Acoustics

Acoustics
A Group 1 presentation

Presentation Outline
a) Define the following:
i.

Room acoustics

ii.

Sound absorption

iii. Sound reflection

b) Discuss different construction materials that can be used to improve

acoustical properties of a concert hall.

Room
Acoustics
Room Acoustics

What is room acoustics?

Also known as architectural acoustics, room acoustics is a science and
engineering of achieving good sound within a building.

It is concerned with the control of sound - how it is created, propagated,

perceived, measured and modelled - in an enclosed space with the aim of

providing the best condition for the production and reception of desirable
sounds.

Enclosed spaces can be dwellings, offices, workshops, factory halls, lecture

rooms, auditoria, concert halls, transportation terminals, etc.

What is room acoustics?

The sound within a room is mainly from two things which are
1. Reflection from various objects within a building and also
2. Sound from a particular source e.g. human voice or speakers.

Fig 117
Structure-borne
sound transmission

Room
Acoustics

Room
Acoustics
Sound incident on a solid
body is partly reflected,
partly absorbed (i.e.
converted into heat) and
partly transmitted into air
on the opposite side.

Fig 119
Direct and
reverberant sound

Room
Acoustics

Room Acoustics
Acoustic requirements for different rooms depend on nature and purpose of the space and these
include:-

1. An adequate level of sound evenly distributed to all listeners in the room

2. Background noise and external noise reduction to acceptable levels

3. A rate of decay (reverberation time) suitable for the type of room

4. Absence of echoes

Room Acoustics
Therefore, there are 3 ways to improve room acoustics:
A. Absorb (via drapes, carpets, ceiling tiles, etc)
B. Block (via panels, walls, floors, ceilings and layout)
C. Cover-up (via sound masking)

Sound
Absorption
Sound Absorption

What is sound absorption?

Sound, or acoustic absorption refers to a material, structure or object
absorbing sound energy when sound waves collide with it, as opposed to
reflecting the energy. Part of the absorbed energy is transformed into heat
and part is transmitted. The energy transformed into heat is said to have
been 'lost'.

What is sound absorption?

Sound absorption (denoted by A) is the product of the absorption
coefficient (a) and the area of a given surface (s):
=

Absorption coefficient is used to indicate all the sound that is not reflected
by a surface (i.e. it includes the part actually absorbed and that which is
transmitted).

Sound
Absorption
r = reflected
a = absorbed
t = transmitted
r+a+t=1

Sound
Reflection
Sound Reflection

What is sound reflection?

Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between
two different media so that the wavefront returns into the medium from
which it originated.

The reflection of sound follows the law of reflection, which says "angle of
incidence equals angle of reflection". The same behavior is observed with
light and other waves, similarly depicted by the bounce of a billiard ball off
the bank of a table.

Sound Reflection
For a smooth surface the angle of incidence (1) equals the angle of reflection (2), as
measured with reference to the normal (line perpendicular) to the surface.

What is sound reflection?

When sound is in an enclosed space, reflection will occur from the bounding
surfaces; the reflected part will reinforce the sound within the space and the
remainder will be lost for the system.

It is essential to note that within an enclosed space there is a complex pattern

of interreflected sound, known as reverberant sound.

Acoustic
Materials
Acoustic Materials

The Concert Hall

The boundaries of concert halls are used to control the acoustic. For instance, the

walls can be made hard to reflect sound back into the room, soft to absorb sound or
rough to disperse sound in different directions.

The various materials that can be used to improve acoustical properties of a concert
hall fall under these 3 major categories:-

1. Reflectors
2. Absorbers
3. Diffusers

Sound Absorption
Coefficients of Materials

Sound Absorption
Coefficients of Materials

Sound Absorption
Coefficients of Materials

Bibliography
What is Room Acoustics? www.bksv.com
O. H. Koenigsberger, et al (1974), Manual of tropical housing and building, Part
one: Climatic design, Longman

Acoustic reflection, www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk

Concert Hall Acoustics: Art and Science, www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk
Marshal Long (2006), Architectural Acoustics, Elsevier

The End
Blessing Mukome, Jnyr Mutaringe, Coster Bangwayo, Ngoni
Mudziki, Tatenda Chikadaya
2014. A Building Services II Presentation