College of Architecture

Course Name:

AR 3230 Building Utilities-3

Course Description

Acoustics & Lightings. The psychophysics of acoustics and lighting problems, how they are measured,
analyzed and solved.

Course Outline
ROOM ACOUSTICS
SOUND ENCLOSURES
Sound Absorption
Most materials are neither perfect reflectors nor perfect absorbers. The coefficient of absorption (α ) is
defined as :

α = 1.0

The total absorption (A) provided by a surface (S) is expressed in sabins, as

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Reverberation
Is the persistence of sound after the cause of sound has stopped – a result of repeated reflections.
Reverberation time (TR ) describes the period required for the sound to level to decrease to 60 db after the
sound source has stopped producing sound.

In most room acoustic studies, reverberation times are calculated at 125, 500, 1000 and 2000 hz.
Mid-frequency 500-1000 hz. General reference used in specifying the reverberation time of a room.
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Average optimum reverberation time for various type of auditoriums as a function of size. The average
recommendation value vary as mush as 100% between respective sources.

Volume of rooms in cubic meters

Reflection and Diffraction

Of Sound in Rooms
When a sound wave impinges (strike or hit) on a non-yielding wall, part of the incident sound is reflected
from the wall,
Another part is transmitted into the wall, where some of it is dissipated as heat; and the rest is transmitted
to the wall.

Porous materials – mineral wool : the sound is propagated through the material (reduction of sound
intensity)

Non-yielding materials vibrates as a whole, eg: wood, masonry, rigid & heavy materials

One of the most effective means of providing a high degree of Sound Insulation is the use of combination of
Rigid Partitions & Rigid Materials

The reflection of Sound

When a Sound Wave strike a uniform surface, the reflection of the wave is similar to the familiar reflection
of light. This sound wave is represented by a ray which the wave advances perpendicular to the line of
advancing wave front.

By the law of reflection :

The angle of reflection of the ray is equal to angle of incidence

The reflected ray lies in the plane of incidence.

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Diffraction of Sound
When the sound comes through a crack in the door, it spreads out almost uniformly. Or when sound
encounters the corner of a building, it bends around the corner. So the sound has been Diffracted or bent.

DIFFRACTION OF WAVE