Measuring and control station COMET

COMET Impact sound measuring station Compact method to determine impact sound improvement level OVERVIEW Our COMET impact sound measuring station offers a compact method to determine the sound insulation improvement level according to DIN EN ISO 16251-1. The acoustic properties of floor coverings are described with the sound insulation improvement level. Until now determination of the sound insulation improvement level required a building acoustical floor test stand, which consists of two rooms, one above the other, with a size of 50 m³ each. Floor covering manufacturers are very interested in appropriate measurement facilities to ensure quality and develop new products. However, for the mostly small or medium businesses the effort using the test stand often is unreasonably high. To meet their needs the German PTB and the Forschungsinstitut für Leder und Kunststoffbahnen (FILK - German research institute for leather and plastic sheeting) developed a new compact method as part of an AiF project. This method replaces the two-room facility with a measuring station that has the size of a desk. As a result of the project the COMET sound insulation measuring station was created leveraging our measurement equipment in combination with a software specifically designed by us. The measurement set-up consists of a 1.2m x 0.8m x 0.2m concrete slab which rests in a vibration-damped Euro-format steel rack. This compact set-up replaces the entire two-room facility. Similar to the standard-compliant two-room method the newly developed compact method also uses a standard sound insulation tapping machine for excitation.