Abstract | In a recent study at the National Research Council of Canada, the direct sound transmission loss of heavy gauge steel stud walls was investigated. Mid-rise buildings (4 to 6 stories) using steel stud walls are becoming more and more common in North America. In addition to the steel studs, the walls typically include bridging channels and steel straps for bracing against lateral and shear loads. The sound transmission losses of more than thirty of the steel stud walls were measured in this study. The parameters that were varied between walls included the stud spacing, stud gauge, stud depth, cavity insulation, and sheathing. In addition to the standardized transmission loss tests, structural measurements were performed to investigate the effect of stud stiffness and other parameters. |
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