MODULE 4: Noise reduction and Control

• Introduction to environmental noise control: Noise, its sources and its

classification - outdoor and indoor, airborne and structure borne,
impact noise, noise from ventilation system, community and industrial
noise. Noise transmission, Mass law and transmission loss. Maximum
acceptable noise levels. Design Principles – reduction at source,
reduction near source, etc.
• Constructional measures of noise control and sound insulation:
Enclosures, Barriers, Sound insulation (AC Ducts and plants),
Vibration isolation – control of mechanical noise, floor, wall, ceiling
treatment. Sound Isolation. Construction details of composite walls,
double walls, floating floors, wood-joist floors, plenum barriers, sound
locks, etc. STC (Sound Transmission Class) ratings.
NOISE IN INDIA
NOISE IN INDIA
SAVE
FROM
NOISE
 NOISE

• Acoustics has become more important since we are living in an

increasingly noisy world. Traffic noises and the roar of jet aircraft outside
the house have made life within more uncomfortable.
• DEFINITION
Until recently noise was defined as unpleasant and loud,
but the International committee on Standardization of
Acoustical terms has defined it as
SOUND NOT DESIRED BY THE RECEPIENT.
I.e. Unwanted sound.
They could be outdoor or of indoor origin.
• OUTDOOR SOURCE OF NOISE
• Although acoustical materials can do a great deal to reduce the intensity of
sounds that originate inside room, they are unable to do much with sounds
that originate outside a room and are transmitted into it.
• It will suffice here to note that outside airborne sounds enter a house by
inducing a vibratory motion in the windows, doors, and walls. These
Structures then transmit these sounds into the house. Acoustical materials
cannot do anything at all to prevent this mode of sound transmission.
• INDOOR SOURCE OF NOISE
• Acoustics has become more important since we are living in an
increasingly noisy world.
• Inside the house there is radio, television, and hi-fi equipment, innumerable
electrical gadgets that whine(crying sound), grind and the constant,
enervating,(weakening) low-frequency noise of heating equipment in winter
and air conditioners in summer.
 MAXIMUM ACCETABLE NOISE LEVEVEL

• Your ear can stand a maximum of 85 decibel as an average noise level

over a day, before it is damaged by the noise. Anything above 85 decibels
can damage your hearing. Normal conversation is typically situated in the
60-70 decibel range. The level at which employers must provide hearing is
85 decibels (daily or weekly average exposure).
• -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Noise levels above 140 dB are not considered safe for any period of time,
however brief. For children, no exposure above 120 dB.
• Normal conversation is about 60 dB,
• a lawn mower is about 90 dB, and
• a loud rock concert is about 120 dB.
• In general, sounds above 85 are harmful, depending on how long and
how often you are exposed to them and whether you wear hearing
protection, such as earplugs.
 ACCEPTABLE NOISE LEVELS FOR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES
• NOISE AVERAGE DECIBELS (DB)
• Leaves rustling, soft music, whisper 30
• Average home noise 40
• Normal conversation, background music 60
• Office noise, inside car at 60 mph 70
• Vacuum cleaner, average radio 75
• Heavy traffic, window air conditioner,
noisy restaurant, power lawn mower 80–89 (sounds
ABOVE 85 DB ARE HARMFUL
• Subway, shouted conversation 90–95
• School dance 101–105
• Sports crowd, rock concert, loud symphony 120–129
• Car races 130
• Gun shot, siren at 100 feet 140
 NOISE REDUCTION COEFFICIENT(NRC)
• For any given acoustical material, its NRC is obtained by
averaging the sound-absorption coefficients obtained at 125,
250, 500, 1000, and 2000 cycles. The resulting average is the
material’s NRC. NRC ratings are widely used, by manufacturers
of sound-absorption materials.
• A Noise Reduction Coefficient is an average rating of how much
sound an acoustic product can absorb. (How much quieter a
product can make your space.) Like a sponge absorbs water, an
acoustic product absorbs sound and the NRC tells us just how
much sound those products can soak up.
• The Scale : NRC ratings range from 0 to 1. An NRC of 0 means
that the product absorbs no sound. An NRC of 1 means that
the product absorbs all sound. The higher the NRC, the better
the product is at soaking up sound.
• An acoustic product with a .95 NRC rating means that 95% of
sound in the space is absorbed, while the other 5% is reflected.
NRC VALUE

NRC=0 NRC=0.5 NRC=1.0

At 0 NRC, there is At 0.5 NRC, only At 1 NRC, 100% of
no sound 50% of the sound the sound is being
absorption. The is being absorbed absorbed by the
sound bounces off by the acoustic acoustic product,
of a smooth surface product, while the and no sound is
and back into the other 50% is being being reflected
room, as shown by reflected back into back into the
the red waves. the room. room.
AIR BORNE and STRUCTURE BORNE.

• In residential environments it will either be air borne or structure borne noise.

Air borne sound is pretty simple - this is what we hear within the room. A
combination of air borne and structure borne noises need to be considered
for sound isolation. One may ask, "But if the room is sealed, isn't all the air
borne sound contained?" To a point the answer is yes, but it could become
both an air borne wave and a structure borne vibration in the next room.

• Let's look at structure borne sound. Have you ever been in a room on a
concrete slab where someone is bouncing a tennis ball 2 or 3 rooms away? If
you are standing on the same concrete slab with no breaks in it, you will hear
that tennis ball almost as if you were in the same room. You are not getting
any air borne sound transmission, this is all structure borne. Many people
think that having a high mass will stop all sound, but actually sound travels
faster in dense material than in air. The tennis ball experiment shows that
mass does not stop the sound at all, rather it transmits it to other parts of the
house—quite efficiently too.
 AIR BORNE NOISE.

• Along a continuous air path , through

openings i.e. through open doors and
windows , elevator shafts, telephone
outlets , ventilating ducts etc.
• By means diaphragmatic action of
partitions, by which sound can be
communicated from a source on one
side to the other side of the partition.
SOURCE ORIGINATING IN AIR HAVE
LESS POWER PERSISTING FOR A
LONGER DURATION
• ON THE OTHER HAND SOURCE
ORIGINATING FROM IMPACT
GENERATE IMPULSES OF SHORT
DURATION BUT LARGE POWER IS
PROPAGATED TO LONGER
DISTANCE.
AIR BORNE NOISE
AIR-BORNE NOISE FROM AIR-COOLED CHILLERS

Noise generated from

air-cooled chillers may
cause noise disturbance
to nearby residents.
It mainly comes from the
air flow noise resulting
from air turbulence at
condenser fans and
compressor noise during
running and on/off cycle
of refrigerant.
 SOLID BORNE NOISE/STRUCTURE BORNE/IMPACT NOISE

• The sounds we have discussed so far travel through the air, there is,
however, another class of sounds that is perhaps more irritating than
airborne sound. These are the impact sounds that travel through the solid
structure of a house, and especially through the floor-ceiling construction.
• Impact sounds include, for example, dropping of object on floor , scuffing
of feet, footfalls or slamming the door, machinery vibrations --- water pipe
hammering transmitted throughout a house by the water-supply pipes, and
fan and compressor noises transmitted directly from an air-conditioning
unit to the window and from there to the rest of the building structure are
all transmitted through rigid structures with almost no attenuation.
• As a result of a DIRECT IMPACT in one room large surfaces else where in
the building are set to vibrations radiating acoustical energy, also known as
IMPACT NOISE.
 STRUCTURE BORN NOISE

• SOURCE ORIGINATING FROM IMPACT GENERATE IMPULSES OF

SHORT DURATION BUT LARGE POWER IS PROPAGATED TO LONGER
DISTANCE.
• Structure born noise is often the hardest to deal with. You need a high mass
and an air space, so that there is no positive structural contact. In the case
of the hard floor above the listening environment you will need to decouple
the floor joists from the ceiling joists.
• Impact sounds include, for example, the sound of footsteps transmitted
directly through a floor-ceiling to the room below, the sounds transmitted by
a piano directly to the floor via its legs, water hammering transmitted
throughout a house by the water-supply pipes, and fan and compressor
noises transmitted directly from an air-conditioning unit to the window ledge
on which it is resting, and from there to the rest of the building structure.
IMPACT NOISE
ORIGIN OF NOISE FROM VENTILATING SYSTEM

• Principle source of noise are

1. motor and fan

2. turbulence caused by flow of air in the
transmitting system
3. outside sound transmitted to ducts
inside.
 NOISE TRANSMISSION
• It is the transmission of sounds
through and between materials,
including air, and musical
instruments etc.

• Example of airborne and

structure-borne transmission of
sound, where Lp is sound
pressure level, A is attenuation, P
is acoustical pressure, S is the
area of the wall [m²], and τ is the
transmission coefficient
• In building design Acoustic transmission in building design refers to a number
of processes by which sound can be transferred from one part of a building
to another.
• Structural isolation therefore becomes an important consideration in the
acoustic design of buildings. A tightly sealed door might have reasonable
sound reduction properties.
• The most important acoustic control method is adding mass into the
structure, such as a heavy dividing wall, which will usually reduce airborne
sound transmission better than a light one.
• Impact transmission - A typical example would be the sound of footsteps in
a room being heard in a room below. Acoustic control measures usually
include attempts to isolate the source of the impact, or cushioning it.
• For example carpets will perform significantly better than hard floors.
• Flanking transmission - a more complex form of noise transmission, where
the resultant vibrations from a noise source are transmitted to other rooms of
the building usually by elements of structure within the building.
 TRANSMISSION LOSS.
• When one subtracts the sound that is either reflected or absorbed, what
remains is the sound energy that actually passes through the partition. The
difference, in decibels, between the original amount of sound energy on
opposite sides of the partition is the partition’s transmission loss. A partition
that is very efficient in preventing the passage of sound has a high
transmission loss. On-the other hand, a wall that has a low transmission
loss is a poor sound barrier.
• There is a second method, however, of obtaining a high transmission loss in
a wall—.-building an air cavity within the partition. To be effective, however,
the two halves of the wall must not have any interconnection between them
whatsoever, since any such interconnection will transmit sounds across the
cavity. Wider air gap within a wall construction will prevent the transmission
of sounds more effectively through it.
• SOUND ATTENUATION AND TRANSMISSION LOSS : Source room
contains noise that is to be reduced in receiving room. Attenuation depends
upon barrier used between the two rooms. It also depends on so called
FLANKING PATHS that allow sound to bypass the principal barrier.
Difference in sound level i.e attenuation is expressed in decibels. The sound
level difference due to principle barrier is called transmission loss. (T.L.)
 TRANSMISION LOSS

60 dbs. 40 dbs.
T.L. = 20 DBS.
ISOLATION OF AIR BORNE OR STRUCTURE BORNE NOISE.

• Only two things stop sound - mass and space. You need mass to
contain the airborne sound, but then you also need space (an air gap
or similar unobstructed area) so that the structure borne sound can
not be transmitted. One could make use of sound isolation techniques
such as staggered stud walls and floors or resilient hangers and
channels hence, there is a high mass wall, an air gap, and then
another wall, making sound transmission difficult.
ENCLOSURES
MINI SOUNDPROOFED SERVER ROOM IN A BOX ENCLOSURE
 NOISE CONTROL BY SCREENING

• Obstruction by walls and partitions as barriers has a far greater

effect on propagation of sound and this effectiveness depends on
the effective height and location of the obstacle with respect to the
source and the receiver.

• These should be placed as close to the source as possible.

Particularly in order to screen the open space between source and
receiver, walls or partitions are used for this must extend laterally
over the site limits. Lowering the level of road has an appreciable
effect. To avoid reflections, walls or partitions on the loud side
should be covered with absorbent materials or inclined away from
the vertical. Avoid opening in the screens.
SCREENS
SCREENS
SCREENS
 BARRIERS
• A noise barrier (also called a
sound wall, noise wall, sound
barrier, or acoustical barrier)
is an exterior structure
designed to protect
inhabitants from noise
pollution.
• Noise barriers are the most
effective method of mitigating
road, railway, and industrial
noise sources –In the case of
surface transportation noise,
other methods of reducing the
source noise intensity include
encouraging the use of hybrid
and electric vehicles,
improving automobile
aerodynamics and tire design,
and choosing low-noise
paving material.
VARIOUS BARRIERS
• Sound barrier materials can include masonry,
earthwork, steel, concrete, wood, plastics,
insulating wool, or composites.
• Walls that are made of absorptive material
mitigate sound differently than hard surfaces. It
is now also possible to make noise barriers
with active materials such as solar photovoltaic
panels to generate electricity while also
reducing traffic noise.
• A wall with porous surface material can be
absorptive where little or no noise is reflected
back towards the source or elsewhere. Hard
surfaces such as masonry or concrete are
considered to be reflective where most of the
noise is reflected back towards the noise
source and beyond.
• Noise barriers can be effective tools for noise
pollution control, but Cost and aesthetics also
play a role in the choice of noise barriers.
• Sound waves bounce against a barrier back to the source. Sound
attenuation is a more common solution, which lowers the intensity of the
sound by absorbing it.
• Acoustic barriers should be around 2m high to sufficiently block out traffic
noise and prevent noise from rolling over the top.
• The denser the material, the more it’ll absorb noise.
• A noise barrier should extend all the way to the ground; gaps at the base or
in between sections will allow extraneous noises to enter underneath.
• Sound protection barriers should be constructed as close to the source as
possible, such as by the road or around an A/C unit.
BRUSH WOOD
FENCES

• Found to reduce noise if 600mm is used. It is ‘Rustic’ and aesthetic.

• Not suitable in fire prone areas.
HEDGES
METAL FENCES

• Sturdier than
wooden fencing
Cost effective
Easy to install in
backyard.
• Looks cheaper and
not as versatile
Least effective
noise barrier
WOODEN FENCES

• Easy to install – Cost effective and material is easily accessible

• Less effective as a noise barrier Shorter life due to damage /rot Not
suitable for fire prone homes(source)
 SOUND LOCK

• A vestibule or entranceway that has highly absorptive walls and ceilings

and a carpeted floor; used to reduce transmission of noise into an
auditorium, rehearsal room or studio, or from the area outside.

• Sound Lock allows you to limit the volume of your playback by detecting
the loudness and lowering it to the level you have set. So you no longer
have to bother with the loud action scenes and sound volume going
through the roof.

• Sound Lock adjusts the system volume per channel (up to 14 channels)
and generates a smooth sound output by lowering the volume during loud
scenes. It therefore enables you to watch movies without having to adjust
the volume manually every time it increases over the level of your comfort.
The application allows you to easily set the sound output limit by dragging
the bar to the desired level. Sound Lock displays sound output level for
every channel currently in use.
•
EXAMPLE OF A SOUND LOCK IN LITTLE THEATER
EXAMPLE OF A SOUND LOCK IN LEGITIMATE THEATER
 DOUBLE DOOR

• The transmission loss of a doorway can be increased considerably by

installing double doors. For example, between a doctor’s waiting room and
consulting room. One of the doors will be used as an ordinary door with the
second door usually being swung back against the wall where it is out of the
way. Both doors are closed at the same time only when the conversation
between doctor and patient is confidential.
• When double doors are installed, the air space between the doors should be
as wide as possible. The heavier and more solid the door construction the
greater its transmission loss, and installing rubber seals around the edges of
both doors will increase the transmission loss even more. A double-door
installation of this type can have an overall transmission loss of 45 dB and
more.
SOUND PROOF DOORS
SOUND PROOF DOORS
 WINDOWS
• Depends on the amount of outside noise, the total area of the windows in
the wall, and the amount of sound isolation desired. Under laboratory
conditions, an ordinary 1/4-in.-thick pane glass has a transmission loss of
about 25 to 30 dB. But when this glass is installed in a wood or metal sash
that can be opened and closed, the transmission loss drops considerably.
• A simple and inexpensive method of increasing the transmission loss of a
window is to permanently install sealant around sash. That is, the sealant
material around frame should be caulked(firmly fixing) to the window frame
to prevent any sounds leaking past the edges of the sash. A more
expensive method of increasing the transmission loss is to install a double
window having an air space at least 4 in. wide between the panes. The
transmission loss of such will be between 42 and 47 dB.
• When windows are permanently sealed, however, another way of ventilating
the room must be found. It then becomes necessary to install an air-
conditioning system . Whatever method of ventilation is used, the outside air
should never be obtained from an inlet installed in the same wall as the
windows. This would negate sealing the windows in the first place.
SOUND PROOF WINDOWS
 NOISE SUPPRESSION IN VENTILATING SYSTEM
1. MOTOR AND FAN : These are main source of noise which are transmitted through
air and solid borne vibrations. It increases with the increase in no. of blades of fan and
speed and obstructions. Air floating through ventilating system like bends, branches,
change of duct size, grills etc. produce eddy currents or turbulent flow.use suitable
motor, fans and grills. Proper mounting of motors and fans (isolating them from walls
and floors by using resilient mounts) can suppress the noise at its source and prevents
vibration that might be transmitted to ducts, walls or floor.
2. TURBULENCE CAUSED BY FLOW OF AIR IN THE TRANSMITTING SYSTEM:
The blower and the exhaust fans should be isolated from the ducts by a flexible sleeve
fabricated of canvas. It is better to use rubber, hose for piping connections.
3. OUTSIDE SOUND TRANSMITTED TO DUCTS INSIDE.
Ducts should be lined with absorptive material 2” thick at least to a distance 10 times
the dia. of the duct( muslin covered rock wool blanket or mineral wool or fiber glass )
also increases T.L. for sound entering the system from walls outside. Materials used in
the ducts must be moisture resistant , fire resistant and facilitate smooth flow of air.
 ACOSTICAL FILTER

• An acoustical filter in a duct consists of a combination of volumes and

masses i.e. chambers, short duct sections, perforations, which are
combined to suppress a range of frequency noise transmitted through
duct to the filter.

• Acoustical filters are used where extreme quietness is required. ( radio,

television and recording studios ) which suppress low frequency noise.
Abs. Coe. of duct lining is very poor at low frequencies hence , a
filter in ventilation system is used in combination i.e. filter to
attenuate low frequency and duct lining to high frequency.(ref.fig.)
ACOUSTICAL FILTER
FILTERS
GENERATOR ROOM ACOUSTIC

The Noise is controled by

providing Acoustic lining on
walls & ceiling, all ordinary
doors / shutters are to be
converted in to sound
proof doors. The proper Air
ventilation system and
cooling airflow required so
the engine does not
overheat. Axial flow fan of
required size & numbers
provided for proper Air
ventilation. Acoustic
louvers, splitter & Insulated
ducts are provided to
suppress the noise where
required.
ISOLATION OF MACHINE VIBRATIONS

• CAUSE OF SUCH VIBRATIONS SHOULD

BE REMOVED AT ITS SOURCE.

• by tightening the loose parts.

• proper balancing of rotary parts (vibrating
mounts )
• resilient mount made of rubber, cork, felt,
spring or similar products should be used
to prevent sound radiating to other parts.
RESILIENT MOUNTS-SPRINGS
RESILIENT MOUNTS-SPRINGS
MACHINE ISOLATION
MACHINE ISOLATION
ISOLATION HANGERS.
 COMPOSITE WALLS
• A wall built of a
combination of two or
more masonry units of
different types of
materials that are bonded
together, one forming the
facing of the wall and the
other the backup.

• Structural members that

are made up of two or
more different materials
are known as composite
elements. ... As a
material, concrete works
well in compression, but it
has less resistance in
tension.
COMPOSITE WALLS
EXAMPLES OF COMPOSITE WALLS
ALUMINIUM COMPOSITE WALL
 SOUND PROOF WALL CONSTRUCTION

• There are two methods of building a partition having a high

transmission loss:
1. make the wall heavy 2. build the wall in two completely
separate halves with an air space between.

• The heavier a partition—that is, the more mass it has per unit
volume—the more effective a sound barrier it will be. A solid 6-in.-
thick concrete wall or an 8-in.-thick brick wall make much more
effective sound barriers. The reason is that the impinging air
molecules find it much more difficult to induce a vibratory motion in
a massive wall than in a lightweight wall. Weight makes the
difference. However, there is a limit to how much one can increase
the weight of a wall.
DOUBLE WALL CONSTRUCTION..CAVITY WALL

A cavity wall consists of a hollow space between them. The

cavity walls normally consist of two skins, which should
be brick, cinder blocks, or reinforcement concrete blocks, etc.
BRICK CAVITY WALLS:

•The cavity walls are made of two

brick walls or leaves called brick
cavity walls.
•In the two leaves or walls of the
brick, a hollow space is a lie that is
called a cavity.
•The weep hole is constructed above
the window or base to draw out the
rainwater from the brick cavity walls.
•It is joined together by metal ties and
at suitable intervals.
•Cavity flashings are a continuous
sheet of impervious material installed
across gap of the wall, that redirects
moisture that may enter the wall
towards the wall exterior to keep
the building structurally intact.
 FLOOTING FLOORS

• “ To reduce impact noise floating floors are used to great

advantage.” Not only impact noise is reduced by floating floors
but even T.L. is achieved to some extent for air borne noise. The
effectiveness of a floating system is dependent on the extent of
isolation by resilient supports between the floated floor and
structural floor.
• Floating floors are comprised of multiple layers of flooring.
• A resilient blanket is laid on a sub floor and fastened to marine
floor by special resilient chair. The blanket should have a paper
or similar cover at least on one side to improve insulation against
air borne noise.
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS OF FLOATING FLOOR
RESILIENT CHAIR
MARINE PLY WOOD FLOOR

AIR GAP RESILIENT BLANKET

PAPER COVER AIR GAP

STRUCTURAL FLOOR
SECTION THROUGH FLOATING FLOORS
STAGGERED STUD WALL CONSTRUCTION
STAGGERED STUD WALL CONSTRUCTION
 PLENUM BARRIERS

• The plenum barriers block noise that would

otherwise transmit through the ceiling and over the
top of partition. ... The suspended acoustic ceiling
and lightweight plenum barrier work together
effectively as a system to provide the same
amount of sound isolation as the STC-rated wall
construction below the ceiling level.
PLENUM CURTAINS