Practical noise measurement method for confirmation of effectiveness of sound insulation in residential houses around airports

In Japan, at airports with significant noise impact, soundproofing for dwellings is subsidized by the airport administrator in accordance with the law requiring noise mitigation. The compensation areas and zone-types are indicated according to noise impact. For each zone-type, the planned quantity of sound insulation to be achieved through soundproofing and the standard construction specifications are determined. Although noise measurement is not required upon completion of the soundproofing, it may be conducted to confirm the sound insulation effectiveness, if necessary. Methods for the measurement of sound insulation characteristics of the buildings are specified in Japanese standards (JIS), but these methods use artificial noise sources from speakers, which require many manpower and sound level meters or noise source equipment, and also cannot directly determine the quantity of sound insulation against aircraft noise. Thus, in order to examine the practical simplified method for noise measurement, we carried out measurements using aircraft noise in or around a dwelling, in parallel with the method required by the JIS standard. From the results, this paper reports the method by using even in a smaller number of microphones with the appropriate placement, to determine the quantity of sound insulation against aircraft noise in a dwelling.