STC Ratings of Drywall Partitions with and without Structural Sheathing

Authors

  • Alex Lorimer HGC Engineering
  • Jessica Tinianov HGC Engineering

Abstract

It is often encountered that architects or other building designers specify multiple cavity partitions, with the expectation that they provide equal or greater sound transmission loss performance than a single cavity partition of similar overall mass and dimension. Previous studies confirm that this is not generally true. In particular, the National Building Code lists wood-frame and drywall demising partitions with single large cavities and relatively high Sound Transmission Class (STC) ratings; however, a footnote indicates that the structural sheathing configurations in these walls can degrade the performance from slightly to unpredictably. This article presents a comparison of several field measurements demonstrating the significant acoustical effects of a commonly specified sheathing configuration.

Additional Files

Published

2015-08-18

How to Cite

1.
Lorimer A, Tinianov J. STC Ratings of Drywall Partitions with and without Structural Sheathing. Canadian Acoustics [Internet]. 2015 Aug. 18 [cited 2024 Mar. 29];43(3). Available from: https://jcaa.caa-aca.ca/index.php/jcaa/article/view/2760

Issue

Section

Proceedings of the Acoustics Week in Canada