Measurements Of The Sound Transmission Loss Of Windows

Introduction The sound transmission characteristics of windows are of interest not only for specialized applications such as the control rooms of recording studios but also for the exterior shell of buildings where the intrusion of outdoor noise into homes and offices is of concern. Although transmission loss data for many types of windows are available, the results of different studies are not in close agreement. Figure 1, which is based on data taken from a recent review paper. illustrates the typical variation in published results. Although the windows involved had essentially equivalent glazing and interpane separation, the results obtained in the three sets of measurements differ appreciably. There are several reasons for discrepancies: 1. At low frequencies sound transmission is considerably affected by panel resonances whose frequencies depend on the dimensions of the panes of glass. 2. The damping and edge constraint provided by putty or other material used to seal glass in