Acoustics Module-1 Lecture-2

Module-1
Behaviour of Sound
in enclosed spaces
Reflection
Diffusion
Diffraction
Absorption
Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Faculty: Shanthala V, BMSCA
Module-1
Reflection
•It is the return of a sound wave from
a surface
•If the surface dimension x is larger
than 4 times the wavelength ʎ of the
impinging sound wave, the angle of
incidence is equal to the angle of
reflection.

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Curved surfaces - focus
sound- causing hot spots or
echoes.
Curved rear walls in

auditoriums- cause
unsatisfactory perception of
sound due to uneven
distribution of sound energy
Concave surfaces are poor

distributors of sound energy
They should be avoided
where sound reflection is
desired.
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A shallow concave surface

may be satisfactory if the
focal point is outside the
enclosure.
Flat surfaces-
adequately large and
oriented properly
can effectively
distribute reflected
sound

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Convex Surface
Hard surfaced building elements
which are convex shaped – are
effective sound distributing forms
The reflected sound energy-

enhances diffusion- a desirable
factor in music listening
Reflected sound from convex

surfaces is more evenly
distributed across a wide range of
frequencies

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Diffusion
It is the scattering or random
redistribution of a sound wave from
a surface.
It occurs when the surface depths of

materials are comparable to the
wavelengths of the sound.
The direction of an incident sound

wave is changed when sound waves
strike the diffusing material
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Diffusion
This is an important
characteristic for
rooms used
specially for
musical
performances.
With Satisfactory
diffusion- listeners
have the sense of
sound coming from
all directions

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Diffraction
It is the bending or flowing of
a sound wave around an
object or through an opening
Sound waves of smaller

wavelength than the gap
pierce through them to flow
out into the exterior space

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In auditoriums the impinging
sound waves will diffract around
panels which are smaller than the
wavelength.
Hence suspended panels should

be suitably selected to enhance
the desired wavelength of sound.

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When a single frequency is emphasised
in a given space it is called diffraction
grafting effect
This can happen when
•an array of small overhead panels are
of equal length and width are placed in
the ceiling
•Or projecting slats on walls are of equal
depth and spacing
For music this

phenomenon
should be avoided-
because this
imparts odd tonal
distortion.

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Absorption
Part of the incident sound energy on a
surface is absorbed by the material and it is
converted into other forms of
energy – thermal or kinetic energy
The amount of absorption depends on the

properties of the material- Density, Porosity,
the finish of the surface, thickness of the
material etc.,
Materials are neither perfect reflectors or

absorbers

Module-1
Ray Diagram Analysis
Used to study the effect of room shape
on distribution of sound, also to
overcome the acoustical defects

The difference in length between the reflected
sound path and the direct sound path at any
given position is related to the time difference
the ear detects.
Path difference= reflected path-direct path

When time delay is >1/17s sound wave is perceived as
discrete echo.
Sound path Time delay gap (ms) Listening Conditions
difference in ft
< 23 <20 Excellent for speech and
Music
23 to 34 20 to 30 Good for Music, fair for
speech
34 to 50 30 to 45 Marginal (blurred)
50 to 68 45 to 60 Unsatisfactory
> 68 >60 Poor (echo is strong)
Module-1
Acoustic Defects
• Echo – long delayed reflections
• Flutter Echo
• Sound concentration
• Sound shadow
• Sound creep (Whispering gallery)
• Standing waves
• Room Resonance

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Echo
An echo is the distinct
repetition of the original
sound and is sufficiently loud
to be clearly heard above the
general reverberation and
background noise.
For speech, echoes can be

perceived when the interval
between direct and reflected
sounds is greater than 60ms
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Sound reflecting flat or

concave rear walls, high
vaulted ceilings are
potential echo producers.

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Reflected path
from ceiling and
rear wall

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Methods to
counter Echoes

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Methods to
counter Echoes

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Flutter echoes
Caused by
repetitive inter-
reflection of sound
energy between
opposing parallel or
concave sound
reflecting surfaces
Can be prevented
by reshaping the
walls to prevent
parallel surfaces

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Flutter echoes
– Avoid parallel walls

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Sound focusing
Annoying sound reflections reduce
intelligibility of direct sound.
Concave shapes cause reflected sound
energy to converge at a point hence
concentrate in some areas
Surface undulations
Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control);provide
15ARC diffusion
7.3 and
Faculty: Shanthala V, BMSCA minimize focusing
Module-1
Sound focusing

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Dead Spots
Sound focusing results is enhancement of
reflected sound waves in some areas and
deficiency of sound waves in certain other
areas.
Areas within an enclosed space Method to overcome the defect

where sound intensity is low The defect can be overcome by
and hence does not result in avoiding uneven distribution of
favourable acoustic experience reflected sound waves through the
use of reflectors and diffusers.
are called dead spots.
The defect can also be overcome by
Parts of enclosed space where suitably proportioning the interior
spaces.
destructive interference occurs
due to interaction of two or
more sound waves.
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Sound creep
Sound energy reflected along
the domed ceiling/ wall, allowing sound
to be heard at the other end of the
domed surface
Whispering Gallery Effect

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Standing Waves
Sound energy reflected back and forth
between parallel walls- reflections collide
and combine to reinforce each other in
certain zones of the room.
When they collide, they cancel out each
other or lower the amplitude in that
zone.

Module-1
Room resonance
is the emphasis of sound energy at particular
frequency.
•It occurs in rooms finished with reflecting

surfaces
•And when the dimensional ratios are whole
numbers.
This phenomenon is called “Bathroom tenor
effect”.

Module-1
Reverberation time
In an enclosed environment sound can
continue to reflect for a period of time
after a source has stopped emitting sound.
This prolongation of sound is called
reverberation.
Reverberation time is defined as the time

required, in seconds, for the average sound
in a room to decrease by 60 decibels after a
source stops generating sound.
Reverberation time is the primary

descriptor of an acoustic environment.
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A space with a long reverberation time is

referred to as a "live" environment.
When sound dies out quickly within a space

it is referred to as being an acoustically
"dead" environment.
An optimum reverberation time depends

highly on the use of the space.
Speech is best understood within a "dead"

environment. Music can be enhanced
within a "live"
Module-1
Reverberation time is affected by

the size of the space and the
amount of reflective or absorptive
surfaces within the space.
A space with highly absorptive

surfaces will absorb the sound and
stop it from reflecting back into the
space. This would yield a space with
a short reverberation time.

Module-1
Sound Absorption Co-efficient
The effectiveness of a sound absorbing
material can be expressed by its
absorption coefficient α
The coefficient describes the fraction of

the incident sound energy that a material
absorbers
Theoretically it can vary from 0.0-1.0
When it is 0.0- No sound energy is

absorbed
When it is 1.0- Perfect absorption with all
the incident sound energy absorbed
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Good absorbing materials have

α-0.55 to 0.95
Absorption co-efficient for building

materials- 0.01 to 0.99
Materials with low absorption

coefficients are sound reflecting materials
α- less than 0.2
Absorption co-efficients are determined

through lab tests.

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Ability of sound absorption varies with

frequency.
Absorption may be understood under

the following ranges as
•Low Frequency- 125 Hz
•Medium Frequency- 500 Hz
•High Frequency- 2000-4000 Hz

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Sabine’s Formula
RT = 0.16V/A
Where RT = Reverberation Time
V = room volume (m3)
A= a = total room absorption (sabins)
a = s11 + s22 + s33 + …

= absorption coefficient of material at given frequency
s = surface area (m2)
This is appropriate for use in most architectural work.
Limitations:
Not suitable for spaces which have very long dimensions or deep side pockets
Sound field is considered to sufficiently diffuse
Not suitable for rooms with excessive absorption such as in recording studios.
Also, where rooms have vertical walls that are poorly subdivided, accentuate
horizontal propagation, forming a horizontal reverberant field.
Module-1
Eyring Formula
0.16𝑉
𝑅𝑇 =
−𝑆 log 𝑒 1 − α
ഥ
Where RT = Reverberation Time
V = room volume (m3)
S= total area of surfaces (m2)
α
ഥ = Average absorption co-efficient of the surfaces
Assumptions
Assumes a perfectly diffused sound field
Sound absorption is equally distributed
This relationship is more accurate for rooms with high absorption
All the surfaces are simultaneously impacted by the initial sound wave,
and that successive simultaneous impacts, each diminished by the
average room absorption coefficient.

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Effect of RT on Speech and Music

Module-1
Desirable RT for
Speech: 0.5-1 Sec
Music: 1-2 Sec
Desirable Reverberation time for speech and music


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Module-1

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Curved rear walls in

Concave surfaces are poor

A shallow concave surface

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

The reflected sound energy-

Reflected sound from convex

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

It occurs when the surface depths of

The direction of an incident sound

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Sound waves of smaller

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Hence suspended panels should

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

For music this

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

The amount of absorption depends on the

Materials are neither perfect reflectors or

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Path difference= reflected path-direct path

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

For speech, echoes can be

Sound reflecting flat or

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Areas within an enclosed space Method to overcome the defect

Whispering Gallery Effect

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

•It occurs in rooms finished with reflecting

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

Reverberation time is defined as the time

Reverberation time is the primary

A space with a long reverberation time is

When sound dies out quickly within a space

An optimum reverberation time depends

Speech is best understood within a "dead"

Reverberation time is affected by

A space with highly absorptive

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3

The coefficient describes the fraction of

Theoretically it can vary from 0.0-1.0

When it is 0.0- No sound energy is

Good absorbing materials have

Absorption co-efficient for building

Materials with low absorption

Absorption co-efficients are determined

Building Services IV (Acoustics And Noise Control); 15ARC 7.3