Acoustic insulation of vertical enclosure systems of “efficient popular house” made with soil-cement bricks

Abstract

The Brazilian housing deficit is growing more and more and, therefore, it is necessary to study the use of low-cost alternative materials for the construction of popular housing and its acoustic performance. In 2013, the “efficient popular house” was built. The project contemplated sustainable solutions, proposing the use of alternative materials such as soil-cement bricks, tetra-pak tiles and OSB (Oriented Strand Board) panels. The research aims to analyze the acoustic insulation to airborne noise provided by external (SVVE) and internal (SVVI) vertical sealing systems composed of soil-cement bricks, through the methodology defined by ISO 16283-2 and ISO 717-2. It was found that the insulation indexes for the facades are above the minimum values recommended by NBR 15575-4. However, the internal vertical closing systems showed insufficient levels of insulation, since the project design did not foresee the executive detail of grouting the internal walls of soil-cement bricks, only their fitting, contributing to the loss of insulation. This result points to the relevance of the performance of materials (squares and bricks) and the constructive process (sealing of the joints in the masonry and the frame of the frames) used by the civil construction sector to obtain quality in housing, especially with regard to acoustic insulation.