STATISTICAL MODEL FOR EVALUATION OF FLOOR IMPACT NOISE IN BUILDINGS

Noise pollution has a significant influence on people's quality of life, and one of the most important and annoying sources of noise in residential buildings is impact noise. Studies show that among the various sources of impact noise on floors, footsteps are the most frequent. In this study, tests were carried out to quantify the levels of impact noise in different types and compositions of flooring in residential buildings in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and interviews were conducted with residents using questionnaires based on survey methodology to assess the perception of annoyance due to this type of noise. In order to relate all the data obtained, including architectural and real estate data, a statistical model was adopted to predict the level of user dissatisfaction. As a result, it was possible to obtain a relationship between this response variable and the level of floor impact noise and other explanatory variables. From this, it is possible to determine a level of dissatisfaction from the L'nTw values measured and to find acceptable L'nTw values that are satisfactory and acceptable to users, as well as defining a new limit parameter for adoption in the Brazilian standard.