Dynamic and acoustic properties of a joisted floor

Lightweight structures find more and more applications in both vehicle and ship industries. To meet a growing demand, a variety of different types of joisted panels have been developed during the last few decades. One of the problems to deal with is the assessment of the acoustic performances of such panels once they are already mounted in their final place. In this case, it can be of importance to find a way to characterise their dynamic and acoustic properties, such as bending stiffness, internal losses and sound reduction index through non-destructive testing. A method for a quick determination of the bending stiffness of a lightweight joisted floor is presented. On the basis of the apparent bending stiffness and of the losses, it is possible to predict the sound reduction index of the panel in a fairly simple way. The results obtained from the mobility tests have been compared to the measurements carried out according to the ISO standard procedure.