Material sizes.
From the linear dimensions of building materials, first of all, the strength, weight and thickness of the partition, and in addition, the time of installation work depends.
When erecting a stone partition, its thickness can range from 6.5 to 18 cm.
Some hollow blocks or bricks can be laid in two or even three ways, either on the short or long side, or on the side. Thus, using the same wall material, it is possible to build a partition that has three different thicknesses and has different soundproofing properties. When using hollow blocks, they must be laid in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, since a change in the direction of internal voids can significantly impair the soundproofing properties of the partition.
The thickness of the frame partition depends on two main parameters – on the width of the metal profiles (5, 7.5 or 10 cm) and the thickness of the cladding used (as a rule, the thickness of the gypsum board is 1.25 cm). Therefore, the thinnest wall of the frame structure can have a thickness of 7.5 cm (5 cm metal profile with plasterboard sheathing on both sides), and one of the thickest – 15 cm (10 cm metal profile with plasterboard sheathing on both sides ).
Water absorption.
From this indicator directly depends on whether this material can be used in wet rooms or not. The method of its transportation and storage at the construction site also depends on this. In the process of building a house (at the stage of building a box), the wall structure has a fairly high humidity, and not all materials have sufficient resistance to it. For this reason, for example, gypsum boards should be purchased immediately before installation or when it is possible to store them in a dry and warm room. Otherwise, drywall may absorb moisture, swell or warp.
Hollow blocks and bricks are also able to intensively absorb moisture, but unlike drywall, they give it away quite easily, while not violating their consumer characteristics. Walls in damp rooms must be properly protected from moisture. Masonry must be covered with a protective compound or plastered, and frame dividing walls must be erected exclusively from moisture-resistant material (gypsum board or green gypsum fiber boards) that cannot absorb moisture.
Weight of materials.
The specific gravity of building materials and the mass of the partition are especially important in the case of its construction on the floor, since in this case additional reinforcement is most often required. Building materials for dry construction are considered to be one of the lighter ones, that is, those that are used for the construction of frame partitions. The weight of gypsum boards is approximately 5 kg/m². Gypsum boards or gypsum-fiber boards with increased fire resistance have a higher density, and therefore they are heavier (depending on the thickness of the sheet, their weight can be in the range from 10 to 21 kg / m²). To this weight of the frame partition, it is necessary not to forget to add the weight of the filler (mineral wool), and this is not much, not less, about 5 kg / m².
Partitions made of solid masonry are considered to be one of the heaviest and most massive partitions, since they have a high density. In some cases, their density can be about 1800 kg / m3, and their weight ranges from 3.5 kg (silicate brick) to 28 kg (solid tongue-and-groove gypsum board). Ceramic porous blocks have the lowest density, slightly higher (about 100 kg / m3) – blocks of cellular concrete. Having large overall dimensions, their weight, as a rule, does not exceed 10 kg. Barrier weight. The installation of a frame partition, as a rule, takes place without the use of wet processes, due to which its specific gravity, depending on the type of cladding and filler, can range from 20 to 50 kg/m². The stone partition weighs several times more. So, for example, the weight of 1 m2 of a partition made of solid brick with a thickness of 12 cm is about 210 – 280 kg, and from cellular concrete of the same thickness – about 85 – 95 kg. Such a difference is associated not only with the different specific gravity of the wall material, but also with the large amount of masonry mortar required to perform the work. The smaller the number of elements in the masonry, the more seams and, accordingly, the greater the consumption of masonry mortar. In addition, the weight of the partition is increased by finishing, especially if it is done with facing tiles or traditional plaster. Load bearing capacity. Stone partitions are strong enough, you can hang various items weighing 100 kg or more on them without much risk.
When fastening to walls erected from hollow porous ceramics or from cellular concrete, it is necessary to use special fasteners, since the structure of the material is quite fragile, it is easy to pull out an ordinary anchor or a wooden peg from such a wall. It is for this reason that all connecting elements in such walls must distribute the total weight of objects over a large area. For frame partitions, the permissible point load, depending on the type of fastener and sheet thickness, ranges from 20 to 60 kg. It is recommended to additionally strengthen the partitions with steel profiles in places where the load is to be applied. Soundproof properties. In this context, the main question is “from what and how to build partitions?”. The level of noise penetrating from neighboring rooms depends not only on the material of the partition, but above all on its design. Frame partitions have excellent noise insulating properties.
The filler (mineral wool) is a fibrous material that can effectively dampen acoustic vibrations. Even just a few centimeters of mineral wool can provide the partition with the required noise insulating properties. It is also important that the noise insulation of the partition and the entire enclosing structure also depends on the design and on the method of its installation. It is recommended to place mineral wool slabs inside the partition alternately – every other time near one and next to the other skin. With such an arrangement, sound waves will not only be absorbed, but also effectively dissipated in the thickness of the partition, thereby enhancing its noise and insulating characteristics. In addition, gypsum-fiber or gypsum boards, which are used as sheathing in a partition, have good noise insulating properties, and the former have a large mass, and therefore they are better able to dampen sound vibrations. Masonry partitions can also provide good noise insulation, but only if they are massive.
It is very difficult to induce sound vibrations in massive walls. One of the best materials for a stone partition, in terms of sound insulation, is sand-lime brick, one of the worst is walls made of lightweight cellular concrete.
Not only the material of the partition can affect the noise insulation properties of the wall.
Of great importance is the thoroughness and quality of the work of the partition structure itself and its connection with ceilings and other walls. Often, indirect noise transmission occurs not so much through the partition itself, but through its environment. The reduction in insulation noise levels in masonry typically occurs where the mason carelessly laid the mortar in a horizontal plane or left empty vertical joints. In addition, the volume of masonry mortar used, namely the placement and thickness of the masonry joints, is of great importance. The masonry mortar has a greater specific gravity than the hollow blocks used in the partition, and, therefore, it is able to increase the noise insulation characteristics of the partition. It is for this reason that it is best to build partitions from small-sized elements “surrounded” by a thick layer of masonry mortar. True, most bricklayers currently prefer to use large-format blocks as a material for partitions, which have a tongue and groove connection and do not require filling of vertical joints, which greatly speeds up the masonry process. But in this case, when building a partition, it is still better to fill both horizontal and vertical seams with mortar. In a frame partition, the main reason for the deterioration of noise insulating properties is internal voids that are not filled with mineral wool.
Not when you should not forget that even a small hole or slot in the partition is an excellent conductor of sound.