Actual barrier attenuation in case of a low transmission loss

In principle, the calculation of the attenuation by a barrier assumes a high transmission loss (TL>40 dBA). If this is not the case, the effectiveness of the barrier is reduced. You can use the table below to estimate the actual attenuation, based on the calculated one (assuming TL>40 dBA) and on the actual TL of the barrier. For example, a calculated attenuation of 20 dB (for a barrier with TL>40 dBA) should be reduced to 18.8 dB for a barrier with TL=25 dBA.

Table. Estimation of the actual barrier att., based on the SLIP-calculated one and the actual barrier's TL.

SLIP-calc. barrier att. [dB] att. for the actual TL [dBA]
TL>40 (dBA) TL=30TL=25TL=20TL=15TL=10
20 19.6 18.8 17.0 13.8 9.6
15 14.9 14.6 13.8 12.0 8.8
10 10.0 9.9 9.6 8.8 7.0
5 5.0 5.0 4.9 4.6 3.8
3 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.7 2.2

  Anmerkung: Rule of thumb for the design of a barrier: TL must be at least 10 dB higher than the (needed) barrier attenuation.