Recycled materials for noise reduction in floating floor

Worldwide, a growing public concern for the environment, the resources depletion and the increasing quantities of waste and energy, is forcing manufacturers to recycle or reuse materials. Recycled by-products, such as tyre shavings, wood tailings, cork, clothes and natural wool waste, may be formed into building materials that have desirable acoustic and physical properties. These materials are novel and can provide alternatives to traditional products in a number of environmental noise control applications. In the present work, their promising use as resilient layer in floating floor systems is evaluated using different techniques, such as dynamic stiffness and thermogravimetric tests. In particular, one of the most important aspects taken into account is the effect of their nonhomogeneous nature on the final performance. Considering resilient layers made of recycled textile fibres, cork and tyre shavings, the measured properties may significantly vary with manufacturer or production method.