Designation: E 2235 – 04

Standard Test Method for

Determination of Decay Rates for Use in Sound Insulation
Test Methods1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 2235; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

INTRODUCTION

This test method is part of a set of methods used to evaluate the sound-insulating properties of
building elements. It is intended for use in conjunction with methods for measuring the transmission
of sound through a partition or partition element in a laboratory or in a building. These methods
include the laboratory measurement of airborne sound transmission loss of building partitions and
elements (Test Method E 90), the measurement of sound isolation in buildings (Test Method E 336),
the laboratory measurement of impact sound transmission through floors (Test Method E 492), the
measurement of impact sound transmission in buildings (Test Method E 1007), the measurement of
sound transmission through building facades and facade elements (Guide E 966), and the measure-
ment of sound transmission through a common plenum between two rooms (Test Method E 1414).

1. Scope sorption Coefficients by the Reverberation Room Method

1.1 This test method covers the measurement of sound C 634 Terminology Relating to Environmental Acoustics
decay rate in rooms and the calculation of the sound absorption E 90 Test Method for Laboratory Measurement of
of the room and its contents. The sound absorption so calcu- Airborne-Sound Transmission Loss of Building Partitions
lated may be used in calculations in sound insulation test and Elements
methods. E 336 Test Method for Measurement of Airborne Sound
1.2 The method shall be used only in conjunction with other Insulation in Buildings
test methods where the logarithm of the sound absorption is E 492 Test Method for Laboratory Measurement of Impact
used in formulas. It is not sufficiently precise for use in Sound Transmission Through Floor-Ceiling Assemblies
situations where room sound absorption is to be used without Using the Tapping Machine
taking logarithms. E 966 Guide for Field Measurements of Airborne Sound
1.3 For laboratory measurements of the sound absorption of Insulation of Building Facades and Facade Elements
materials and objects, Test Method C 423 should be used. E 1007 Test Method for Field Measurement of Tapping
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the Machine Impact Sound Transmission Through Floor-
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the Ceiling Assemblies and Associated Support Structures
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- E 1414 Test Method for Airborne Sound Attenuation Be-
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- tween Rooms Sharing a Common Ceiling Plenum
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. 2.2 ANSI Standards:
S1.4 Specification for Sound-Level Meters3
2. Referenced Documents S1.6 Standard Preferred Frequencies, Frequency Levels,
2.1 ASTM Standards: 2 and Band Numbers for Acoustical Measurements3
C 423 Test Method for Sound Absorption and Sound Ab- S1.11 Specification for Octave-band and Fractional-Octave-
Band Analog and Digital Filters 3
3. Terminology
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E33 on
Environmental Acoustics and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E33.01 on 3.1 Definitions of the acoustical terms used in this test
Sound Absorption. method are given in Terminology C 634.
Current edition approved April 1, 2004. Published April 2004. Originally 3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
approved in 2003. Last previous edition approved in 2003 as E 2235 – 03.
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM
3
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St.,
the ASTM website. 4th Floor, New York, NY 10036.

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

1
 E 2235 – 04
3.2.1 output interval, Dt; [T]; s—of a real-time analyzer, the 6. Sound Source Requirements
time between successive outputs of sound pressure levels 6.1 Sound sources shall be loudspeaker systems driven by
during a single decay measurement. power amplifiers.
4. Summary of Test Method NOTE 2—Loudspeaker systems should be omnidirectional. In practice,
4.1 Sound decay rate in rooms is a function of frequency so using multiple driver elements to cover different frequency ranges and
placing sources in trihedral corners of the room will be adequate.
measurements are made in a series of frequency bands. Bands
of random electrical noise are used as signals to drive loud- 7. Sound Source Positions
speakers in the room until the sound pressure level reaches a 7.1 At least one source position shall be used in the room.
steady state. When the sound is then turned off, the sound
pressure level decays at a rate determined by the sound NOTE 3—Where more than one source position is used, decay rate data
absorption in the room. The decay rate is measured in each may be collected for each source position in sequence and then the decay
rates averaged. Alternatively, multiple loudspeakers may be activated
frequency band by measuring the slope of a straight line fitted
simultaneously. If this is done, the sound power emitted by the loud-
to the average decay curve. The absorption of the room and its speaker sources should be approximately equal. Separate electronic noise
contents is calculated from the Sabine formula: generators and amplifiers for each system are not necessary.
Vd
A 5 0.921 c (1) 8. Electrical Signal
8.1 The electrical signal fed to each power amplifier shall be
where: a band of random noise with a continuous spectrum covering
A = sound absorption, m2, the frequency range over which measurements are made.
V = volume of reverberation room, m3,
c = speed of sound, m/s, and 9. Frequency Range
d = decay rate, dB/s. 9.1 The frequency range of the measurements shall be that
4.1.1 The speed of sound changes with temperature and it specified in the companion standard for which the measure-
shall be calculated for the conditions existing at the time of test ments are being made.
from the equation: 9.2 Bandwidth—For each test band, the overall frequency
c 5 20.047=273.15 1 t m/s (2) response of the electrical system, including the filter or filters
in the source or microphone systems, shall satisfy the specifi-
where: cations given in ANSI Specification S1.11 for a one-third
t = room temperature, °C. octave band filter set, Order 3 or higher, Type 1.
5. Significance and Use NOTE 4—The shape of the filter response curve can influence the
5.1 Several ASTM test methods to evaluate the sound- minimum decay rate that can be measured. This problem is dealt with by
the requirement in 13.5.
insulating properties of building elements require the measure-
ment of room sound absorption as part of the procedure. The 10. Microphone Requirements
room sound absorption in these standards appears in an 10.1 A microphone used to measure decay rate shall be
equation in the form 10 log (x/A), where x is a quantity with the omnidirectional with a 61 dB random-incidence amplitude
same units as A, m2. Room sound absorption is calculated from response within any one-third octave band for all frequencies
the decay rate using Eq 1. and sound pressure levels used for decay rate measurements.
5.2 The requirements of this standard have been chosen so
the uncertainty associated with the measurement of room 11. Microphone Positions
sound absorption will be acceptably small so long as the 11.1 Stationary Microphones:
logarithm of the absorption is being used in calculations. 11.1.1 In the absence of an over-riding requirement in the
5.3 Other test methods should specify explicitly that they companion standard, the number of stationary microphone
make use of this test method. positions shall be at least three.
5.4 Where measurement requirements in the parent standard 11.1.2 In the absence of an over-riding requirement in the
differ from those given here, the requirements in the parent companion standard, stationary microphone positions shall be
standard shall be satisfied. at least 1.5 m apart, and at least 0.75 m from any surface of the
5.5 This test method shall not be used when room sound room.
absorption or decay rate is to be used directly to satisfy some 11.2 Moving Microphones:
criterion, for example in a room that must not be overly 11.2.1 Only one location of a moving microphone assembly
reverberant so speech will be intelligible. is required in the room.
NOTE 1—The uncertainty of the room sound absorption obtained will 11.2.2 The length of the path for a moving microphone shall
usually be too high and additional measurements are necessary. be that specified in the companion standard for which mea-
surements are being made.
5.6 Any companion standard may specify the use of the
procedures in this method for determining whether the decay NOTE 5—Longer paths are preferred since they improve the precision
rates in a room are slow enough to satisfy the requirements of of the measurements at low frequencies.
the companion standard. The measured decay rates shall still 11.2.3 All points on the path shall be at least 0.75 m from
be used only to calculate the logarithm of the room absorption. any surface of the room.

2
 E 2235 – 04
11.2.4 The moving microphone shall be at a different point 15.2 Method 2:
on its path at the start of each decay measurement. 15.2.1 The procedures in 15.2.2 and 15.2.3 shall be used
when the instrument used to measure decay rates provides the
12. Number of Sound Decays to be Collected
user with individual or averaged decay curves.
12.1 Stationary Microphones—The product of the number 15.2.2 Where the instrument provides curves for single
of microphone positions, the number of decays collected at decays, transfer each decay at each frequency from the
each microphone position and the number of speakers shall be instrument to a computer and form an average decay curve
at least 15. using Eq 3 or Eq 4.
12.2 Moving Microphones—Collect a total of at least 10 N
1
decays with a moving microphone. Li~ƒ! 5 N ( Lij~ƒ!
j51
(3)

F G
13. Instrument of Analysis 1 N
13.1 The instruments used for analysis shall be digital. Li~ƒ! 5 10log N ( 10Lij~ƒ!/10 (4)
j51
Analog devices such as level recorders shall not be used.
13.2 Instruments used for measurements according to this where:
standard shall meet the provisions of either 13.3 or 13.4. i and j = integers,
–
13.3 A sound level meter or other instrument that calculates Li (ƒ) = average of the sound pressure levels measured at
reverberation time or decay rate values using internal algo- time iDt in frequency band ƒ,
rithms and presents the calculated values but not individual N = the number of decays, and
Lij(ƒ) = the sound pressure level measured at the time iDt
decay curves.
during the jth decay in frequency band ƒ.
13.3.1 The algorithm used by the instrument shall satisfy
the procedures of Method 2 (see 15.2) for calculation of decay NOTE 8—It is assumed that the i-th time point is always at the same
rate. time after the cessation of the sound.
13.4 An instrument that provides decay curves for each NOTE 9—Although Eq 4 is technically more correct, for the purposes of
this standard either Eq 3 or Eq 4 is satisfactory.
one-third-octave band with or without calculated reverberation
time or decay rates. 15.2.3 Where the instrument provides average decay curves,
13.5 Instrument decay rates in each frequency band shall be they shall be used in the determination of decay rate provided
at least 3 times the room decay rates. the average decay curves are obtained using Eq 3 or Eq 4.
NOTE 6—The instrument decay rate can be measured by attaching an 16. Determination of Decay Rate
electronic noise source directly to the input, switching off the generator
and then measuring the decay. NOTE 10—Fig. 1 gives an example of an averaged decay curve and may
clarify the following paragraphs.
14. Measurement Procedures 16.1 All points used in the determination of decay rate must
14.1 Measurement of Decays: be 10 dB or more above the background noise level.
14.1.1 Turn on the test signal until the sound pressure level 16.2 The first point to be included in the analysis shall be as
in each measurement band is steady. soon as practical after the sound has been switched off. The
14.1.2 Turn off the test signal and measure sound pressure sound pressure level for the first point shall be no more than 5
levels in each measurement band during the decay. Start and dB below the level when the sound was on. (See Fig. 1)
stop times are determined as necessary to suit measurement 16.3 For laboratory measurements, the last point to be
conditions. included in the determination of decay rate shall be the first
14.1.3 Where a real-time analyzer is used to collect decay point that is at least 25 dB below the sound pressure level of the
curves, the output interval, Dt, shall be small enough that at first analysis point provided that the level of the last point
least five samples are used in the calculations described in 15.2. satisfies 16.1. (See Fig. 1)
In furnished rooms, this may require a Dt of 20 ms or less. 16.3.1 For field measurements, the last point to be included
14.2 Measurement of Background Sound Pressure Level: in the determination of decay rate shall be more than 15 dB but
14.2.1 Measure the background sound pressure levels in the less than 25 dB below the sound pressure level of the first
room using the same microphone and analyzer gain settings analysis point provided that the level of the last point satisfies
used to measure decays. 16.1.
NOTE 7—This accounts properly for residual noise in the instrumenta- NOTE 11—Background noise levels in field situations are often much
tion. higher than those encountered in laboratories. The required decay range is
therefore relaxed so measurements can be made in such situations.
15. Calculation of Decay Rates NOTE 12—It may be necessary, especially in field measurements, to
15.1 Method 1: increase the level of sound from the loudspeaker to increase the signal to
15.1.1 Where the sound level meter or analyzer calculates background noise ratio so an adequate decay range is obtained.
reverberation times or decay rates, no additional calculations 16.3.2 When the signal level can not be increased suffi-
are necessary. ciently to comply with 16.3.1, a smaller amount of the decay
15.1.2 When different decay ranges for calculating rever- may be used for the calculation. The last point shall be in
beration time are available, the range closest to 25 dB shall be compliance with 16.1 and shall be at least 15 dB below the first
selected. point.

3
 E 2235 – 04

P1 is the first point used in the fitting process. P2 is 25 dB below P1 and more than 10 dB (actually 12 dB) above the background noise and is the last point used in
the fitting process.
FIG. 1 Idealized Decay Curve and the Fitting Process

16.4 For each frequency band, calculate the mean slope of shall only be used in conjunction with other ASTM standards
the average decay curve between the first and last points using that require the measurement in a room of average sound
linear regression analysis. pressure levels that are then normalized to remove the effect of
6 M M room sound absorption.
d~ƒ! 5 2 @~M 1 1! ( Li~ƒ! 2 2 ( iLi~ƒ!# (5)
M~M 2 1! Dt i51 i51
18. Precision and Bias
where:
M = number of points used in the fitting procedure, 18.1 The method has no bias.
Dt = output interval, s, and 18.2 Procedures for calculating uncertainties are given in
– = average of the sound pressure levels measured at the standards that specify the use of this one.
Li(ƒ)
time iDt.
16.5 At each frequency, calculate the room sound absorp- 19. Keywords
tion using Eq 1.
19.1 decay rate; normalization of sound pressure level;
17. Report reverberation time; room sound absorption
17.1 The room sound absorption values calculated in this
test method shall not be reported as independent results. They

ASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentioned
in this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights, and the risk
of infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.

This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every five years and
if not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard or for additional standards
and should be addressed to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of the
responsible technical committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair hearing you should
make your views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, at the address shown below.

This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,
United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the above
address or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or [email protected] (e-mail); or through the ASTM website
(www.astm.org).