noise level in dB

1. Light Road Traffic 60-70

2. Medium Road Traffic 70-80

3. Heavy Road Traffic 80-90

4. Rail Traffic 90-100

5. Air Traffic 110-130

Noise Control

• Reduce the noise emitted at the source by mounting machinery in resilient pads etc

• Provide a reasonable degree of sound insulation to reduce the amount of sound transmitted

• Isolate the source and the receiver

ACOUSTICS
Acoustics in building design is a science of sound and noise control. Must combine with architectural beauty to assure the
optimum conditions for listening to conversation, speech, music etc.

Properties of sound:
● Transmission (T)
● Reflection (R)
● Absorption (A)

Defects due to reflected sound:

Echoes
● Sound reflected back as a distinct repetition of the directed sound, is called echo.
● Echoes are produced, when the time interval between direct and reflected sound is about 1/15th of a second.

Reverberation
● Prolongation of sound before it decays
● Necessary to enhance sound however, excess damages the clarity

Other defects
● Sound foci, dead spots, etc.
Reverberation time
● Time taken by sound energy to decay by 60dB, after the sound source has stopped

Reverberation

● Time of reverberation is important in achieving desired acoustical condition

● If too long - overlapping of speech
● If too short - deadness and loss of brilliance
○ t > 3 secs. - Bad
○ 3 > t > 2 secs. - Fairly good
○ 2 > t > ½ secs. - Very good

S No. Description of building Optimum reverberation (sec)

1 Cinema theatres 1.3

2 Churches 1.8-3

3 Law courts, committee rooms, conference halls 1-1.5

4 Large halls 2-3

5 Music concert halls 1.6-2

6 Parliament halls, assembly hall 1-1.5

7 Public lecture hall 1.5-2

SOUND ABSORBENTS
• Sound energy is reduced by converting into heat by frictional resistance in the pores
• Hard, rigid and non-porous surface material provide least absorption
• Flexible, soft, porous material absorbs more sound
• But the absorption coefficient differs with the frequency of incident sound

Classification of Absorbent
• Porous absorbents
• Resonant absorbents
• Cavity resonators
• Composite types of absorbents

Porous Absorbent
• Soft materials with large pores
• Sound energy converts into heat energy due to friction
• Efficiency can be increased by increase in porosity, resistances to air flow and
thickness
• Used for high frequency sound waves
• Examples: Slag wool, glass wool, wood wool, asbestos fiber spray, and foamed
plastic and perforated fiberboard
Resonant Absorbent

● Semi-hard in the form of porous steel

fiberboards
● Fixed on a timber framework with an air
gap
● Pressure of sound waves cause vibrations in
the panels and damped by air space
● Damping can be improved by placing a
porous material in the air space
● Effective for low frequency sound

Cavity resonators

● A chamber with a narrow opening

● Absorption takes place by resonance of air
● Effective over one selected frequency and
directed sound such as air conditioning
plant.

Composite type of Absorbent

● Combined all three types of absorbents

● Consist of a perforated panel fixed over an air space
containing porous absorbents
● Metal, plywood, hard board, plasterboard panels with
holes of 10-20% of the total area
● Mineral wool, glass wool are commonly used as porous
material
● Easy to install, economical, and can be accommodated
in wide range of frequencies.
SOUND INSULATION OF A BUILDING
Sound Absorption: Prevention of reflection of sound waves.
Sound Insulation: Prevention of transmission of sound

The main ideas behind noise control are

● Reduce the noise emitted at the source by such devices as mufflers or mounting machinery on resilient pads,
● Provide a reasonable degree of sound insulation reduce the amount of sound transmitted, and
● Isolate the source and the receiver.

General consideration for sound insulation:

● Isolate the source

● Orientation of buildings
● Proper planning of the room
● Provision of furnishing/lining by porous materials
● Transmission of noise by vibration can be reduced
● Providing resilient materials like carpet, cork, linoleum.
● Construction of expansion joint in large framed structures.

CONSTRUCTIONAL MEASURES
The most effective barrier to the passage of sound is a material of high mass. With modern materials and methods this form of
construction is both impracticable and uneconomic. Unfortunately modern living with its methods of transportation and
entertainment generates a considerable volume of noise, and therefore some degree of sound insulation in most buildings is
not only desirable but also becomes mandatory.
WALL CONSTRUCTION
● Insulation rating depends upon the net sound transmission loss and barrier for speed sound.

Rigid and massive homogenous partitions:

● Sound insulation increases with the increase in thickness of the wall

● A solid one brick thick wall plastered on both side can act as effective insulation wall
● Uneconomical to increase the thickness
● Hard reflecting outside increases insulation

SNo. Type of construction Average transmission

loss (dB)
1 One brick thick wall 50
2 One and half brick thick wall 53
3 Cavity wall each of ½ brick thick and 5cm 50-53
cavity
4 Cavity wall each 10cm thk. clinker block with 50
5cm cavity
5 ½ brick wall with 13mm plaster on both sides 45

6 20mm thick hollow dense concrete block with 45

13mm plaster
7 Gypsum wall board partition wall on timber 45
frames
8 75mm thick hollow clay block wall with 13mm 36
thick plaster on both sides
Partitions of porous materials:
● They may be rigid or flexible in nature
● Rigid and porous materials such as porous concrete masonry increases about 10% higher than the non porous variety of
the same weight
● Flexible porous materials (felt, quilt) offer low sound insulation than rigid materials
● A composite construction of rigid materials and porous absorbers can provide better insulation

Hollow and composite partition/ double wall:

● Suitable combination of light weight materials can provide high insulation value
● A cavity wall construction with resilient materials in cavity is the best example
● Minimum connecting times of flexible nature
● The cavity should be at least of 50mm
FLOOR AND CEILING CONSTRUCTION
• Act as a horizontal barriers to noise

• Solid ceiling and floor offer adequate insulation against air-borne sounds but are poor against impact sounds

• Structure borne sounds transmits more easily

• Methods adopted to control such noise are:

1. Use of resilient surface material on floors

2. Providing a floating floor construction

Use of resilient surface material on floors:

• Over the massive and rigid floor slabs a layer of resilient materials are used

• 5-10 dB of insulation can be obtained over a bare concrete floor

• Softer the material greater the insulation value

• E.g. Linoleum, insulation board, cork, mastic asphalt, carpet etc

• The main principle is insulation from any other part of structure by creating discontinuity

• A floating floor is made to rest or float over the existing floor by means of a resilient material

• Resilient materials are glass wool, mineral wool, quilt, felt, cork, rubber etc

• Can be used for both concrete and wooden floors

• Also improves insulation against air-borne sound

Concrete floor with Floating Concrete Screed:
• This consist of concrete screed (1:1 ½: 3) not less than 50mm in thickness on a resilient layer

• The quilt is covered with a waterproof paper

Concrete floor with a floating wooden raft:

● This consists of floor boarding nailed to wooden battens 50mmX50mm to form a raft, which is laid over 20mm thick
resilient quilt.
Concrete floor with a suspended ceiling and soft floor finish or covering:
• Provides insulation against air-borne sound
• If sufficiently thick, provides insulation against impact sounds too

Concrete flooring with light weight concrete screed and soft floor finish:
50mm thick lightweight concrete screed for insulation against air-borne sound resilient floor finish for both airborne and
impact sound

The use of dense topping is because:

- Provides a suitable base for floor finish

- Provides an impervious airtight layer sealing the top of the lightweight screed
 Heavy concrete floor with soft floor (resilient) finish or covering

The heavy concrete floor gives adequate insulation against air borne sound whereas soft floor finish of a resilient material
gives insulation against structure borne sounds.

PROVIDING WOODEN FLOORS

● Sound insulation becomes difficult if heavy mechanical impact sounds encounter

● Not heavy, rigid and stiff enough to sustain the vibrations of the walls due to impact sounds
● In timber floor walls below the floor are made thicker or floor itself heavy and stiff to reduce the vibration of walls

When supporting walls are 100mm or less:

• A ceiling of expanded metal and plaster loaded directly with plugging of 50mm of dry sand

• The floating floor consists of a raft rest on resilient quilt arranged over wooden joists
When supporting walls are 200mm or less:
This consist of a plaster board ceiling directly loaded with plugging of slag-wool or mineral wool

Use of suspended ceiling with air space:

• An independent false ceiling is constructed and is connected below the solid or wooden floor by means of hangers,
acoustic clips etc. with an air space in between

• The construction offers good insulation against both air-borne as well as structure sound
WINDOWS AND DOORS
● Improved by making them air-tight and by filling the air space at the edges panes with sound absorbing material.
● Sound insulation or transmission loss further increases with the increase in the thickness of glass.
● Excellent sound insulation or sound reduction is obtained by constructing glazed windows with double panes of glass.
● Air space between the two glazing panes is to be 150 - 200mm.
● The transmission loss or sound reduction in doors increases with the increase in weight.
● By packing the sound absorbing material in the space between the jamb and frames or in shutters itself.

INSULATING SANITARY FITTINGS MACHINE MOUNTING AND INSULATION OF MACHINERY

● water closets should be insulated.
● The pan should be made to rest upon a thin pad of
felt, linoleum, cork, rubber or other suitable resilient
materials. Cisterns should be fixed direct to a
bedroom wall and should be fixed upon insulators
fixed to the brackets.
● The pipes should be properly wrapped, where they
pass through walls or floors and be held in insulated
clips.
Mechanical equipments create vibrations in an adjoining
building and are transmitted further away as
structure-borne sound. To reduce this structure-borne
sound machines should be insulated by resting them on
resilient supports or mountings such as Sled springs,
rubber, cork, etc ..

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THERMAL INSULATION
A barrier to the natural flow of heat from higher to the lower temperature
● Used to reduce the transmission of heat
● Necessary to maintain a comfortable and healthy internal temperature
● Traditional walls provide good thermal insulation than modern walls

Three fundamental ways of heat transfer

● Conduction
By direct interaction with neighboring particles (collisions)

● Convection
By mixing different parts of a fluid with different temperature

● Radiation
By absorption or emission of electromagnetic radiation

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Advantages of thermal insulation in a building
● Reduction in the rate of heat loss
● Lower capital costs for heating equipments
● Lower fuel costs
● Reduction in the risk of pattern staining
● Reduction of condensation and draughts (current of air) thus improving the comfort of occupants

Sources of Heat in a Building

● Solar radiation: roofs, walls etc.
● Human activity: metabolism and activity
(Body utilizes only about 20% of the energy produced in the human body and 80% is dissipated to the environment as
heat )
● Building equipments: mechanical, heating systems, lights, cooking ranges etc

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SOLAR RADIATION
● Occurs through exposed parts of building to the sun in 3 ways:
■ - Direct (no cloud obstruction)
■ - Diffused (scattered clouds in path)
■ - Reflected (building/structures/soil)
● 30-60% radiation is either absorbed or reflected by atmosphere
● Smoke, vapour, dust reduces total radiation
● Intensity also depends upon angle of incidence (Lesser the angle lesser the
radiation)

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Time lag (ϕ):

● Time taken by heat to reach to the other side (h)

● Depends on nature of material and its thickness
● Depends on the mass and specific heat
● Time lag is also called as "phase shift”
● Low ‘U’ value, high heat storage capacity materials have
high time lag.

● Time lag of some materials are:

○ 100mm earth – 2.4 hrs
○ 100mm concrete - 3 hrs
○ 100mm timber - 5.4 hrs
○ 226mm brick - 7 hrs
○ Old walls (750-900mm)- 10-12 hrs

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THERMAL COMFORT
● Human beings take food & convert it into energy (through metabolism) and used for work and released as heat by the
body to create thermal balance.
● Comfort condition depends upon human senses
● Human response to the thermal environment depends upon following factors:
○ Air temperature >30°C - Sweating Zone
○ Humidity 12.7°C -27.7°C - Comfort Zone (Physiological equilibrium of
○ Movement of air the body)
○ Mean radiant temperature <12.7°C - Shivering Zone

● A Normal person feels thermal comfort when the following condition prevails:
● Room temperature : 20+-2°C
● Relative humidity : 40-80 % for 10 – 23°C
● Skin temperature : 31-34°C
● Deep body temperature : 37°C

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THERMAL COMFORT
Thermal comfort is that condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment.
Factors influencing Thermal Comfort

Environmental

● Air Temperature
● Humidity
● Air Velocity
● Solar Radiation

Personal
● Metabolic Rate
● Clothing

Thermal environment can be controlled through:

● Orientation
● Ventilation
● Insulation
● Fenestration Mechanically
○ Forcevend ventilation
○ Air-conditioning
○ Heating systems 23
MEANS OF THERMAL COMFORT
Process or techniques by which thermal comfort is achieved:
i. Mechanical control
ii. Structural control
iii. Ventilation and air movement

i) Mechanical control
Heating:
● Provided by means of fireplaces,
● stoves, ovens, heaters, AC
● For large scale, central heating system is used

Ventilation:
● A supply of fresh air
● Primary sources are doors, windows and ventilations
● Motor driven fans.
● Air exchange rate can be regulated as per the need
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Mechanical cooling:
● Domestic refrigerator uses the refrigerant
circulated by a compressor
○ Refrigerant :
○ substance used in a heat cycle e.g.
ammonia, sulfur dioxide, methane etc.
● In large plants, Ammonia and Carbon dioxide are
often used in very high pressure

Air conditioning:
● This is machinery or an air handling plant
● Carries out functions of filtering, humidifying,
dehumidifying, cooling, heating of air
● Can be local handling or central handling

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ii) Structural control
Thermal insulation
Construction of structures with low U-value materials

Thermal capacity
▪ Heat contained in materials are released when the temperature conditions reverses
▪ In large temperature variations its significance is higher than that of insulation

Solar control
● Openings are primary sources of heat gain
● Increase the indoor temperature far above the outdoor even in moderate climates
● Known as green house effect
● Glass allows short wave radiation to enter but trap long wave radiation emitted after reflection
● Glasses are hence commonly used for green house
● For solar overheating in tropical climate, control measures can be through:
○ Orientation and window size
○ Internal blinds, curtains
○ Special glasses
○ External shading devices

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Comparison of the energy pathways of opaque and transparent
insulation
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iii) Ventilation and air movement

Natural ventilation and air movement help to achieve human comfort through:
Supply of fresh air
Convective cooling
Physiological cooling

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Insulating Material
Points to be Considered While Selecting Thermal Insulating Material

● Resistance value of the material

● Vapour barrier (to avoid condensation)
● Availability of material
● Ease of fixing
● Appearance if visible
● Cost of installation
● Fire risk

Types of Thermal Insulating Material

Insulating concrete
● Low density concrete containing large number
of voids.
● Lightweight-insulating concrete in roof as in
situ screed
● Lightweight concrete blocks for walls.

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Insulating concrete

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Loose fills
● Materials include exfoliated vermiculite, fine
glass fiber wool, mineral wool and cork
granules.
● The depth required is 25-35mm.
● Materials that can be easily poured and shaped
with a shaped template.
● Materials that can be easily poured and shaped
with a shaped template.

Quilts
● Made of glass fibre or mineral wool
● Bonded or stitched between outer
● Paper covering for easy handling
● Supplied in rolls or pieces to suit the joists spacing
● Laid over a ceiling board and can be obtained in
various thickness

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Quilts installation technique

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Reflective insulation
● Used in both ceiling and wall
● Consists of reinforced reflective
aluminium sheets and air spaces
designed together to fill a cavity

Insulating plasters
● Factory produced premix plasters
● Lightweight and vermiculite as aggregates
● Require water before application
● 1/3rd weight of sand plaster gives three times higher thermal
insulation value

Foamed cavity filling

● An effective method of improving the thermal insulation
properties of an external cavity wall
● The cavity wall is filled with foamed "urea formaldehyde
resin”
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Rockwool
● Refers to a type of thermal insulation made from actual
rocks and minerals.
● Can last up to 100 years.
● Also good for basement walls

Rockwool blocks
Rockwool Insulation in floors

Foamed Rockwool Compacted Rockwool Granulated Rockwool

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THERMAL INSULATION OF ROOF
● Roof - Generally poor insulators
● Economical and easy installation method
● Types:
○ a cold construction or cold roof
○ a warm construction or warm roof
○ Inverted or upside down warm roof

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 Cold Construction or Cold Roof
▪ Insulation at the ceiling level where roof and
outside temperature are nearly equal
▪ Insulates the building from the roof space
▪ Attic space is not insulated
▪ Needs extra insulation for water storage
cisterns and pipes
▪ Ventilation of the roof space to prevent decay of timbers and
dampness
▪ The materials mostly used are mineral wool mats, rolls of fiber
glass or rock wool
▪ Applied on top of the ceiling finish
▪ The insulating layer should extend across the roof in both sides
and overlapped
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Cold Construction or Cold Roof

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Warm construction or warm roof :
▪ Insulation at the roof slopes so that the attic space
can be used
▪ Insulation is fixed across the roof rafters, under the
roof covering
▪ Roof space below insulation is not ventilated
▪ Disadvantage is insulating material under
temperature fluctuation oxidize and become brittle

Warm Roof 38
Cold Roof

Warm Roof
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Inverted or upside down warm roofs :
● This is a form of warm roof with insulation laid on top of the

weather membrane

● Protect the roof from temp. fluctuations

● Closed cell organic materials or insulating glass beds are

used

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 Points to remember

● For overhang eaves, insulation should be continued across the underside of roof overhang connecting wall insulation
● Adhesive or non ferrous fixing used
● The vapour check and vapour barrier should be used to regulate the movement of vapour/air/moisture
● To minimize cold bridges at junctions of roof and walls it is important to unite or continue the wall insulation up to that
of the roof
● The cavity wall insulation should be continued up to the parapet walls
● With eaves finished flush with the outside face of the wall, the roof insulation should be united with the cavity insulation

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THERMAL INSULATION OF WALL

▪ Thermal insulation of the wall depends upon the types of material

used
▪ Cavity wall with dense plaster finish has a
U-value of 1.5
▪ Additional layer of high resistance to heat has a low U-value
▪ Fibrous or cellular, lightweight materials are generally used in a cavity
wall

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 Total Fill
▪Most practicable, easy and popular way

▪Small particles of glass or rock wool fibre or foaming organic material blown through holes in the outer leaf

▪Held in position by wall ties and sometimes rolls or mats are used

▪Can shrink and gaps may open and may form cold bridges

▪Urea formaldehyde, a foamed organic insulant is extensively used

Partial Fill
▪Insulating materials due to capillary action allow water penetration in paths around wall ties and edges

▪ To prevent this, insulation is partially filled

▪ A cavity of about 25 mm is maintained in between

▪ Pads and boards that are sufficiently rigid are used

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External Insulation:
● External facing of tile, slate, sheet metal or plastic cladding.
● Sometimes rendering can also be done.
● Preferred where existing building is in use

Internal Insulation
● Insulating materials are not suitable for inside face of buildings
● Insulating layer is covered with a lining of plasterboard or plaster
● Preformed, laminated panels with a moisture vapour barrier
● May be adhesive fixing or mechanical fixing

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THANK YOU

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