Measurement and modeling of diffraction from an edge of a thin panel

The diffraction of sound from an edge of a thin chipboard panel was measured in an anechoic chamber, and compared to simulations based on the diffraction formulation developed by Svensson et al. [Svensson UP, Fred RI, Vanderkooy J. An analytic secondary source model of edge diffraction impulse responses. J Acoust Soc Am 1999;106(5):2331-44]. The measurements and simulations were performed for a line of receiver positions below the panel to include cases for which the direct sound had an unobstructed propagation path to the receivers, as well as cases for which the direct sound was occluded by the panel. Comparison of the measured and simulated responses is provided in both the time and frequency-domains, and shows that the differences between them are small over the entire audible frequency range. This case study verifies that the applied diffraction-modeling method gives accurate results, and that the assumptions of ideal source and wedge characteristics inherent in the method do not preclude its use in simulations of realistic scenarios.