Influence of composites on sound insulation of gypsum block partition

Abstract

The internal properties of materials, such as density, rigidity and damping, directly influence the sound insulation capacity of vertical partitions against airborne noise, and increasing sound insulation requires knowledge of these properties. Among the materials used in Brazilian civil construction, gypsum block stands out, as it has dimensions that increase its productivity and lower density than ceramic and concrete blocks. However, its sound insulation capacity is not different from conventional building systems. Faced with the need to increase the sound insulation capacity of gypsum block partitions, this research analyzed the sound insulation index of built walls with gypsum blocks, 50mm thick and water/gypsum ratio of 1.0, and built walls with gypsum blocks composites of natural perlite, expanded perlite, vermiculite and alumina. The sound insulation of the composite blocks of natural perlite and expanded perlite provided an increase in sound insulation of 3dB and 4dB, respectively. On the other hand, the composite blocks of vermiculite and alumina showed the highest efficiency, promoting an increase of up to 7dB in the sound reduction index, in relation to the standard gypsum block, with only 5% of addition. The results presented in this paper contribute to the production of gypsum blocks with greater acoustic efficiency, providing the market with alternatives to guarantee the necessary sound insulation.