Morales, Alexandra Regina Q.

BUILDU3

DAR2

Absorption
Once a sound wave strikes one of the surfaces of a room, few of the sound
energy is reflected back into the room and some penetrates the surface. Several
parts of the sound wave energy are absorbed by conversion to heat energy in the
material, while the rest is transmitted through. The level of energy that is converted to
heat energy relies on the sound absorbing properties of a certain material.
A material's sound absorbing properties are expressed by the sound absorption
coefficient, alpha, as a function of the frequency. It ranges from 0 (total reflection)
to 1.00 (total absorption).
In the figure (and formula),
this is Where:
1. Transmitted energy
2. Converted energy
3. Incident energy
4. Reflected energy
* absorption coefficient
The sound absorption
coefficient can measured
in two different methods
the room method and the
tube method.

The room method is usually used for presenting product information and as
input to calculation models. The measurements are done in a large rooms with a
diffuse sound field, meaning the sound has evenly distributed angles of incidence
against the test surface. The measuring method follows an international standard
designated EN ISO 354 known as the Measurement of sound absorption in a
reverberation room. The corresponding American standard is ASTM C 423 known
as the Standard Test Method for Sound Absorption and Sound Absorption
Coefficients by the Reverberation Room Method but the measurements according
to this often show slightly higher figures
All building materials have several acoustical properties in that they will all
absorb, reflect or transmit sound striking them. Generally, acoustical materials are
those materials that are designed and used for the purpose of absorbing sound that
may be reflected.

Sound absorption, is the incident sound that strikes a material that is not
reflected back. Example, an open window is an excellent absorber since the sounds
passing through the open window are not reflected back but it makes a poor sound
barrier but painted concrete block is a good sound barrier but will reflect about 97%
if the incident sound striking it.
When a sound wave strikes an acoustical material, the sound wave causes the
fibers or particle makeup of the absorbing material to vibrate. The vibration causes
tiny amounts of heat due to the friction, in effect, sound absorption is accomplished
by way of energy to heat conversion. The more fibrous a material is the better the
absorption. Conversely denser materials are less absorptive. The sound absorbing
characteristics of acoustical materials vary significantly with frequency. In summary,
low frequency sounds are hard to absorb because of their long wavelength.
Moreover, we are less susceptible to low frequency sounds, which can be to our
benefit in many cases.
For the most conventional acoustical materials, the material thickness has the
most impact on the materials qualities of sound absorbing. On the other hand, the
inherent composition of the certain material determines the materials acoustical
performance. Other factors can be brought to further improve or influence the
acoustical performance of a certain object. Incorporating an air space behind an
acoustical ceiling or wall panel often serves to improve low frequency performance.
Sound is the vibratory energy of air particles, and by using absorbers, the
vibratory energy can possibly be dissipated in the form of heat. In effect, sound energy
is reduced. The amount of heat generated from sound absorption is minuscule. It
would take the sound energy of millions of people talking to brew a cup of tea, so we
must leave any ecological hopes of warming our houses with soundincluding the
sound of heated arguments.
The reflected wave
would not be as loud as the
initial wave. The frequency of
the sound makes the same
difference. Plenty of surfaces
absorb sounds with high
frequencies
and
reflect
sounds with low frequencies. The Absorption Coefficient (a) and NRC (noise reduction
coefficient) are used to specify the ability of a material to absorb sound.
A different problem that results from reflected sound is discrete echoes. Most
people are familiar with the shouting into a canyon and hearing one's voice answer
a second later. Echoes may also happen in some rooms but more quickly. If a
teacher's voice is continuously echoing off the back wall of a classroom, each echo
will interfere with the next word making the lecture difficult to understand. Echoes
are a usal problem in gymnasiums.

Another type of echo that interferes with hearing is flutter echo. When two flat,
hard surfaces are parallel, a sound can instantly bounce back and forth between
them and create a ringing effect. This may occur between two walls, or a floor and
ceiling.
There are two ways to decrease the Reverberation Time (RT) of a room: either
the volume must be reduced or the sound absorption must be increased. The
decreasing the volume is not always an option, it is a feasible alternative for many
older classrooms with higher ceilings. In similar spaces, adding a suspended ceiling of
sound-absorbing tile can notably improve the acoustics by continuously reducing the
volume and increasing absorption. Moreover, adding a suspended ceiling often
requires new light fixtures and may interfere with tall windows.

Increasing the absorption in a certain room is polished by adding more soft

materials, like fabric-faced glass fiber wall panels, carpet, or acoustical ceiling tiles.
Absorptive materials work best when spread throughout the room and not
concentrated on just one wall or the floor or ceiling

In some classrooms, a suspended ceiling of acoustical ceiling tiles is already

able to reduce the reverberation time to the desired range, but this would not address
the problem of echoes from the walls. Not all acoustical ceiling tiles created equal.

Make sure to check the specifications and look for ceiling tiles with an NRC of
0.75 or better. In order to absorb both low- and high-frequency sounds, it is necessary
to suspend the ceiling below the structural ceiling. By adding carpeting to a classroom
floor will not notably reduce the reverberation time, especially at low frequencies, but
carpeting will reduce noise coming from the students sliding their chairs or desks on
the floor.

Undesirable Reflections
Echoes interfere with speech intelligibility. Echoes can be controlled by
absorption and/or diffusion. When locating absorptive materials to reduce
reverberation time, we also consider how they may be able to help reduce echoes.
Placing an absorptive material on the rear wall of a classroom averts the
teacher's voice from reflecting back to the front of the classroom. Absorption is one
way of reducing reflected energy into the classroom.

Placing a diffusing element on the rear wall of the classroom scatters the sound
into many directions, so that the level in any one particular direction is greatly
minimized. Flutter echo is a particularly notable problem when it happens between
the walls at the front of the room where the teacher is speaking. A simple way to test

whether flutter echo is an issue, is to stand near the center of the classroom, between
the parallel surfaces, and clap hands once sharply. If flutter echo exists, a zinging or
ringing sound will be heard after the clap as the sound instantly bounces back and
forth between two walls. Try turning in different ways and clapping again to determine
which walls are causing the flutter echo. To remove the flutter echo between two
hard, parallel walls, cover one or both of them with fabric-faced glass fiber panels or
a similar sound-absorbing material. It works well if the panels are staggered along the
opposite walls so that a panel on one wall faces an untreated surface on the opposite
wall.
Classrooms
Another undesirable design is the classroom infused with a tall plaster or
gypsum board (hard) ceiling, hard walls and hard tile floor. In this, the echoes and
reverberation tend to destroy speech intelligibility, mostly for young children.
Unlike mechanical noise, reverberation cannot be overcome by raising the
level of the teacher's voice. An acoustical treatment must be added to increase
absorption and reduce harmful echoes. Like on the figure (A) below.
Including
a
sound-absorbing layin ceiling and thin
carpet on the floor as
shown on the figure (B)
will usually result in
good
classroom
acoustics and low
reverberation
time
(RT). This solution is
cheap for new construction and is also an affordable way to renovate existing
classrooms. For small to moderate-sized classrooms, the lay-in ceiling will provide a
moderate reverberation time (provided that acoustical ceiling tiles with the NRC is
greater than 0.75 are used). The carpet adds some high-frequency absorption, but
primarily serves to reduce self-noise from the students. The arrangement of the interior
furniture like cabinets and bookcases may help break up large, flat walls and reduce
echoes.
The ideal design for a lecture-style classroom would be to move some of the
absorption from the ceiling to the walls and keep the middle of the ceiling hard to
reflect the teacher's voice toward the back of the room. This seemingly complex,
partially absorptive and partially reflective ceiling can be easily built with a standard
ceiling grid.
By simply placing acoustical ceiling tiles around the perimeter of the ceiling
and gypsum board panels in the center of the grid. To be able to reflect more sound
to the back of the room, the ceiling can be shaped over the teacher's location at the

front of the room. This reflecting surface must be built from a hard material like
plywood or gypsum board, and can be painted to match the room.
Placing absorptive materials on the walls simultaneously reduces reverberation
time and removes the echoes. Fabric-covered, 2 inch thick glass fiber panels is an
ideal choice because they are attractive, fairly rugged, and provide some absorption
at low frequencies. By adding thin carpeting to the floors, and the result can be an
acoustically enhanced classroom, with a low reverberation time, no echoes, proper
distribution of reflections, and low self-noise, all achieved with common building
materials as shown on the previous figure (C).

Brick, stone, concrete, reflect all sound. Timber, gyprock, steel, reflect most high
frequencies and a % low frequency is absorbed by the wall. The remaining low
frequency energy that is not reflected or absorbed passes through the wall. Nothing
can be done about sound that passes through a wall. Bass frequencies are the
hardest to absorb.
The 1/4 wave-length rule. Acoustical absorbent material has to be placed away from
walls and ceiling at a distance of 1/4 wavelength of the lowest frequency to be
absorbed. This will include all higher frequencies if the absorbent material is soft
furnishing or fiberglass. Note that the ceiling height should also be included.
Understandably this will slightly reduce the physical size of the room. An acoustic
absorbent environment is relaxing and calming.

Bass trap is the

distance
of
the
absorbent
material
from a wall to include
absorbing
bass
frequencies.
The
lowest frequency absorbed is ruled by the material being at a distance of 1/4
wavelength from a wall. Recording studios can have fabric up to 6ft / 2meters from
walls. At 1/4 wavelength the molecular air movement is at a maximum, and is
converted to heat by the absorbent material. The remaining sound that gets through
the absorbent material is reflected back from the wall and again absorbed by the
absorbent material.
Standing Waves are bass frequencies reflected back from walls and ceiling.
The reflected bass interferes with the new incoming bass frequencies, causing
cancellations at different points throughout the room.
Each bass note will behave differently and the cancelled points will be in
different positions. Moving speakers or listening position does not solve the problem.
The only solution is to insure that the room is 100% absorbent at all bass frequencies.
Standing waves also tells us how a certain string behaves on a musical instrument.

References:
Everest, F. A. (2001). The master handbook of acoustics (4th ed.). New York: McGrawHill.
Sound absorption. (n.d.). Sound absorption. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from
http://www.ecophon.com/en/Acoustics/Room-Acoustic-Design/Sound-absorption/
Sound Absorption. (n.d.). Acoustical Surfaces Sound Absorption Comments. Retrieved
October 4, 2014, from http://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/acoustic_IOI/101_7.htm
Seep, B., Glosemeyer, R., Hulce, E., Linn, M., & Aytar, P. (n.d.). Classroom Acoustics.
Boooklet. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from http://asa.aip.org/classroom/booklet.html
Burnett, J. (n.d.). Acoustics. : Sound Absorption. Retrieved October 4, 2014, from
http://education.lenardaudio.com/en/04_acoustics_3.html