Field measurement of airborne sound insulation between rooms with non-diffuse sound fields at low frequencies

Procedures for the field measurement of airborne sound insulation between rooms with diffuse fields are described in International Standard ISO 140-4. However, many dwellings contain rooms with volumes less than 50 m³, where low frequency measurements are less reliable; hence there is a need for a measurement procedure to improve the reliability of field measurements in rooms with non-diffuse fields. Procedures are proposed for sound pressure level and reverberation time measurements for the 50, 63 and 80 Hz third octave bands. The sound pressure level measurement combines corner microphone positions with positions in the central region of each room. This provides a good estimate of the room average sound pressure level with significantly improved repeatability.     

Influence of wall absorption on low-frequency dependence of reverberation time in room of irregular shape

In this paper, a modal analysis was used to describe a reverberation phenomenon in a room of complex shape. A theoretical model was limited to low sound frequencies, when eigenmodes are lightly damped, thus they may be approximated by uncoupled normal acoustic modes of a hard-walled room. A utility of this method was demonstrated in a numerical example where the enclosure in a form of two coupled rooms was considered. A reverberation time was evaluated from a time decay of spatial root mean square pressure, the overall measure of room pressure. The results of calculations, performed for three different distributions of absorbing materials on room walls, showed how various location of the material can effect a dependence of the reverberation time on a frequency of sound source.     

Performance Evaluation and Effectiveness of the Reverberation Room

This research presents a thorough evaluation of the reverberation room at Acoustics Laboratory in National Institute of Standards (NIS) according to the related international standards. The evaluation aims at examining the room performance and exploring its effectiveness in the frequency range from 125 Hz to 10000 Hz according to the international standard requirements. The room, which was designed and built several years ago, is an irregular rectangular shape free from diffusers. Its volume is about 158.84 m³, which meets the requirement of the ISO 354 standard L_max < 1.9V^1/3. Cut-off frequencies of one and one-third octave are 63 Hz and 100 Hz respectively; however Schroder frequency is 400 Hz. Calculations of cut-off frequency and modal density showed adequate modes that give acceptable uniformity starting comfortably from frequency of 125 Hz. The room has a reverberation time that is suitable for its size over the frequency range of interest. The room sound absorption surface area and its sound absorption coefficient satisfy the criteria given in ISO 3741 and ISO 354. There is an accepted diffuse sound field inside the room due to the standard deviation of measured sound level, which is less than 1.5 dB over all the frequency range. The only exception was 125 Hz which may be due to a lack of diffusivity of the sound field at this frequency. The evaluation proves that the NIS reverberation room is in full agreement with the international standards, which in turns qualifies the room to host measurements inside without concerns.     

Modal decomposition method for acoustic impedance testing in square ducts

Accurate duct acoustic propagation models are required to predict and reduce aircraft engine noise. These models ultimately rely on measurements of the acoustic impedance to characterize candidate engine nacelle liners. This research effort increases the frequency range of normal-incidence acoustic impedance testing in square ducts by extending the standard two-microphone method (TMM), which is limited to plane wave propagation, to include higher-order modes. The modal decomposition method (MDM) presented includes four normal modes in the model of the sound field, thus increasing the bandwidth from 6.7 to 13.5 kHz for a 25.4 mm square waveguide. The MDM characterizes the test specimen for normal- and oblique-incident acoustic impedance and mode scattering coefficients. The MDM is first formulated and then applied to the measurement of the reflection coefficient matrix for a ceramic tubular specimen. The experimental results are consistent with results from the TMM for the same specimen to within the 95% confidence intervals for the TMM. The MDM results show a series of resonances for the ceramic tubular material exhibiting a monotonic decrease in the resonant peaks of the acoustic resistance with increasing frequency, resembling a rigidly-terminated viscous tube, and also evidence of mode scattering is visible at the higher frequencies.     

The average absorption coefficient for enclosed spaces with non uniformly distributed absorption

This study concerns the determination of an equivalent acoustic absorption model of the flat heterogeneous walls present in industrial rooms. Numerous measurements of the reverberation time in reverberant room were carried out for several facings with different distributed spatial absorption. Experimental results were compared to classical reverberation time models. The measurements showed that the change in average acoustic absorption depends on the relative distance between the sound source and the absorbent panels, as it is this which creates heterogeneity. Therefore, taking into consideration, in the theoretical models of average acoustic absorption studied, the solid angles representing the equivalent area of the panels as viewed by the source, improved the accuracy of the calculated reverberation time compared to the measurements. This equivalent acoustic absorption model, based on Sabine's absorption coefficient and employing the solid angle ratio, was used to calculate the reverberation time of several industrial rooms. The results obtained are better than those obtained with the standard formula.     

1:50 scale acoustic models for objective testing of auditoria

The particular problems of small-scale models, namely air absorption and transducers, are discussed and it is found that with a dehumidified atmosphere (2–3 per cent relative humidity) and currently available transducers the measurement of reverberation time, as well as impulsive type measurements such as early to late energy ratio and early decay time, is possible at a scale of 1:50. The upper frequency limit for reverberation time is the 2 kHz octave equivalent and the 1 kHz octave for impulse measurements. Comparable measurements made in an auditorium and its 1:50 scale model showed good agreement. Some results of measurements in a model theatre and concert hall are also reported. It is concluded that 1:50 scale acoustic models enable one to measure quantities which cannot be calculated from drawings and offer a valuable aid for the development and confirmation of an auditorium design.     

Development of an optimised, standard-compliant procedure to calculate sound transmission loss: design of transmission rooms

A numerical procedure to estimate the transmission loss of sound insulating structures is proposed based upon the technology of acoustic measurements and standards. A virtual laboratory (VL), namely, a numerical representation of a real laboratory consisting of two reverberation rooms meeting certain sound field quality criteria is designed. VL is to be used for the numerical simulation of standardised measurements under predefined, controlled, acoustic conditions. In this paper, the design and optimisation of VL is investigated. The geometry of the transmission rooms is designed following first principles, in order for diffuse field conditions and sufficiently smooth primary mode distribution in the low frequency to be achieved. A finite element-based optimisation procedure, introduced by the author in previous work, is extended to arbitrarily shaped rooms. It is used to predict the appropriate local geometric modifications so as for improved mode distribution and smoother sound pressure fluctuations of the transmission rooms in the low-frequency range to be achieved and low-frequency measurement reproducibility and accuracy to be increased. Steady-state acoustic response analysis is performed in order to quantify the acoustic field quality of the virtual transmission rooms in the frequency range of measurements. A method to calculate the total absorption, A, of the receiving room is introduced by simulation of the reverberation time measurement procedure using Transient acoustic response analysis. The acoustic performance of VL is overall considered and is shown to meet in a sufficient degree, relative laboratory measurement standards in the frequency range of 100÷704 Hz.     

Decay rates and wall absorption at low frequencies

This paper is concerned with evaluating the error of conventional estimates of the boundary absorption of rectangular enclosures, with particular reference to reverberation room sound power measurements. The reverberation process is examined theoretically; the relative contributions to the decay rate from different modes in a rectangular room are calculated from an ensemble average over rooms with nearly the same dimensions. It is shown that the traditional method of determining the absorption of the walls of reverberation rooms systematically underestimates the absorption at low frequencies; the error is computed from the ensemble average. Finally, an unbiased estimate of the sound power radiated by a source in a reverberation room is derived. This estimate involves measurement of the initial decay rates of the room and is, unlike the usual reverberation room sound power estimate, neither based on statistical diffuse field considerations nor on the normal mode theory.     

Prediction of the reverberation time in high absorbent room using a modified-diffusion model

A modification of the diffusion model’s boundary condition, based on the Eyring absorption coefficient, to account for high walls absorption is proposed. Numerical comparisons are carried out for three geometrical configurations (a proportionate room, a corridor and a flat enclosure). Comparisons with the statistical theory and a ray-tracing software show that the modified boundary condition increases the accuracy of the diffusion model in term of reverberation time in all the simulated configurations. An experimental comparison in the case of a non-uniformly absorbent room (a reverberation chamber covered with patches of glass wool) is also carried out. The modified-diffusion model results match well with the ray-tracing ones. Both models are in agreement with the experimental data for most of third octave bands (discrepancy close to or below 10%). However, some discrepancies up to 40% can also be observed in a few octave bands, probably due to experimental considerations and to the modal behaviour of the room at low frequencies.     

Increase in transmission loss of single panels by addition of mass inclusions to a poro-elastic layer: Experimental investigation

The insertion loss of standard acoustic blankets can be significantly improved at low frequencies by the addition of randomly placed mass inclusions to the poro-elastic layers. The improvement is much greater than that due to the mass effect alone. The mass inclusions act as resonant systems and so increase the structure impedance. This paper reports the results of experimental investigations into this phenomenon. Increases in insertion loss of 15 dB in the 100 Hz third octave band are reported.     

Reverberation times and speech transmission indices in classrooms

Octave band reverberation times, background noise levels and speech transmission indices measurements were carried out in eighteen government subsidized primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. Various normal classroom operation conditions were considered. Results illustrate that strong correlation exists between the reverberation times and the speech transmission indices regardless of the background noise levels and their NC values in the present study. The arithmetic average of the reverberation times in the 250 Hz to 4 Hz octave bands and the 1 kHz octave band reverberation time are found to be more important in the correlation in general. These findings provide a convenient mean for speech transmission design in classrooms.     

Equal autophonic level curves under different room acoustics conditions

The indirect auditory feedback from one's own voice arises from sound reflections at the room boundaries or from sound reinforcement systems. The relative variations of indirect auditory feedback are quantified through room acoustic parameters such as the room gain and the voice support, rather than the reverberation time. Fourteen subjects matched the loudness level of their own voice (the autophonic level) to that of a constant and external reference sound, under different synthesized room acoustics conditions. The matching voice levels are used to build a set of equal autophonic level curves. These curves give an indication of the amount of variation in voice level induced by the acoustic environment as a consequence of the sidetone compensation or Lombard effect. In the range of typical rooms for speech, the variations in overall voice level that result in a constant autophonic level are on the order of 2 dB, and more than 3 dB in the 4 kHz octave band. By comparison of these curves with previous studies, it is shown that talkers use acoustic cues other than loudness to adjust their voices when speaking in different rooms.     

Improving the acoustic working conditions for musicians in small spaces

In the acoustic consulting, testing, design and engineering work of the Fraunhofer-Institute of Building Physics (IBP) the low-frequency end of the noise spectra and the room acoustic conditioning has gained tremendous importance over the years. For solving the long-ranging noise pollution from e.g. exhaust stacks and chimneys, a series of low-frequency sound attenuators with minimum flow resistance were developed. Its first representative was a novel membrane absorber [10] [Ackermann U, et al., Sound absorbers of a novel membrane construction. Applied Acoustics 1998;25:197-215]. Thanks to its slenderness and ruggedness it could also be employed for noise control and reverberation adjustment purposes in relatively narrow enclosures and harsh environments [11] and [12] [Vér IL. Enclosures and wrappings. In: Harris CM, editor. Handbook of acoustical measurements and noise control. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991; Fuchs HV, Hunecke J. The room plays its part at low frequencies. Das Musikinstrument 1993;42:40-6 (in German). Meanwhile a new type of panel absorber has been optimized for both kinds of application. Its absorption efficiency at frequencies far below 100 Hz could be demonstrated and quantified by a special measuring procedure based on the reverberation of a small rectangular room at its eigenfrequencies [3] (Zha X, et al. Measurements of an effective absorption coefficient below 100 Hz. Acoustics Bulletin 1999;24:5-10). With the aid of this novel tool it is now possible to qualify reverberation rooms and anechoic chambers for frequencies down to 63 and 31 Hz, respectively [9] (Fuchs HV, et al. Qualifying freefield and reverberation rooms for frequencies below 100 Hz. Applied Acoustics 2000;59:303-22). In a companion paper in this same journal [4] [Fuchs HV, et al.: Creating low-noise environments in communication rooms. Applied Acoustics (in print)] appropriate experience is reported in creating low-noise environments in multi-purpose rooms like offices, restaurants, foyers and seminars. A number of representative case studies [5] (Drotleff H, et al. : Attractive acoustic design of multi-purpose halls. 1. Chinese-German Platform Innovative Acoustics 2000, (October, 21-25. 2000)) show ample evidence that the low-frequency performance of the rooms has a strong influence on both the amplification of intruding external noise and the development of internally generated noise emanating from communication processes provoked by the users themselves. At work places where producing sound (by voices or/and instruments) is the main or only purpose for their existence, the acoustic qualification of the room at low frequencies turns out to be of the utmost importance, especially when musicians are forced to work in extremely narrow spaces like orchestra pits and rehearsal halls for many hours a day and often under extreme physical and mental pressure. The measures taken and described herein have proven to mitigate if not remove some of the acoustic burden put on musicians employed in states theatres.     

Applicability of locally reacting boundary conditions to porous material layer backed by rigid wall: Wave-based numerical study in non-diffuse sound field with unevenly distributed sound absorbing surfaces

To clarify the applicability of locally reacting boundary conditions in wave-based numerical analyses of sound fields in rooms, we numerically analyzed a non-diffuse sound field in a room with unevenly distributed sound absorbing surfaces and investigated the differences between the extended and local reactions. Each absorbing surface was a porous material layer backed by a rigid wall. Simulations were performed by the fast multipole boundary element method, a highly efficient boundary element method using the fast multipole method. At low frequencies, the extended and local reactions yielded similar reverberation decay curves because of the influence of the room. However, when the random incidence absorption coefficients were small at low frequencies or frequencies were high, the difference was greater than expected from the corresponding Eyring decay lines. We conclude at high frequencies, the locally reacting boundary conditions lead to a longer reverberation time than that expected from the absorption coefficient differences between the extended and local reactions. These differences were similar in sound-pressure-level and sound-intensity-level distributions, and in the oblique incidence absorption coefficient of the absorbing surfaces, but were increased at low frequencies.     

Fundamental accuracy of time domain finite element method for sound-field analysis of rooms

This paper presents an assessment of the accuracy and applicability of a time domain finite element method (TDFEM) for sound-field analysis in architectural space. This TDFEM incorporates several techniques: (1) a hexahedral 27-node isoparametric acoustic element using a spline function; (2) a lumped acoustic dissipation matrix; and (3) Newmark time integration method with an absolute diagonal scaled COCG iterative solver. Sound fields in an irregularly shaped reverberation room of 166 m³ are computed using TDFEM. The computed values and measured values for 125-500 Hz are compared, revealing that the fine structure of the computed band-limited impulse responses agree with measured ones up to 0.1 s, with a cross-correlation coefficient greater than 0.93. The cross-correlation coefficient decreases gradually over time, and more rapidly for higher frequencies. Moreover, the computed decay curves, and the reverberation times, agree well with the respective measured ones, and with a better fit the higher the frequency (up to 500 Hz).     

Comparison of different experimental methods for the assessment of the room’s acoustics

The paper presents the acoustics analysis of three different enclosed spaces. These spaces (rooms) have different geometrical shapes and sizes and serve for different purposes. The early decay time, reverberation time, clarity and center time are evaluated with Dirac, WinMLS, Aurora and Caracad software using simple, low-cost equipment. The listed acoustic parameters were determined using linear sine sweep and impulsive sources. Comparisons between experimental measurements, simulations and analytic results were done. The room impulse response measurement proved to be the most reliable method to evaluate the properties of different rooms even if the measurements are perturbed by non-idealities of the low-cost equipment.     

The reverberation time of furnished rooms in dwellings

The study gives the results of the measurements of the reverberation time in 11,687 rooms, of which 11,457 are furnished (8246 bedrooms, 3211 living rooms) and 230 unfurnished. All the rooms have heavy walls and ceilings, and a heavy floor covering. The reverberation times measured are quite similar in bedrooms and living rooms within the same size range, and decrease fairly uniformly as the frequency increases. Moreover, in each frequency band the greater the volume of the room, the greater the reverberation time.The results of this extensive fieldwork allow us to predict accurately the reverberation time in these kinds of spaces as a function of their size and the frequency. These data may be useful for improving the accuracy of calculations models to estimate the reverberation time of enclosed spaces. A comparison between the reverberation time measured in this work and that proposed in PrEN ISO 10052.2002(E) has been made.     

Reduction of sound transmission into a circular cylindrical shell using distributed vibration absorbers and Helmholtz resonators

A modal expansion method is used to model a cylindrical enclosure excited by an external plane wave. A set of distributed vibration absorbers (DVAs) and Helmholtz resonators (HRs) are applied to the structure to control the interior acoustic levels. Using an impedance matching method, the structure, the acoustic cavity, and the noise reduction devices are fully coupled to yield an analytical formulation of the structural kinetic energy and acoustic potential energy of a treated cylindrical cavity. Lightweight DVAs and small HRs tuned to the natural frequencies of the targeted structural and acoustic modes, respectively, result in significant acoustic and structural attenuation when the devices are optimally damped. Simulations show that significant interior noise reduction can only be achieved by adding damping to both structural and acoustic modes, which are resonant in the frequency bandwidth of interest. In order to be independent of the azimuth angle of the excitation and to avoid unwanted modal interactions, the devices are distributed evenly around the cylinder in rings. This treatment can only achieve good performance if the structure and the acoustic cavity are lightly damped.     

Sound strength and reverberation time in small concert halls

Sound strength and reverberation time measurements have been carried out in six small concert halls in Cambridge, UK. The sound strength G is a measure of the physical sound level in a concert hall and is closely related to the subjective sensation of loudness. It compares integrated impulse responses at a point in the measured room with that measured at ten metres distance in the free field.The aim of the measurements is to investigate the acoustic characteristics of the halls concerning sound strength and reverberation time. Furthermore the effect of the variable acoustics in the halls on these parameters is discussed in this paper. Especially for bigger ensembles it is often desirable to reduce the sound level in a small concert hall. The measurement results show that for a fixed hall volume, this can primarily be achieved by decreasing the reverberation time in the hall. However, with regard to the sound quality of a hall and the recommended reverberation times for chamber music, reverberation time cannot be reduced by an arbitrary extent. Therefore reverberation time and strength have to be balanced very carefully in order to obtain sufficient reverberation whilst at the same time avoiding excessive loudness. Finally the measured strength levels are compared to values derived from traditional and revised theory [Barron M, Lee L-J. Energy relations in concert auditoriums. J Acoust Soc Am 1988;84(2):618-28] on strength calculations in order to assess the accuracy of the theory for small chamber music halls. Possible reasons for the low measured strength levels observed are discussed with reference to related design features and objective acoustic parameters.     

The influence of the group delay of digital filters on acoustic decay measurements

In this paper the error due to the phase response of digital filters on acoustic decay measurements is analyzed. There are two main sources of errors when an acoustic decay is filtered: the error due to the bandwidth of the filters related to their magnitude response, and the error due to their phase response. In this investigation the two components are separated and the phase error analyzed in terms of the group delay of the filters. Linear phase FIR filters and minimum phase IIR filters fulfilling the class 1 requirements of the IEC 61260 standard have been designed, and their errors compared. This makes it possible to explain the behavior of the phase error and develop recommendations for the use of each filtering technique. The paper is focused on the filtering techniques covered by current versions of the standards for measurement of acoustic decays and in the evaluation of the acoustic decay for narrow filters at low frequencies and low reverberation times (BT < 16).