PAPERS ON CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS 307 



SOUXDPEOOFIXG IX BUILDIXGS 

 F. E. Watson, Univeesity of Illinois 



The demand for quiet rooms in hospitals, hotels, and 

 office buildings, the desirability of insulating mnsic 

 studios and other rooms where disturbing sounds are 

 produced, have led to repeated requests from architects 

 and builders for reliable information on effective meth- 

 ods for insulating sound. Although present knowledge 

 of the subject is incomplete, nevertheless, on account 

 of the pressing need for guidance in such matters, it 

 is thought desirable to collect and present the available 

 information in a systematic way, giving the methods 

 and results of various investigations relating to the 

 action of materials on sound, describing practical in- 

 stallations of soundproofing, and setting forth in ac- 

 cordance with existing knowledge recommendations that 

 may be applied where sound insulation is wanted. 



This introductory statement in a recent bulletin* on 

 "Soundproof Partitions" indicates the lack of infor- 

 mation on the subject of soundproofing. 



The action of sound in a building is much of a mystery 

 to many people. There is a popular belief that wires 

 stretched in an auditorium will be of l?enefit for faulty 

 acoustics, or, if this fails, that a sounding board over the 

 speaker's head will remedy matters. Also, concerning 

 sound proofing in buildings, an impression prevails that 

 an etfective wall is one containing air spaces. These 

 popular conceptions are not altogether supported by 

 the facts. People who regard the problems with a de- 

 gree of seriousness realize that the action of sound is 

 not a matter of chance, but that the phenomena must 

 accord with scientific laws. 



In the bulletin mentioned, the results are given of a 

 survey of the subject of sound insulation in buildings 

 from three standpoints, — the theory of the subject, ex- 

 perimental investigations, and practical installations of 

 soundproofing. This information thus collected, while 



• "Sound-Proof Partitions" Bulletin 127, University of Illinois Engineer- 

 ing Experiment Station. 



