The prediction of airborne sound transmission between two rooms using first-order flanking paths

Airborne sound transmission between adjacent rooms can be predicted using the Standard EN 12354-1 (ISO 15712-1), which is equivalent to a first-order approximation of statistical energy analysis (SEA). This paper analyses airborne sound transmission between adjacent rooms in a masonry building, by comparing results obtained from EN 12354-1 to SEA predictions and measurements. It is shown that the restriction of the Standard to first-order flanking paths can lead to large errors in predictions when compared to measurements and SEA results taking into account all transmission paths. This is observed both for individual flanking paths and overall transmission between rooms, for which the Standard provides results similar to those obtained by the first-order approximation of SEA. The paper also looks at possible reasons why previous studies using the approach in EN 12354 have generally shown good agreement with measurements.