ACOUSTICS Part 1

September 9, 2020
Online Class
• Acoustics
• The science of sound, including its production,
propagation and effects
• The objective study of the physical behavior of
sound in an enclosed space
• Sound
• A wave motion consisting of a series of
condensations and rarefactions in an elastic
medium produced by a vibrating body
Requirements to Produce Sound

1. Presence of vibrating body

2. Presence of transmitting medium
3. Presence of receiving medium
CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND WAVES
• PITCH
• Highness or lowness of tone
• Physically related to frequency
• Subjective unit is Mel
• 1000 mels is the pitch of 1000 Hz at a sensation level of
40 dB

• TIMBRE
• The quality of sound related to its harmonic structure
• Makes sound distuinguised from the others
• Pure tone
• A sound composed of only one frequency in
which the sound pressure varies sinusoidally
with time
• Musical sound (tone)
• Composed of the fundamental frequency
and integral multiples of fundamental
frequency ( harmonics).
• LOUDNESS
• strength of a sound and is associated with the rate at
which energy is transmitted to the ear.
• The unit of loudness level of a standard pure test tone
that is tied to a sound pressure level of 20 microPascal at
1000 Hz is the phon.
• The subjective unit for the loudness is the sone.
• Phon = 40 + 10log2(sone)
• DURATION
• The quality that is simplier to relate to a measurable
quantity
• The time interval between its beginning and end points.
• INTERVALS
• The ratio between the frequency of two sounds
EXAMPLE
Given the following data:
Loudness(sone)
3.2
5.4
5.9
4.7
Compute for
a. Total loudness (L)
b. Total loudness Level (Lℓ)
Answer: 19.2 sones; 82.63 phons
Basic Parameters of Sound

Sound
Receiver Pressure
Level

Sound
Path Intensity
Level

Sound
Source
Power
Level
Measurable Characteristics
Measuring a sound is usually performed with a microphone of some sort -
however this only measures one aspect of the sound wave. There are
actually three distinct measurable characteristics of any sound:
• Power (Watts)
Measures the energy output by a sound source, which is basically the
sound's ability to do work.
• Pressure (Pa)
Measures fluctuations about the local atmospheric pressure caused by
the sound. The overall pressure is usually measured using a root-mean-
square (rms) technique rather that peak-to-peak measures as the
pressure fluctuates between positive and negative.
• Intensity (W/m²)
The amount of sound energy passing within a specific cross-sectional
area taken normal to the direction of propagation.
SOUND LEVELS
• Sound Power
• The radiated acoustic power in a frequency
band expression in watts.

• Sound Power Level

• Indicates the total sound energy
radiated/second
• Measured in dB with respect to a reference
power level (WREF =10-12 W)
• For multiple sources but different sound
power

• For multiple source having the same

sound power
EXAMPLE
• Determine the total PWL of 4 motors with a radiated
acoustic power of 15mW, 35mW, 50mW, and 85mW
respectively.

• Answer: 112. 67 dB
• Sound Intensity
• The average rate of flow of sound energy
through a unit area normally to this direction at
the point consider.

• Sound Intensity Level

• The ratio between a given intensity and
reference intensity
For Multiple Sources but different SIL:
SILT = 10 log ( IT / I0)

For Multiple Sources having the same SIL:

SILT = SIL + 10 log n

For a sound coming from a point source

in free space
I = W/(4πr2) W/m2
EXAMPLE
• A source radiates sound with a power of 10W. What is the
intensity at a distance of 15m. Also what is the sound
intensity level?SIL in dB?

• Answer: 3.54 mW/m2

• Answer: 95.49 dB
• SOUND PRESSURE
• Is the root-mean-square(rms) of the instantaneous sound
pressure in a stated frequency band and during specified time
interval unless another time-averaging is indicated
• Expressed in N/m2 (Pa)

• SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL

• Ten times the common logarithms of the square of the ratio of
the sound pressure to the reference sound pressure
• PREF is 20µPa in dB.
• For multiple source

Where

• Sound Pressure Level at any units of pressure

PN = rms sound pressure expressed in any unit of

pressure
N = SPL constant corresponding to the unit at
which sound is expressed
SPL CONSTANT FOR ANY UNIT OF
PRESSURE
SOUND PRESSURE DESIGNATION SPL CONSTANT
IN

Microbar Μbar 74
Pascal Pa (N/m2) 94
Lb/ ft2 Psf 127.6
Mm of Mercury mmHg 136.5
Torr Torr 136.5
Lb/in2 Psi 170.8
Atm(technical) Atm 193.8
Atm(standard) At 194.1
EXAMPLE
• Calculate the effective SPL for a telephone ring, an
operating vacuum cleaner and air conditioner with an
individual SPL of 82dB, 76 dB, and 80 dB respectively
relative to 20µPa.

• Answer: SPL = 84.75 dB

RELATIONSHIP OF PWL AND SPL
• From an isotropic source in free space

• From a source at ground level

SPL = sound pressure level in dB

D = distance from source at which measurement is
taken from (m).
EXAMPLE
• The sound power level of a certain jet plane flying at a
height of 1km is 160 dB. Find the sound pressure level
on the ground directly below the flight path assuming
that the aircraft radiates sound equally in all directions.

• Anwer: 89 dB
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SIL AND SPL
2
P P 2
I= I=
rc 410rayls

— where — For dry air at 17°C

◦ I = Sound Intensity ◦ r = 1.2 kg/m3
(W/m2)
◦ c = 341.7 m/s
◦ P = Sound Pressure (Pa)
◦ r = Density (kg/m3)
◦ c = speed of sound
(m/s)
EXAMPLE
• What is the intensity of sound whose RMS pressure is
81.2 x 10-3 N/m2

• Answer: 15.87 µW /m2

Human Response to Sound
Audible range of the human ear
Frequency : 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz
Intensity : 10-12 to 10 W/m²
Pressure : 2x10-5 to 200 Pa