Uncertainty in ASTM E492 "Standard Test Method for Laboratory Measurement of Impact Sound Transmission Through Floor-Ceiling Assemblies Using the Tapping Machine"

Standards are an important part of the building acoustics industry. There are standards for impact and airborne noise transmission, in both the field and the lab. In North American and other parts of the world, the dominate building acoustics standards used are the ASTM standards written by the E33 Committee on Building and Environmental Acoustics. As the standards have grown and matured organically over the last 50 years, many inconsistencies in language and methodology have cropped up in the standards. In the last few years, the E33 committee has been working to harmonize their standards across and within standards. Recently, a small group of individuals have worked to address the inconsistences in ASTM E492 "Standard Test Method for Laboratory Measurement of Impact Sound Transmission Through Floor-Ceiling Assemblies Using the Tapping Machine" regarding uncertainty. This paper will review the changes that have been made, some examples will be shown on how uncertainty is calculated, and most importantly, what that uncertainty means.