SERVICES - IV

ACOUSTICS
Course Code: 17AATC310
 SERVICES - IV
ACOUSTICS
Course Code: 17AATC310
• Acoustics is the branch of physics that deals with the study of all mechanical
waves in gases, liquids and solids including topics such
as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound.

• In 6th century, Pythagoras wanted to know why some combinations of musical

sounds seemed more beautiful than others, and he found answers in terms of
numerical ratios representing the harmonic overtone series on a string.

• Aristotle (384–322 BC) understood that sound consisted of compressions and

rarefactions of air which "falls upon and strikes the air which is next to it...", a very
good expression of the nature of wave motion.

• In about 20 BC, the Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius wrote a treatise on
the acoustic properties of theatres including discussion of interference, echoes,
and reverberation—the beginnings of architectural acoustics.

• Mainly Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) discovered the complete laws of vibrating

strings. Galileo wrote "Waves are produced by the vibrations of a sonorous body,
which spread through the air, bringing to the tympanum of the ear a stimulus
which the mind interprets as sound", a remarkable statement that points to the
beginnings of physiological and psychological acoustics.
• Acoustics is defined by as "Science of sound, including its production, transmission, and effects, including
biological and psychological effects.

• Those qualities of a room that, together, determine its character with respect to auditory effects."
• Architectural acoustics (also known as room acoustics and building acoustics) is
the science and engineering of achieving a good sound within a building .

• 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.

• Architectural acoustics can be about achieving good speech intelligibility in a

theatre, restaurant or railway station, enhancing the quality of music in a concert
hall or recording studio, or suppressing noise to make offices and homes more
productive and pleasant places to work and live in.
• Symphony Hall, Boston.
BUILDING SKIN ENVELOPE:

• This science analyse noise transmission from building exterior envelope to interior and vice versa.

• The main noise paths are roofs, eaves, walls, windows, door and penetrations.

• Sufficient control ensures space functionality and is often required based on building use and local municipal codes.

• An example would be providing a suitable design for a home which is to be constructed close to a high volume
roadway, or under the flight path of a major airport, or of the airport itself.
• Inter-space noise control

• The science of limiting or controlling noise transmission from one building space to another to ensure
space functionality and speech privacy.
• The typical sound paths are ceilings, room partitions, acoustic ceiling panels (such as wood dropped
ceiling panels), doors, windows, flanking, ducting and other penetrations.
• Technical solutions depend on the source of the noise and the path of acoustic transmission, for example
noise by steps or noise by (air, water) flow vibrations.
Interior space acoustics

• This is the science of controlling a room's surfaces based on sound absorbing and reflecting properties.

Ceiling of Culture Palace (Tel Aviv) concert hall

is covered with perforated metal panels

There are four ways to improve workplace acoustics and solve workplace sound problems – the ABCDs.
A = Absorb (via drapes, carpets, ceiling tiles, etc.)
B = Block (via panels, walls, floors, ceilings and layout)
C = Cover-up (via sound masking)
D = Diffuse (cause the sound energy to spread by radiating in many directions)
Mechanical equipment noise.

• Building services noise control is the science of controlling noise produced by: - ACMV (air conditioning
and mechanical ventilation) systems in buildings, termed HVAC in North America Elevators .

• Electrical generators positioned within or attached to a building.

• Any other building service infrastructure component that emits sound.

• Inadequate control may lead to elevated sound levels within the space which can be annoying and
reduce speech intelligibility. Typical improvements are vibration isolation of mechanical equipment,
and sound traps in ductwork. Sound masking can also be created by adjusting HVAC noise to a
predetermined level.
Definition

Acoustics may be defined as the science of sound, including

its production and transmission and the control of its effect.
Sound requires a source for its production, a path for its
transmission and a receiver. It may be defined by the
frequency, velocity & magnitude of its energy waves.

Sound waves generated by a vibrating object radiate outward

from the source equally in all directions until they reach a
surface that either reflects or absorbs them.
Transverse & Longitudinal waves

In case of solid, these simple harmonic

vibrations ( air particles vibration)
produce transverse waves in which the
motion of the individual particles are
at right angles to the motion of the
waves .

In case of liquids & gases, the waves

produced are longitudinal in which the
motion of the individual particles are
parallel to the motion of the waves .
Simple Harmonic Motion

• In a simple harmonic wave motion of sound,

whether it is longitudinal or transverse, particle
repeatedly attain maximum displacement in
positive & negative directions at periodic
distances.

• The number of times each particle makes the to-

&-fro motion about its mean position is called
frequency, and the time taken for one such motion
is called the period,t.
• Frequency= 1/t.
Velocity of Sound wave

• In case of a solid bar, the velocity of the sound v is given by v= E/p.

• Where E= Modulus of Elasticity.
• P = density of the material.
Wave characteristics

Wave surfaces :

Crests, Troughs, Condensation & Rarefactions –

In a transverse wave motion, the maximum and minimum
displacements are called the crest and the trough in a
longitudinal wave motion the corresponding points of
maximum & minimum displacements are called
compressions and rarefactions.
SOUND & ITS PROPOERTIES

WHAT IS SOUND ?

• A Sound is any vibration ( wave ) traveling through the air or any other medium which can be heard when it reaches
a person’s ear.

• Sound waves are :

 Longitudinal – oscillations parallel to propagation.
 Mechanical – require a medium to travel through.
Properties of sound
Properties of sound

The three characteristics of sound are

1.The intensity I of sound: which refers to its loudness & depends on the amplitude of the
sound wave,

2. The pitch of sound : which depends on the frequency of the sound wave.

3.The quality of sound: Which distinguishes the sound produced by one source from another.

Sound travels in air with a velocity of 336 m/s at normal temperature & pressure.
Characteristics of sound
Since sound is a wave, we can relate the properties of sound to the properties of a wave. The basic
properties of sound are: pitch,
loudness and tone..
Pitch : The frequency of a sound wave is what
your ear understands as pitch. A higher
frequency sound has a higher pitch, and a lower
frequency sound has a lower pitch.
In Figure sound A has a higher pitch than sound
B. For instance, the chirp of a bird would have a
high pitch, but the roar of a lion would have a
low pitch.

Loudness:
The amplitude of a sound wave determines its
Figure : Pitch and loudness or volume. A larger amplitude means a
loudness of sound. Sound louder sound, and a smaller amplitude means a
B has a lower pitch softer sound. The vibration of a source sets the
(lower frequency) than amplitude of a wave. It transmits energy into the
Sound A and medium through its vibration. More energetic
is softer (smaller vibration corresponds to larger amplitude. The
amplitude) than Sound C. molecules move back and forth more vigorously.
AMPLITUDE & VOLUME
 FREQUENCY & PITCH
• Pitch tells how high or low a sound is –

 A higher pitch will have greater frequency ( more waves crammed into each second of time )
 Higher frequencies have smaller wavelengths.
How sound is created ?
When an object vibrates, it creates sound
- Loud, deep and long, short & High- pitched
- Pure, gravely, distorted,sweet,soft,piercing,buzz.

- Any sound your ear can hear is created by the mechanical back & forth motion of an object.
Behaviour of Sound in enclosures

When sound is generated in a room it is reflected

& transmitted in various proportions in accordance
with the nature of construction. These aspects of
the behaviour of sound are very important from
the acoustical point of view.
REFLECTION - ABSORPTION – DIFFUSSION

What are reflection, diffusion and absorption of

sound?

A sound wave can be controlled in one of three

different ways – it can be reflected, diffused or
absorbed. Each of these reactions will depend
entirely on the nature and composition of the
material it comes into contact with and each can be
used to some extent in sound proofing.
Brief explanation of what happens in each case.
Reflection
Sound is bounced off a surface. This usually occurs on flat, rigid
surfaces with a lot of mass like concrete or brick walls. Because
the sound wave can't penetrate very far into the surface, the
wave is turned back on itself like a ricochet ( rebound off a
surface). The sound bouncing back off the surface creates an
echo.
Diffusion
When a sound wave hits an irregular surface like foam or
carpet, the vibration breaks up and travels along many much
smaller paths. This divides the energy of the wave, sending it in
many different directions which depletes its energy faster.

Absorption
When a sound wave hit a particular surface, the kinetic energy
driving it is converted into a small amount of heat energy which
dissipates, leeching power from the sound wave and causing it
to decaying faster. This is the kind of sound insulation provided
by things like foam and rubber. How well a material absorbs
sound depends on a number of different factors, including
material density and how porous it is.
DECIBLE & SOUND VOLUME
Audible sound energy is measured in decibels (Db)

- Only measures within the limits of Human hearing.

 0 is just barely audible.
 120+ causes pain/damage.

- Hearing damage depends on:

 Sound amplitude (loudness)
 Frequency (pitch) of the sound.
 Duration of exposure to the sound.
BASS AND TREBLE SOUND ?
Assignment Questions

Question no 1 – In a sound wave, what is the region of high pressure & what is the region of low pressure known as ?

Question No 2 - Name a wave that does not need a material to travel.?

Question No 3 – Why does sound travel faster in solids as compared to liquids & faster in liquids as compared to gases ?