Measurement of sound insulation of acoustic louvres by an impulse method

This paper presents results of a study of the sound attenuation of acoustic louvres. At the core of the study is an alternative method of measuring sound insulation, impulse response analysis, which circumvents the limitations imposed by standard and proposed standard methods. Using the impulse method, the sound transmission coefficient is measured at different angles of incidence and the angular dependency of transmission loss obtained. In the low frequency range, the transmission is governed by a mass layer effect. The value of transmission loss is independent of angle of incidence. For the mid and high frequencies, diffraction, interference and absorption determine louvre performance and an angular dependency is observed. The transmission at the angle of incidence, corresponding to a line-of-sight through the louvre blades, is the dominant contribution to the angle average value and a single measurement at the pitch of the louvre approximates the overall transmission loss. For the case considered, the geometry of the blades has little influence on the transmission at low frequencies and the mass of the blades has little influence at higher frequencies. In a companion paper, the impulse data are used to predict the insertion loss provided by the louvre when installed in a plant room.