1 Introduction

Sound is always produced by some vibrating body. The vibrating body generates me-

chanical waves and these waves spreads in the surrounding medium. We are aware
that

these waves propagate in the form of a series of compressions and rarefactions in air or
the

surrounding medium. When reached upto the human ear drum it causes a sensation of

hearing. As far as architectural acoustics are concerned, we are interested the

combined

effect of sound waves which creates a sense of sound on human

ear.

Some important characteristics:

1. The propagation of sound requires the presence of an elastic medium.

2. Sound can not travel through vacuum

3. The compression and rarefactions due to a sound modulate the normal atmospheric

pressure with small pressure changes occuring regularly above and below it.

4. The velocity of sound depends on the nature and temperature of the medium.

2 Architectural Acoustics

Building acoustics ia a branch of sound of the present century and is an important

course

of studies of architectural engineering.

3 Sabines formula

Now we are going to derive an expression for reverberation time inside a room of
volume

V. Sound is produced by a source inside the room. There sound waves spread and fall

on the walls they are partly absorbed and pertly reflected . The sound energy inside the

room at any instant is given by

1
Rate of growth of energy in the space inside the room = rate of supply of energy by

the source − rate of absorption by all the surface

After getting an expression for the above if we switch off the source supplying energy

then due to absorption of energy by all the surfaces energy inside the room will decay

and from the decay rate reverberation time can be calculated. This derivation is based

on the following assumptions

i) there is a uniform distribution of sound energy inside the room.

ii) the energy is not lost in the auditorium

Rate of supply of energy by the source is nothing but the power of the source P. In

order to calculate the absorption by the wall we consider a small element ds on a plane

wall AB as shown in fig 5.2 this element receives sound energy from the volume in front

of it. Energy received by this element per second can be calculated by constructing a
hemisphere around this element with radius ν where ν is the velocity of sound . Energy

from every volume element with in this hemisphere will reach the element ds per
elements

ds . From the same centre with radii r and r + dr two circles are drawn in the plane

containing the normal. At angles θ and θ + dθ with respect to the normal two radii

are and the area (shaded in the figure) enclosed by these two radii between the circle is

considered.

The are length of this area =rdθ

Radial length =dr

This surface element is rotated about the normal through an angle dφ and the cir-

cumferential distance moved by this elements is r sinθdφ

Volume traced out by this area element = area of the element × distance moved.

dV = rdθdr(r sinθdφ) (1)

dV = r2 sinθdθdrdφ (2)

If E is the sound energy density i.e. energy per unit volume then energy present in

the is volume =EdV. Since the sound energy from this volume element propagates in all

2
directions (i.e. through solid angle 4π)
The energy traveling per unit solid angle= EdV
4π The energy traveling towards surface element ds alone falls on ds.

The energy traveling towards ds =energy traveling per unit solid angle × solid angle
subtended by ds at the volume element dV
The solid angle subtended by area ds at this elements of volume dV=
dscosθ
 (3)
r2
Hence energy traveled towards ds from the volume element dV=
EdV
.dscosθ
4π
(4)
r2
Er2
= sinθdθdrdφ
.dscosθ
4π
(5)
r2
Eds
=
.sinθ cosθdθdrdφ (6)
4π
Total energy received by ds in one second from the whole volume in its front
Eds
=
4π
∫
sinθcosθdθdrdφ (7)
This equation has three variable sincewe consider the energy received per second r
varies between 0 and ν where is the velocity of sound θ varies between 0 and π/2, φ
varies
between 0 and 2π.
Hence energy received by ds per second
Eds
=
4π
∫ π/2
sinθ cosθdθ∫
0 ν0 dr
∫ 2π
dφ Eds
0 =
4π
νEds
∫ 10 sinθd(sinθ)ν2π =
2
 νEds
(8) 12 =
4
3
If a is the absorption of coefficient of the material of the wall AB then energy absorbed
by the surface element ds per second
Eνds
=
a (9)
4
Hence total rate of absorption by all the surfaces of the wall
Eν
= 4

∑ads (10)
EνA (11) ∑
= 4 Where ads = A the total absorption a on all the surface on which sound
falls.
Let p be the power output i.e. rate of emission of energy from the surface and V the
total volume of the room . Then the total energy in the room at the instant when energy
density is E will be EV. Rate of growth of energy
dE (12)
dtd(EV ) = V dt
But at any instant rate of growth of energy in space = rate of supply of energy from
the surface − rate of absorption by all the surfaces.
dE = p − EνA (13)
V dt 4
When steady state is attained dE/dt = 0 and if the steady state energy density is
denoted

by Em then its value is given by

E
0=p− mνA

(14)
4
or,

Em = νA 4p(15)
From the equation
p− νA E (16)
dEdt = V 4V
4
 = α and hence 1/V = 4α 4pα
Let νA4V νAdEdt =
− αE (17)
νA
dE + αE)eαt 4pα
Multiplying both sides by eαt( dt =
eαt
νA (18)
or,
4pα
ddt(Eeαt) =
e
νA αt (19)
integrating the above equation we get
4p e
Eeαt = νA αt + k (20)
where k is a constant of integration . Using the boundary conditions we can find the
value of it.
i) Growth of the energy density:- If t is measured from the instant the source start
emitting sound . then initial condition is that at t=0 E=0, Applying this condition to
equation we get
4p (21)
k = − νA
substituting this value in equation 20 we get
4p e 4p (22)
Eeαt = νA αt − νA
4p − 4p e-αt
E= νA νA (23)
4p (1 − e-αt
E= νA ) (24)

E = Em(1 − e-αt) (25)

ii) Decay of energy density:- Let the source be cut off when E has reached the maxi-
5
mum value Em . Now at t=0, p=0, E= Em from equation 20 K =Em
Putting the value of k into Eq.20 with p=0

Eeαt = Em (26)
Equation show s the decay of the energy density with time after the source is cut off.
This decay is shown by the exponential curve .
We know that the persistence of audible sound in the room even after the source has
stopped producing the sound is called reverberation and the standard time of reverbera-
tion T is defined as the time taken for the sound energy density inside a room to fall to
one millionth of its initial maximum value hence to calculate T we put E m/E =106 and
t= T in equation

EmE = eαT (27)

or,
eαT = 106 (28)
eαT = 106 (29)
αT = ln 106 (30)
Substituting for α

νA4V T = ln 106 (31)

Taking the velocity of sound approximately at room temperature as 350 m/s,
4 × ln 106
T= V
(32)
350 A
0.158 V
T=
= 0.158 V
A ∑aS (33)
This equation is in good agreement with the experimental values obtained by Sabine
6
.this is Sabine’s formula for reverberation time.

i) Directly proportional to the volume of the auditorium

ii) Inversely proportional to the areas of sound absorbing surfaces such as ceiling
wall

floor and other materials present inside the hall and

iii) Inversely proportional to the total absorption

Problems: For an empty assembly hall of size 20 × 15 × 10 cubic meter with

absorption coefficient 0.106 . Calculate reverberation time.

Solution: Volume of the room, V= 20 × 15 × 10= 3000 cubic meter

absorption coefficient, a= 0.106

Total surface area of the hall, S= 2 (20 × 15 + 15 × 10 + 20 × 10)= 1300 sqm

 ∴ reverberation time, T= 3.5 s

Problems: A hall of volume 5500 m 3 is found to have a reverberation time of 2.3

s. The sound absorbing surface of the hall has an area of 750 m2. Calculate the average

absorption coefficient.

Problems: Calculate the reverberation time for the seminar hall with (a) No one

inside. (b) 50 persons inside (c) Full capacity of audience.

Given that