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Description
As high-density residential living becomes a global trend, managing bathroom drainage noise from prevalent under-slab piping is vital for indoor acoustic comfort. This study investigates the noise reduction effects of various drainage pipe materials and structural acoustic claddings to mitigate noise at the source. To evaluate performance efficiently during development, a simplified laboratory measurement methodology is proposed. Unlike complex full-scale tests like EN 14366-1, this method evaluates a straight pipe point-supported at both ends using a pink noise source, with a sound intensity probe positioned at a 100 mm distance following the ISO 9614 series. These laboratory results were compared against in-situ maximum noise levels. In-situ refers to field tests in a full-scale residential mock-up building, measuring noise in the receiving room below during actual toilet flushes according to the KS F 2871 standard. The analysis indicated that while laboratory noise reduction tended to be slightly lower than in-situ results, overall noise patterns across test cases remained consistent. Similar trends were observed in the 50 Hz to 80 Hz and 200 Hz to 1600 Hz ranges, with moving average trend lines closely aligned. Furthermore, tests on seven additional acoustic materials revealed that combining damping materials and sound absorbers yielded the most significant noise reduction across eleven measured frequency bands. These findings suggest the proposed simplified method is an effective screening tool for evaluating low-noise pipes and claddings, serving as a reliable basis for material selection prior to field implementation.