Sound is transmitted as airborne sound and impact sound. Airborne sound is generated as cyclical disturbances of air from, for example, a
radio, that radiate from the source of the sound with diminishing intensity. The vibrations in the air caused by the sound source will set up vibrations in enclosing walls and floors which will cause vibrations of air on the opposite side of {wall}s and floors.
Impact sound is caused by contact with a surface, as for example the slamming of a door or footsteps on a floor which set up vibrations in walls and floors that in turn cause vibrations of air around them that are heard as sound.
The most effective insulation against airborne sound is a dense barrier such as a solid wall which absorbs the energy of the airborne sound waves. The heavier and more dense the material of the wall the more effective it is in reducing sound. The Building Regulations require walls and floors to provide reasonable resistance to airborne sound between dwellings and between machine rooms, tank rooms, refuse chutes and habitable rooms. A solid {wall}, one brick thick, or a solid cavity wall plastered on both sides is generally considered to provide reasonable sound reduction between dwellings at a reasonable cost. The small reduction in sound transmission obtained by doubling the thickness of a wall is considered prohibitive in relation to cost.
For reasonable reduction of airborne sound between dwellings one above the other, a concrete floor is advisable.
The more dense the material the more readily it will transmit impact sound. A knock on a part of a rigid concrete frame may be heard some considerable distance away. Insulation against impact sound will therefore consist of some absorbent material that will act to cushion the impact, such as a carpet on a floor, or serve to interrupt the path of the sound, as for example the absorbent pads under a floating floor.
Noise generated in a room may be reflected from the walls and ceilings and build up to an uncomfortable intensity inside the room, particularly where the wall and ceiling surfaces are hard and smooth. To prevent the build-up of reflected sound some absorbent material should be applied to walls and ceilings, such as acoustic tiles or curtains, to absorb the energy of the sound waves.