The effect of modelling acoustic media in cavities of lightweight buildings on the transmission of structural vibrations

Determining the dynamic behaviour of lightweight buildings by means of finite element analyses requires models representing the geometry involved in great detail, resulting in systems having many millions of degrees of freedom. It is, therefore, important to avoid unnecessarily detailed models by carefully considering what is essential to include in the models and the level of details required for describing the phenomena of interest accurately. In the study presented here, it was investigated whether or not air and insulation in cavities of multi-storey wood buildings affect the transmission of low-frequency structural vibrations. It was concluded, by means of numerical studies, that including air and insulation in cavities, modelled as acoustic media, affects the transmission from a floor to the underlying ceiling and surrounding walls. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.