Change in Sound Response by human ears

Level
3 dB

Barely perceptible

5 dB

Clearly perceptible

10 dB

Dramatic, twice as loud

20 dB

Striking, fourfold change

2 dB + 2 dB = ?
Answer

L(total)=10 log( 10

Li/10

i=1

Example:

70 dB + 73 dB

L(total) = 10 log (107 + 107.3)

= 74.8 dB

Example A: 2 dB + 2 dB
L(total) = 10 log (102/10 + 102/10)
= 10 log (1.585 +
1.585)
= 5 dB

Example B: 74dB + 76 dB
L(total) = 10 log (1074/10 +
1076/10)
= 10 log (107.4 + 107.6)
= 78 dB

Difference of the
two levels

Increment to be added
to higher level

01

3 dB

24

2 dB

59

1 dB

10 or more

0 dB

Converting dB Linear to dB(A)

Octave Band
Frequency (Hz)

63 125 250 500 1K 2k 4k 8k

Sound Press in
dB(L)

79 82

85

85

87 82 75 68

A-weighted
-26 -16 -9
Correction factor

-3

Sound Press in
dB(A)

82

87 83 76 67

53 66

76

+1 +1 -1

Noise Spectrum and Overall

Noise Level
Noise Spectrum is the noise level which taken
at each frequency e.g.
Octave Band
63 125 250 500 1K 2k 4k 8k
Frequency (Hz)
Sound Press

53 66

76

84

87 86 82 67

Overall Noise Level is the summation of the

noise spectrum to become a single value e.g
92 dB

Difference of the
two levels

Increment to be added
to higher level

01

3 dB

24

2 dB

59

1 dB

10 or more

0 dB

Converting Noise Spectrum to

Overall Noise Level
Octave Band
Frequency (Hz)

63 125 250 500 1K 2k 4k 8k

LA

53 66

Difference of
the two levels

Increment to be
added to higher
level

01

3 dB

24

2 dB

59

1 dB

10 or more

0 dB

76

84

87 86 82 67

91

90

92 dB(A)
Overall Noise Level

Summation of Overall Noise

Level
94
dB(A)

97
dB(A)

99
dB(A)

98
dB(A)

102 dB(A)
103 dB(A)
104 dB(A)
Difference
of the two
levels

Increment to be
added to higher
level

01

3 dB

24

2 dB

59

1 dB

10 or more

0 dB

104 dB(A)

88
dB(A)

Summation of Overall Noise

Level
94
dB(A)

97
dB(A)

79
dB(A)

98
dB(A)

88
dB(A)

101 dB(A)
102 dB(A)
Difference
of the two
levels

Increment to be
added to higher
level

01

3 dB

24

2 dB

59

1 dB

10 or more

0 dB

102 dB(A)
Compare with
previously which was 104
dB(A)
..

One factor may influence the accuracy of the

measurement is the level of the background
compared to the level of the sound being
measured
The following is the procedure of subtraction of the
background noise
1. Measure the total noise (Lm + La) with the
machine running
2. Measure the background noise (La) with the
machine of
3. Find the diference of these two readings and
apply the subtracting procedure.

Effects of Background Noise

Example:
1. Total noise = 60 dB
2. Background noise = 53 dB
3. Difference = 7 dB
4. Correction from the chart = 1 dB
5. Noise of the Machine
= 60 1
= 59 dB

dB To Be Subtracted From Measurement

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1

dB Difference Between Measurement and Background Noise

For a point source

noise will reduce by
6 dB for every
doubling distance
20 log r
For a plane source
noise will reduce by
3 dB for every
doubling distance
10 log r. This is also
true within an
enclosed space.

The most common

interference
is
provided by a solid
boundary.
Sound
striking
a
solid
boundary may be
either
transmitted,
reflected,
or
absorbed, as shown
in Figure A3.

Sound striking a solid

surface can cause
the
surface
to
vibrate, just as the
ear drum vibrates
when it is met by a
sound wave. This
vibration which is of
the same frequency
as the sound wave
may set up another
air-borne sound wave
on the other side of
the solid.

Sound may also be reflected from a solid

surface in much the same way as a ball
bounces from a wall. Reflected sound will
increase the sound level on the source side of
the solid. The most common example of this is a
noise source such as a machine located above a
hard concrete floor.

Insertion Loss
Commonly used for duct silencer. Insertion
Loss is obtained by performing a test on a
section of ductwork through which acoustic
energy is transmitted with and without a
silencer. The Insertion Loss is the diference
of the SPL measured in the receiving
chamber.

Common Acoustic Terminology

- Continue

Transmission Loss (TL)

TL is obtained by putting a test piece
between two reverberant chambers. It is the
diference of the SPL between these
chambers, related to the area of the test
sample and the absorption of the receiving
chamber.

Attenuation
Another word for noise reduction

Absorption Coefficient
The ability of a material to absorb the
sound. Normally given in percentage
format