Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
SOUND DAMPENING WALL
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
This invention relates to a wall which provides dampening of
sound and, in particular, a quick and economical method of constructing a
double-stud wall providing significantly improved sound dampening
characteristics, while being low in cost.
Description of the Related Art
At present, many environments desire to have effective sound
dampening between adjacent rooms. In many commercial construction
locations, such as hospitals, office buildings, and the like, it is desired to
have
low sound transmission between adjacent rooms. Presently, one method by
which this is accomplished is to place thick layers of acoustic insulation in
the
wall between the rooms and to place studs on either side of the wall. This has
the disadvantage of being expensive and time-consuming to construct. Other
techniques include placing multiple layers of sheetrock on the studs of the
wall,
or specialty drywall products which have high acoustic dampening properties.
The disadvantage of this approach is that it is expensive because of the cost
of
extra materials and labor to install said materials or the high cost of sound
dampening specialty sheetrock and, in addition, is also time-consuming, which
raises labor cost.
One measure of the sound dampening characteristics of a wall is
called the sound transmission coefficient (STC). The STC of a particular wall
provides an indication of the attenuation which the wall provides for acoustic
waves and, thus, a good indication of the sound dampening that it provides
between adjacent rooms. A standard sheet of sheetrock, which is a low
gypsum board, may have an STC of approximately 26. Thicker sheetrock may
1
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
have STCs in the range of 28 and 29. Two sheetrock panels placed abutting
each other, if each is a standard gypsum board, will have an STC of 34.
Generally, an STC in the range of 35 or lower indicates that a significant
amount of sound will pass from one room to another and the wall provides
little
attenuation. In order to obtain attenuation in the range of 55-60, which is
often
desired, it is currently the practice to create two walls, each of which has a
set
of studs to support the sheetrock, and then place one or more layers of sound-
attenuation material, such as an acoustic dampening insulation or other
material, between them. While such a structure is sufficient to obtain an STC
in
the range of 55 or higher, it is expensive, time-consuming to construct, and
also
takes some skill to properly assemble.
Past attempts to increase the STC of wall assemblies have
focused on specialty products which, in many instances, are prohibitively
expensive. Other techniques have been to add significant layers of
conventional materials that increase the mass, which, while it will increase
the
STC rating, adds significant cost as well as additional time, and takes up
more
space. Other attempts have been to use multiple phases in the wall assembly
in order to add layers of conventional construction material at the same
surface
to achieve a higher STC rating. However, this increases the time in which
construction can be completed and also increases the cost. The schedule is
affected negatively if multiple phases are used for the construction due to
more
materials having to be installed at the site, which, in turn, requires a
longer
duration for the phase of work, which impacts the construction schedule along
with the additional time. Another downside of using multiple layers of
materials
or multiple phases is the reduction in floor area that happens if additional
layers
of materials are added to the wall assembly.
BRIEF SUMMARY
According to principles of the embodiments as disclosed herein, a
sound dampening stud pair is provided which allows for sound separation
2
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
,
through acoustically isolated framing members. Framing studs are provided
which are preassembled as a pair of studs having an acoustic dampening
material therebetween. The acoustic dampening dual-stud construction allows
for structural reinforcement of the wall, maintaining sound transmission
separation. Good sound isolation is provided between adjacent structural
rooms and different building elements. Further, because the dual stud comes
as a single unitary completed product, this provides the ability to build an
acoustically separated wall in fewer phases and much more quickly. In
addition, the prefabricated acoustic isolation dual stud greatly increases the
useable square footage of the building while providing an equal or, in many
instances, a better STC rating than was possible with conventional materials.
Further, providing the dual studs as completed products
significantly decreases the overall construction time and schedule by
eliminating steps during the construction process. The acoustically isolated
studs can be prefabricated in large numbers at an assembly factory and then
delivered as a completed product to the construction site for rapid
construction
of a single wall having dual studs with a high STC rating that dampens the
sound transmitted between rooms.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
Figures 1A and 1B are isometric views of the dual-stud assembly.
Figures 2A-2F show various embodiments of the dual-stud
assembly.
Figures 3A-3H are cross-section views of various embodiments of
the dual-stud assembly.
Figure 4 is an isometric view of a partially completed wall.
Figure 5 is a side elevation view of the structure shown in Figure 4
with one layer of sheetrock added.
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6, as
shown in Figure 5.
3
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Figures 1A and 1B illustrate one example of a dual-stud assembly
for building a sound dampening structure in a wall. In particular, Figure 1A
shows a sound dampening structure 10 having a first stud 12 and a second
stud 14. The studs will generally be of the type that are sheet metal studs
which are in the form of a channel having one side open and the metal bent at
an angle at the open side. Such metal studs are well known in the building
industry and have been used for many years in the construction of commercial
buildings. The studs will generally be parallel to each other. An acoustic
dampening member 16 is adhered to the studs at a desired location. The
acoustic dampening member 16 includes a flat portion 18 and an isolation
member 20 which holds the studs apart from each other while also providing
sound dampening properties between the metal studs.
Figure 1B shows the same metal stud of Figure 1A but turned
180 so that the open channels can more easily be seen and the acoustic
dampening member 16 is adhered to the studs. The acoustic dampening
member 16 can be adhered to the metal studs by any acceptable method. This
may include an adhesive material such as a glue, or other material such as
tape, a fastener, or any other acceptable technique. The acoustic dampening
member 16 is preferably made of any acceptable material that has low acoustic
transmission and sufficient structural strength in order to adhere to the
metal
studs 12, 14 while holding them isolated from each other with little to no
compression. There are a number of types of material which would be
acceptable for the acoustic dampening member 16. This may include various
types of rigid materials, rubber, plastic, PVC, foam, sponges, gels, or the
like.
One material which has been found to be acceptable is a type of material
known as IV3, which is a foam cell polymer material. In the industry, it is
sometimes sold under the name Ensolite IV3 and is available from many
different manufacturers. This is a closed-cell stiff foam material that is
made of
4
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
=
a polymer. It can, in some instances, include neoprene, PVC, or a type of
sponge rubber.
Figures 2A and 2B show one example of a fully assembled dual
stud 10 constructed according to the principles as disclosed herein. In one
embodiment, the dual stud 10 shown in Figures 2A and 2B is a standard
construction length stud having a length of 8 feet, 10 feet, 12 feet, or other
length common in the industry. The fully assembled dual stud 10 actually
includes two studs 12, 14 which have been coupled to each other using the
acoustic dampening member 16 to form a unitary structure.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 2A, three acoustic dampening
members 16a, 16b, 16c are provided for the single unitary stud 10. In this
instance, each acoustic dampening member 16a, 16b, 16c has a flat portion 18
which is adhered to the broad, flat face of each stud 12 and 14. This provides
a
broad area for adhesion and a solid anchor for the isolation member 20 to
adhere between the two studs 12, 14 in order to provide significant
construction
strength and stability to the dual-stud assembly 10.
Figure 2B illustrates an alternative embodiment in which one of
the acoustic dampening members 16, in this case the acoustic dampening
member 16b, is placed facing the opposite direction, namely having the flat
side
against the open channel of the studs 12, 14.
Figure 2C is one embodiment in which only a single acoustic
dampening member 16 is used and the studs 12, 14 are held isolated from
each other by the single member 16.
Figure 2D illustrates the embodiment in which two acoustic-
isolating members 16a, 16c are coupled to the two studs 12, 14 and connect
them to each other. In most construction projects, the studs 12, 14 will be
connected to the floor at a floor region and to the ceiling at a ceiling
region by
some acceptable technique, such as sheet metal screws, a rail fixing system,
or
some other acceptable technique. Accordingly, in many embodiments it is
acceptable to use only a single isolating member 16 in the central region of
the
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
stud, such as 4 feet from each end, since the studs 12, 14 will be fixed at
each
of their respective ends by a floor and a ceiling, as shown in Figure 2C. In
other designs, it is preferred to have two members 16a, 16c, as shown in
Figure
2D, which maintain a fixed distance between both ends of the studs 12, 14
before it is fixed in place in the wall.
Figure 2E shows a further alternative embodiment in which the
acoustic dampening members 16a, 16c are placed on the open channel side of
the studs 12, 14.
Figure 2F shows a side view of the embodiment of Figure 2E in
which the flat portion 18 can be seen against one side of the metal stud 14.
Figures 3A-3G illustrate alternative potential designs for the
acoustic dampening member 16 to be adhered to the two studs 12, 14. As can
be seen in Figure 3A, the acoustic dampening member 16 has a flat portion 18
with an isolation member 20 positioned between the two studs 12, 14. Each
stud has an open channel 22 that remains open in this embodiment. The width
and shape of the isolation member 20 is selected to provide sufficient
distance
that the studs 12, 14 are acoustically isolated from each other and also of
sufficient strength to hold them in a rigid position so that they will not
break
during construction or during shipping.
In one preferred embodiment, the sound isolating member 20 has
a thickness of approximately an inch. In other embodiments, the distance may
be different, such as one-half inch or five-eighths inch, as may be desired
depending on the thickness of the overall wall to be assembled. The thickness
of the flat portion 18 may be in the range of one-half inch or, in some
embodiments, one-quarter inch, which should be of sufficient thickness to have
the strength to rigidly adhere to each of the metal studs 12, 14 and not
break,
rip, or tear during shipping to a construction site or when being assembled
for
construction into a wall.
If different types of material are used, then the acoustic
dampening member 16 may have somewhat different dimensions. For
6
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
example, if a very dense rubber is used, then the flat sheet portion may only
be
in the range of one-eighth inch and the acoustic isolation member one-half
inch
or less. On the other hand, if a foam material having large cells is used,
which
may have more compression, then it may be desired to have somewhat thicker
material.
Figure 3B shows the embodiment in which the acoustic
dampening member 16 is connected to the open channel side of the studs 12,
14. The channel 22 is therefore closed at this location and the stud has
effectively four walls.
Figure 3C shows the embodiment in which the acoustic
dampening member 16 is adhered to the studs 12, 14 and has only a small flat
portion 18 with a shoulder 24 that extends a short distance across the back,
flat, planar surfaces of the respective studs. Such a smaller member 16 would
be lower in cost and easy to manufacture since the acoustic dampening
member 16 can be quickly placed on the two studs and self-aligned because it
has a shoulder region, which is circled on Figure 3C.
A yet further alternative embodiment is shown in Figure 3D in
which the acoustic dampening member 16 is a rectangular block. Such an
acoustic dampening member 16 is much easier to manufacture and lower in
cost. The side walls of the acoustic dampening member 16 are adhered to the
facing side walls of the studs 12, 14 and, with use of a strong adhesive, the
studs are rigidly coupled to each other with sufficient strength to be a
unitary
stud until they can be assembled into a final wall, at which time they would
be
fixed at the top end and bottom end with the appropriate fasteners.
The embodiments of the type shown in Figures 3C and 3D use
much less sound dampening material and, thus, are lower in cost to
manufacture.
Figure 3E shows an embodiment in which the acoustic
dampening member 16 is a rectangular flat sheet which contains only the flat
portion 18. There is no additional acoustic dampening member 16 that is
7
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
affixed between the two studs 12, 14. Generally, a vacuum or open air has
good acoustic isolation properties as compared to a metal wall. Thus, in the
embodiment of Figure 3E, the flat portion 18 prevents vibration from traveling
from one stud 14 to the other stud 12 because the acoustic dampening member
coupling them together provides high attenuation of sound. The two studs 12,
14 are isolated from each other by an air space, which provides some sound
insulation as well.
The embodiment of Figure 3F illustrates that the acoustic
dampening member 16 is affixed inside of the channel of the studs 12, 14. In
particular, channel 22 of each of the studs 12, 14 has a portion of the
acoustic
dampening member 16 positioned therein and the material is rigidly affixed to
one leg of the studs on the inside and the outside and has an acoustic
dampening member 20 in between.
Figure 3G shows a further alternative embodiment in which the
acoustic damping member is composed of a metal, preferably steel. When the
acoustic damping member 16 is made of a metal, such as steel, it is a thin,
rigid
piece, less than 3 mm (under 1/8") in thickness and in some embodiments it is
about 1 mm or less, for example, 0.5 mm or 0.457 mm, which is 18 mils. While
steel is generally considered a good conductor of sound, if only a thin metal
strip that is in the range of 0.5 mm thick connects the first stud to the
second
stud, this will effectively attenuate sound transmission between the two metal
studs 12 and 14. In one design, a thin metal sheet that is about 0.5 mm thick
and having a width of about 3-4 cm (1.5") is coupled by two sheet metal screws
to the first metal stud 12 and the second metal stud 14. This sheet metal
strip
is the acoustic damping member 16. The sheet metal screws may, in one
embodiment, have a rubber gasket around the shaft to further dampen the
sound. Since the sheet metal isolates the two studs from each other, is quite
thin and does not have much mass, an acoustic wave in one stud will not travel
well through the thin metal sheet and will be effectively attenuated. The dual
8
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
studs can be connected with the thin metal sheet member according to the
various embodiments shown in Figures 2A-2F.
Figure 3H shows a further alternative embodiment to that shown
in Figure 30 in which the acoustic damping member is composed of a metal,
preferably steel, and a bracing member 27, also made of sheet metal, is
connected to each stud 12 and 14. When the acoustic damping member 16 is
made of a very thin metal strip that is less than 0.5 mm, it is helpful to add
some
further bracing members. In the alternative embodiment of Figure 3H, two
bracing members 27 are added, each being about 18 mil, which is in the range
of less than 0.5 mm thick. The bracing members 27 provide additional support
and further sound dampening.
As has been shown, the acoustic dampening member 16 can take
various forms and be positioned at various locations in order to affix the
studs
12, 14 to each other to achieve a unitary sound dampening dual-stud member
that can be used in construction.
According to a preferred embodiment, the dual-stud sound-
isolation structure 10 is assembled at a construction factory in a mass
production assembly operation. The assembly plant for the sound-isolation
studs 10 does not need to be near the construction site. The sound-isolation
dual-stud members 10 are assembled as complete units at the remote
manufacturing facility in the desired lengths, such as 8 feet, 10 feet, 12
feet,
and the like. Then they are shipped to the construction location during the
building phase and used as the wall studs to form walls between adjacent
rooms. The workmen, when building the wall, will take the single unitary dual
stud 10, that is composed of the two studs 12, 14, and the acoustic dampening
member 16, since it is provided as a single unit, into the desired location in
order to build the wall. The worker is, thus, able to place two studs at the
same
time in a single construction step. In addition, the two studs 12, 14 are
acoustically isolated from each other and, therefore, provide a very high STC.
9
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
Figure 4 illustrates a construction of a wall of a type that would be
done in a commercial building between adjacent rooms. During the assembly
of the wall, an acoustic dampening layer 26 is positioned on the floor at the
floor
region in a location in which it is desired to construct the wall. Further, an
acoustic dampening layer 26 is also positioned on the ceiling, directly above
the
location in which the wall is to be constructed at the ceiling region. Simple
angle members 28, such as sheet metal bent at a 900 angle, are then placed on
top of the sound-isolating material separated by a distance that accommodates
the width of the studs 12, 14 when assembled in the single unitary dual-stud
10.
The final floor assembly 29 including the angle member 28 and acoustic
dampening layer 26, combined, is then fixed to the floor by any acceptable
technique. If it is a concrete floor, the floor assembly 29 may be affixed by
fasteners which extend through the angle members 28 and the acoustic
dampening layer 26, such as concrete nails. Alternatively, the floor assembly
29 may be adhered to the bottom by different types of glue, adhesive, or any
acceptable technique.
There are a number of types of material which would be
acceptable for the acoustic dampening layer 26. This may include various
types of rigid materials, rubber, plastic, PVC, foam, sponges, gels, or the
like.
One material which has been found to be acceptable is a type of material
known as IV3, which is a foam cell polymer material.
The ceiling assembly 32 is also adhered to the ceiling by any
acceptable technique (that also includes angled members 28 and the acoustic
dampening layer 26). The preassembled sound-isolating dual-stud 10 is
thereafter placed into the channel which is formed by the two angled members
28 and attached by any acceptable technique, such as sheet metal fastening
screws, an adhesive material, or the like. In the example shown in Figure 4, a
wall of standard height, such as 8 feet, is constructed. The example shown in
Figure 4 is in the middle of the construction phase so that the components can
be easily seen. After the structural members of the wall have been assembled,
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
then the appropriate drywall material will be added, such as a desired
sheetrock, gypsum board, or the like. Since the two studs 12, 14 are
acoustically separated from each other, standard sheetrock that is low in cost
may be used, rather than requiring the use of expensive acoustic dampening
material. In addition, in most embodiments it is preferred to leave open space
between the adjacent dual-stud members 10, as shown in Figure 4. If desired,
thermal insulation, sound insulation, or a material which provides both
thermal
insulation and sound insulation may be placed in the wall structure 30 as it
is
being constructed, which can provide further thermal and acoustic isolation
between the two rooms.
Figure 5 is a side elevation view of the structure shown in Figure 4
with drywall 36 added. The studs 14 can be seen attached to the acoustic
dampening layer 26, the angle members 28 of the floor assembly 29, and a
similar construction coupled at the ceiling assembly 32. The acoustic
dampening member 16 is affixed to the studs 12, 14 in the manner which has
been previously described with respect to Figure 2D.
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6, as
shown in Figure 5. In Figure 6, the bottom acoustic dampening layer 26 can be
seen, as well as the individual acoustic dampening members 16 which couple
studs 12, 14 to each other in a final assembled wall. In addition, Figure 6
also
shows the more fully-assembled wall having drywall 36 placed thereon as
would be present in the final construction of a fully completed wall. In
particular, the drywall 36, as shown in Figure 5, is present only on the back
of
the wall so that the interior construction of the wall can be more easily seen
for
purposes of illustration of the different structures of the embodiments as
described herein. In Figures 5 and 6, the drywall 36 is also shown only on one
side of the wall so that the final construction of the completed wall can be
seen.
As will be appreciated, in the final construction of a wall, the drywall 36
will be
placed on both sides of the wall and then tape and appropriate mud will be
11
CA 02893390 2015-05-27
applied after which the dry wall 36 may be painted or prepared as desired by
the homeowner to complete construction of the wall.
The various embodiments described above can be combined to
provide further embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if
necessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications and
publications to provide yet further embodiments.
These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in
light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims,
the
terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific
embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be
construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of
equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not
limited by the disclosure.
12
