In-situ testing of gym floor impact isolation

In response to complaints about structure-borne noise, in-situ floor impact isolation testing was conducted of a gym floor. The gym was located on the ground floor of a multi-storey residential apartment building. The impact of free weights being dropped onto the existing gym floor was causing structure-borne noise to be clearly audible within residential apartments located up to six floors above the gym. Using a 42.5kg dumbbell dropped from the same height above the floor surface, the existing gym floor was tested along with various samples of rubber flooring mats and a timber floating floor. The airborne sound generated by the dumbbell impacts was measured in the basement directly below the ground floor test location to provide an accurate indication of the impact isolation provided by the various flooring systems. At the completion of the installation of the upgraded gym floor additional in-situ testing was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the completed floor.