An experimental study on the effect of rolling shutters and shutter boxes on the airborne sound insulation of windows

The façade of a room is usually composed of different construction elements, one of which is the window. This fulfils both an aesthetic function and closes the wall opening. In order to improve thermal behaviour and control solar radiation, the window is fitted with different protection features, such as the shutter. In climate zones with many hours of sunlight, windows in residential buildings commonly incorporate a rolling shutter. Traffic noise and higher standards of energy saving, comfort, durability and sustainability in buildings means that windows now have to comply with stricter requirements, including their sound insulation from airborne noise. This work contains a summary of studies carried out on the sound insulation from airborne noise in several types of windows (double side-hung casement and double horizontal sliding sash) with built-on shutter and prefabricated box. For each type of window, an analysis was made of the effects of the interior finishings in the shutter box, the shutter position (whether fully retracted or extended) and the weighted sound reduction index of windows for traffic noise in accordance with EN ISO 717-1.