IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i15p6892-d1712608.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effect of Window Structure and Mounting on Sound Insulation: A Laboratory-Based Study

Author

Listed:
  • Leszek Dulak

    (Faculty of Civil Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

  • Artur Nowoświat

    (Faculty of Civil Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

Abstract

The acoustic performance of windows significantly influences evaluations of building quality, particularly in urban environments. This study presents the results of laboratory tests on the airborne sound insulation of windows with dimensions greater than those specified in ISO 10140-5:2021-10. The aim was to determine the impact of construction details and installation techniques on sound insulation, specifically R w and R w + C tr values. The experimental variables included mounting methods (expansion tape versus low-pressure polyurethane foam), the presence or absence of a threshold in the lower frame, and the type of mullion (fixed versus movable). The tests involved two types of IGUs characterized by different acoustic properties. The findings indicate that the frame configuration, including threshold and mullion type, has a negligible influence on sound insulation. However, the standard method for estimating acoustic performance (EN 14351-1:2006 + A2:2017), which relies on IGU-based data, proved unreliable for modern window assemblies. The estimated values of R w and R w + C tr were consistently lower than those obtained from direct laboratory measurements. These results highlight the need for verification through full-size window testing and suggest that reliance on simplified estimation procedures may lead to underperformance in real-world acoustic applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Leszek Dulak & Artur Nowoświat, 2025. "Effect of Window Structure and Mounting on Sound Insulation: A Laboratory-Based Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-18, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:15:p:6892-:d:1712608
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6892/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/6892/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:15:p:6892-:d:1712608. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.