Case Study
Case Study
Case Study
Testing Facility
Table of contents
Executive summary
“Clienteen” is a designer and manufacturer of air duct silencers for Heating, Ventilation and Air
Conditioning (HVAC) systems. Such silencers are used to filtering the noise generated in the
HVAC units and prevent it from propagating downstream, while allows for air to flow through
them. The company built a new testing setup within its manufacturing facility to accurately
measure the sound pressure levels and performance of the silencer. The performance of the
However, when assessing the silencer performance again in the testing facility of the company,
the measurements show significantly less performance of the same silencer in the low
frequency range between 30 and 125 Hz. The measured transmission loss of the silencer in the
Clienteen’s facility was less than what was measured in the laboratory. This discrepancy in the
performance’s measurement of the same silencer indicated to the company that there is a
serious sound leakage problem into the reverberation room where the downstream
measurements are taken. This leakage occurs at frequency range between 30 and 125 Hz. As an
engineer, I am required to find out the cause of the sound leakage into the reverberation room
Theoretical Background
The natural frequency is the frequency at which an object will remain vibrating after hitting it.
All objects and mechanical systems have a natural frequency. They may even have many
2
nπ E I x∨ y
ωn, i x or y= ( )√
l Aρ
rad/s 𝑛=1,2 ,3...
A formula for approximate natural frequencies ωi,j of a plate is derived by Rayleigh’s energy
G1 4 G2 4 2 J 1 J 2 +2 ν (H 1 H 2−J 1 J 2)
ωi, j =
√(( a )( )
+
b
+
a2 b2
π 4 E t 2 rad/s
)
12(1−ν 2 ) ρ
The dimensionless factors 𝐺1,𝐺2,𝐽1,𝐽2 and 𝐻1 𝐻2 depends on the mode number (i,j) and the
Where 𝑙 is the span length, 𝐴 the cross-sectional area, ρ the material density, 𝐸 is Young’s
modulus of elasticity, 𝜈 is Poisson’s ratio, 𝑡 is the material thickness, and 𝐼 is the area moment
of inertia.
to another object whose natural frequency is equal or very close to that of the source.
Noise Transmission
When a sound wave impacts upon the surface of a solid body, some portion of its energy will be
reflected, some absorbed, and the rest transmitted through the body. The relative proportion
Transmission Loss
The term Transmission Loss (TL), or more commonly Sound Reduction Index (SRI) are used to
describe the reduction in sound level resulting from transmission through a material.
Obviously, the greater the mass of the wall, the greater the sound energy required to set it in
motion. The mass law states that every doubling of the mass of a partition will result in a 6 dB
The mass law applies strictly to limp, non-rigid partitions. However, most materials used in
buildings possess some rigidity or stiffness. This means that other factors must really be
considered, and that the mass law should only be taken as an approximate guide to the amount
of attenuation obtainable.
Sound attenuation in ordinary building materials is the result of an interplay between mass,
stiffness and damping. In addition, the mass law is affected by resonance at lower frequencies
At low frequencies (for most building materials below 10-20Hz), transmission depends mainly
on the stiffness of the wall, with damping and mass having little effect. The effectiveness of
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stiffness in the attenuation of sound transmission decreases by 6dB for every doubling of
Resonant Frequencies
At slightly higher frequencies the resonance of the wall begins to control its transmission
behaviour. Because every panel has a finite boundary and edge fixings, it will have a series of
natural frequencies at which it will vibrate more easily than others. These are called resonant
At frequencies well above that of the lowest resonant frequency, the wall tends to behave as an
assembly of much smaller masses and is then said to be mass controlled. It is within this range
To determine the causes of the sound leakage, the microphone and accelerometers should be
used in the air duct, supporting beams and walls of the acoustics and reverberation room,
respectively. I have calculated the natural frequencies of the air duct, supporting beams and
Based on the values and dimensions provided as well as know mechanical properties of certain
materials used in the construction of the structures; for the I beam; the following natural
frequencies were obtained with further dimensions obtained from the American Standard
beam’s tables.
For the North, East and West walls of the reverberation room, assuming boundary conditions
ωj ωi 1 2 3
1 25.62 rad/s 52.28 rad/s 93.93 rad/s
2 52.28 rad/s 77.13 rad/s 117.6 rad/s
3 93.93 rad/s 117.60 rad/s 156.61 rad/s
For the floor of the reverberation room, assuming clamped-clamped boundary conditions, the
ωj ωi 1 2 3
1 155.9 rad/s 318.19 rad/s 571.66 rad/s
2 318.19 rad/s 469.42 rad/s 715.70 rad/s
3 571.66 rad/s 715.70 rad/s 953.08 rad/s
Finally, for the roof of the reverberation room, assuming clamped-simply supported boundary
ωj ωi 1 2 3
1 66.28 rad/s 211.64 rad/s 72.14 rad/s
2 211.64 rad/s 216.24 rad/s 444.63 rad/s
3 72.14 rad/s 444.63 rad/s 452.46 rad/s
Conclusions and recommendations
Because the sound leakage is observed at lower frequencies and the natural frequencies of the
floor of reverberation room fall well in between that range 30 Hz to 125 Hz (188 rad/s to
785rad/sec), I would conclude a resonance issue is the cause of the sound leak. The vibrations
from the acoustic room are matching the natural frequencies of the walls, especially the floor
and amplifying the sound. The goal would be to either increase or reduce the natural
frequencies way beyond any expected vibrations. There are a couple ways to achieve this;
adding stiffness which will increase the natural frequency or adding mass, which will decrease
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the natural frequency. Other solutions can include moving the silencer inside the duct closer or
further away from the reverberation room and adding damping (i.e., thicker steel sheeting).
References
Erbessd, Thierry. “Resonance & Natural Frequency: CBM CONNECT.” CBM CONNECT®, 16