Acoustics Module 1

ACOUSTICS
Module - 1
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that
deals with the study of mechanical waves in
gases, liquids, and solids including vibration,
sound, ultrasound, and infrasound.
Architectural acoustics (also known as
room acoustics and building acoustics)
is the science and engineering of
achieving a good sound within a
building and is a branch of acoustical
engineering. The first application of
modern scientific methods to
architectural acoustics was carried out
by Wallace Sabine in the Fogg Museum
lecture room who then applied his new
found knowledge to the design of
Symphony Hall, Boston.
What is Sound?
The study of acoustics revolves around the generation, propagation and reception of
mechanical waves and vibrations.
In physics sound is a
vibration that propagates
as a typically audible
mechanical wave of
pressure and displacement,
through a medium such as
air, and water.
Sounds may be broadly classified into two general groups.
One group is NOISE, which includes sounds such as the pounding of a hammer or
the slamming of a door. The other group is musical sounds, or TONES.
What is Noise?
What is a Tone?
Regular Vibration
Irregular/Distorted Vibration
Pure tones are simple sine or cosine waves at a single frequency but
it may have varied intensity.
A complex tone consists of two or

more simple tones, called overtones.
The tone of lowest frequency is called
the fundamental; the others,
overtones. They may be harmonic or A cosine wave is a signal
waveform with a shape
inharmonic. identical to that of a sine wave ,
except each point on the cosine
wave occurs exactly 1/4 cycle
earlier than the corresponding
point on the sine wave.
Pure and Over

Nature of
• Sound is a longitudinal, mechanical
• As the sound wave propagates outwards
wave.
from the source the intensity of the the
• Sound needs a medium to travel.
wave is reduced with increasing range due
• Sound can travel through any
to:
medium, but it cannot travel through
1)Spreading and
a vacuum. There is no sound in outer
2) Attenuation
space.
• Waves have amplitude (volume)
frequency (pitch), wavelength (speed),
etc.
• Sound is a variation in pressure. A
region of increased pressure on a
sound wave is called a compression
(or condensation). A region of
decreased pressure on a sound wave
is called a rarefaction (or dilation).
Sound Wave
The material through which sound waves travel is called the medium. The density of the medium
determines the ease, distance, and speed of sound transmission.
Sound waves are often simplified to a description in terms of sinusoidal plane waves, which are characterized
by these generic properties:
•Amplitude
•Frequency, or its inverse, the period
•Wavelength
•Wavenumber
•Sound pressure
•Sound intensity
•Speed of sound
•Direction
•Phase
Sound that is perceptible by humans has frequencies from about 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
The speed of sound in dry air is given approximately by
Using this equation to determine the speed of a sound wave in air at a temperature of 20
degrees Celsius yields the following solution.
v = 331.4 m/s + 12 m/s

v = 343 m/s
Cycle:
A complete wavelength is called a cycle.
Amplitude:
The amplitude is half the height of the sound wave. The amplitude is a variable characterizing a
sinusoidal oscillation. It gives the deflection of a physical quantity from its neutral position (zero
point) up to a positive or negative value.
Unit: dB(decibels)
It is measured in decibels or dBA of sound pressure.
Amplitud
The distance from one point on a
wave to the corresponding point
on the next wave is a
wavelength.
Wavenumber is the number of

waves in unit distance.
LOW FREQUENY: LONG

SOUND WITH WAVELENGTHS
WAVELENGTH
Wavelengt
BETWEEN 12MM TO 15M
HIGH FREQUENCY:
CAN BE HEARD.
SHORT WAVELENGTH
The frequency (f) of a
wave is the number of
times per second that
a complete wave cycle
passes an observer.
Frequency is measured
in Hertz (Hz) {or
/second (s-1) in basic
units}.
Frequency
The number of cycles per second (hertz) is the frequency of the sound. The frequency of a sound
wave is also the number of vibrations per second produced by the sound source. A sound having
a long wavelength is heard at a low pitch (low frequency); one with a short wavelength is heard
Frequency
at a high pitch (high frequency).
The speed of sound
is the distance
travelled per unit of
time by a sound
wave propagating
through an elastic
medium. In dry air
at 20 °C (68 °F), at
sea level, the speed
of sound is 343
metres per second
(1,125 ft/s) Sound Velocit
Sound intensity is
defined as the
SOUND INTENSITY: SOUND POWER
sound power per UNIT AREA
UNIT : WATT/SQ.M
unit area. The usual KG / CU. S
context is the
measurement of
sound intensity in
the air at a
listener's location.
The basic units are
watts/m2 Sound Intensity
or
watts/cm2 .
Sound pressure or acoustic pressure is the local pressure
deviation from the ambient (average, or equilibrium) atmospheric
pressure, caused by a sound wave. In air, sound pressure can be
measured using a microphone, and in water with a hydrophone
The SI unit for sound pressure p is the pascal (symbol: Pa)
Sound pressure level (SPL) or sound level

It is a relative quantity in that it is the ratio between the actual SOUND PRESSURE and a
fixed reference pressure. It is measured in decibels (dB) above a standard reference level. The
standard reference sound pressure in air or other gases is 20 µPa, which is usually considered
the threshold of human hearing (at 1 kHz). This reference pressure is usually that of the
THRESHOLD OF HEARING which has been internationally agreed upon as having the value .0002
dynes/cm2.
SPL may be measured with a SOUND LEVEL METER.
Sound Pressure and SP

A sound level
meter or sound
meter is an
instrument that
measures sound
pressure level,
commonly used
in noise
pollution studies
for the
quantification of
different kinds of
noise, especially
for industrial,
environmental
and aircraft
noise.
Sound Level Met
Sound Wave
Sound has three basic characteristics:
- FREQUENCY
• pitch,
- AMPLITUDE
• intensity, and
- FROM OF WAVES
• quality.
Each of these three characteristics is associated with one of the properties of the
source or the type of waves which it produces. The pitch depends upon the frequency
of the waves; the intensity depends upon the amplitude of the waves; and the
quality depends upon the form of the waves.

Terms and Definitio
Acoustic enclosure
— A structure built around a machine to reduce noise.
Acoustic lagging
— Materials applied externally to the
surface of pipes and ducts to reduce noise penetration.
Direct sound
— Sound that reaches a given location by direct, straight-line propagation from the sound
source.
Far field
— (1) Part of the sound field where the sound wave is spreading spherically. (2) Sound decays at
6 dB for a doubling of the distance from the sound source.
Near field
— (1) Area that surrounds the noise source. (2) Sound does not decay at 6 dB for a
doubling of the distance from the sound source.
Airborne sound
— Sound or noise radiated directly from a source, such as a loudspeaker or machine, into the
surrounding air.
Ambient noise
— Total noise level in a specified environment.
Attenuation
— Term used to indicate reduction of noise or vibration, by whatever method necessary, usually
expressed in decibels.
Sound transmission
— The transfer of sound energy through a barrier from one medium to another.
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
— A single number decibel rating of the transmission loss properties of a partition.
Noise
— Unwanted sound.
Noise limit
— A maximum value imposed on a noise level.
Noise Reduction (NR)
— The difference in sound pressure level between any two points along the path of sound
propagation.
Audible frequency range
— The range of the sound frequencies normally heard by the human ear. The audible range
spans from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
Average Room Absorption Coefficient (α)
— Total room absorption in Sabins or metric Sabins, divided by total room surface area in
consistent units of square feet or square meters.
Sound insulating material
— Material designed and used in order to minimize the transmission of sound.
Sound insulation
— The reduction or attenuation of sound by a solid partition between source and receiver. This
may include a building wall, floor, barrier wall or acoustic enclosure.
Sound level
— A frequency-weighted sound pressure level, i.e., A-weighted value.
Sound level meter
— Device used to measure sound pressure levels.
Sound power
— The sound energy radiated per unit time by a sound source, measured in Watts (W).
Sound Power Level, Lw (PWL) — Sound power measured on a decibel scale.
Sound transmission
— The transfer of sound energy through a barrier from one medium to another.
Sound Transmission Class (STC)
— A single number decibel rating of the transmission loss properties of a partition.
Transmission loss
— The accumulated decrease in acoustic intensity as an acoustic pressure wave propagates
outwards from a source.
Threshold of hearing
— The lowest level of sound that can be heard by the human ear.
RESONANCE:
Resonance is the accentuation of a particular frequency of sound wave
which may sometimes cause standing waves.

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ACOUSTICS

A complex tone consists of two or

Pure and Over

The speed of sound in dry air is given approximately by

v = 331.4 m/s + 12 m/s

It is measured in decibels or dBA of sound pressure.

Wavenumber is the number of

LOW FREQUENY: LONG

The SI unit for sound pressure p is the pascal (symbol: Pa)

Sound pressure level (SPL) or sound level

Sound Pressure and SP

quality depends upon the form of the waves.

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