What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to explore how varying time constants affect the maximum fast sound pressure level (LpFmax) generated by elastomeric ball drops.

May 14, 2026

Time constant effect on ball drop LpFmax

Key Points

This research aims to explore how varying time constants affect the maximum fast sound pressure level (LpFmax) generated by elastomeric ball drops.
Processed ball drop sound waveforms using standard 0.125 second time constants and longer time constants.
Tested multiple floor–ceiling systems to evaluate acoustic performance differences.
Followed ISO 10140-5 and ISO 16283-2 standards for sound measurement.
Longer time constants resulted in significant changes in LpFmax across different floor–ceiling systems.
Statistical analysis revealed that standard time constants provided more stable and repeatable measurements.
Findings suggest that using longer time constants may not be optimal for accurate sound pressure level measurements in this context.

Abstract

The maximum fast sound pressure level LpFmax is used to measure sound generated by elastomeric ball drop, following ISO 10140-5 and ISO 16283-2. The LpFmax is the maximum of the fast sound pressure level LpF over time and is being considered by the ASTM E33 technical committee for measuring sound generated by heavy/hard ball drop. Some sound level meters use time constants that are longer than the standard time constant for LpF in low-frequency fractional octave bands, for the purpose of maintaining adequate time-bandwidth product and measurement repeatability for statistically stationary sounds. In this paper, the effect of these longer time constantsis investigated for ball drop LpFmax. Waveforms of ball drop sounds are processed using these longer and the standard 0.125 second time constants for ball drops onto several floor–ceiling systems. The effects on acoustic performance comparisons across floor–ceiling systems are noted.

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