Course: Professional Graduate Programme in Civil: Engineering Building and Town Planning GPCE0801 GPCE080103

Course: Professional Graduate Programme in Civil
Engineering
Subject: Building and Town Planning
Subject Code: GPCE0801
Module Code: GPCE080103
Category: Civil Engineering
Topic: Acoustics
Faculty Name: Kushagra Rawal
Building and Town Planning
 Learning Outcome:
You will learn about acoustics.
 INTRODUCTION
Acoustics :
Acoustics is a branch of sound science that studies the origin, propagation,

and perception of sound. It also deals with the design and construction of
various architectural units in order to create ideal conditions for creating and
listening to speech, music, and other forms of communication.
Acoustics knowledge is required for the design of theatres, movie halls,

auditoriums, conference rooms, hospitals, and other structures in order to
eliminate or insulate unwanted sound.
When a sound starts from any source, such as speech or music, it is

transported in all directions from the source.
Sound:
The sound continues to travel through till it strikes on some surface such as
wall, ceiling, floor or any other barrier, from where, a part of it is reflected
back, a part being absorbed by the surface.
Sound thus travels in the form of waves and when these waves come near
our ear drums, we feel sensation of hearing.
When the sound waves are periodic, regular and long continued, they
produce a pleasing effect; such a sound is known as musical sound.
Noise :
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When the sound waves are non-periodic, irregular and of very short duration,
it produces displeasing effect; such sound is known as noise.
A noise is an abrupt sound of complex character with an irregular period and

amplitude originating, from a source of non-periodic motion.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AUDIBLE SOUND :
Sound travels in all directions through any media, whether solid, liquid, or
gaseous, including air, in the form of waves consisting of a succession of
alternate compressions and rarefactions. The composition and temperature of
the medium through which sound travels determine its velocity.
Sound travels at 1310 m/sec through water, 3600 m/sec through brick, and
4900 m/sec through steel. Sound travels at 340 m/sec in air at normal
temperature and pressure.
REVERBERATION
After being reflected on the surfaces, sound waves from the source produce
echoes. However, even if the source of sound has halted or died out, sound
waves continue to be reflected.
Even after the source has died out, the sound is bounced back and forth
multiple times against the walls, ceilings, and floors. This occurs as a result
of repeated reflections from the enclosed space's smooth edges.
The multiple reflections of sound waves continues for a long time. This
prolongation of sound after the source producing sound has died out, is
called 'Reverberation".
A certain amount of reverberation is desirable for improving the qualities of

sound, whereas too large reverberation creates confusion in hearing.
Reverberation time:

1 Reverberation time is the period of time in seconds which is required for
sound energy to decay or diminish by 60 dB, after sound source has stopped.
This reverberation time basically depends on the volume and absorption
characteristics of the surface. This time varies directly with the dimensions
of room, but inversely to the absorption present.
According to Prof. Sabine of Hardward University, the time of reverberation

can be calculated by the following formula:
ABSORPTION
When a sound wave strikes a surface, a part of its energy is absorbed by

friction.
The sound generated in an auditorium or hall is absorbed in four ways :
(i) in the air
(ii) by the audience

(iii) in the furniture and furnishings
(iv) at the boundary surfaces, such as floors, ceilings, walls, etc.
Absorbants :
The special materials used on boundary surfaces to increase absorption are

known as absorbants.
The ceiling is more exposed to direct sound waves than the other surfaces
and usually it is the largest single area available for treatment.
Absorbants can be classified as follows:
(a) Porous materials (b) Resonant materials (c) cavity resonators (d)
Composite types
GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND FACTORS IN ACOUSTICAL

DESIGNS OF HALLS
-The various principles and factors, which play an important role in creating
good acoustical conditions are as follows:
(i) Site selection and planning :
In selecting the site for an auditorium or a hall, the problem of noise is an

important factor.
The site selected should be in the quietest surroundings consistent with other
requirements, so that intelligibility of speech and total quality of music are
not affected.
It is particularly necessary to keep the level of the outdoor noise low by

proper orientation and site selection, in case where no air-conditioning is

provided and doors and windows are normally kept open during the
performance.
When air-conditioning is provided, special care should be taken to reduce the

plant noise and the grill noise.
Depending upon the noise level of the surrounding area of the site,
orientation, layout, etc., the structural design should be arranged to provide
necessary noise reduction, so that the background noise level of not more
than 40 to 45 decibels is achieved within the hall.
(ii) Dimensions (volume) :
The volume of the room should be in proportion to the intensity of sounds to

be generated in it.
The volume of musical concert should be quite large, so that sufficient space
is made available for proper distribution of music.
On the other hand, the theatres for speeches, small halls are useful for weak
sounds.
In planning the volume of the hall, the height is of greater importance than
the length or breadth.
A small increase in height results in the considerable increase in the volume.

The following values may be taken for deciding the volume of an
auditorium:
(a) Public lecture halls= 2.8 to 3.7 m³/person.

(b) Music concert halls = 4.2 to 5.6 m³/person.
(c) Cinema theatres = 3.7 to 4.2 m³/person.
(iii) Shape :
The shape of the room is more important in the acoustical design of an

auditorium, as it is the governing factor in correcting the defects like echoes,

sound foci, dead spots, etc. The increasing use of sound amplifiers has made
shape aspect of planning more important.
The shape of the hall is to be geometrically arranged in view of better

audibility.
Usually the shape of auditorium is expressed in terms of ratio
of height, width and length of the hall. In practice, the ceiling height for a
room or hall to be used for speech and music is kept varying from 1/3rd to
2/3rd of the width of the room or hall. The lower ratio should be adopted for
very large halls and higher ratio for small rooms.
The floor plan of the auditorium may have many typical possible shapes,
such as rectangular, fan-shaped, horse shoe, circular, oval, etc.
(iv) Treatment to Interior surfaces :
The treatment of interior surfaces, such as ceiling and side walls play an
influential part in the acoustical design.
The ceilings and side walls should provide favourable reflections to reinforce
the sound that reaches the rear parts of a large auditorium. Fig. 1, Fig. 2. In
order to avoid the interfering echoes, effective ceiling and wall reflectors
should be within 8 metres of the sound source. The side walls should also be
splayed or spread out such that they help in reinforcing the sound by way of
favourable reflections for large halls.
To avoid echoes further, a smooth ceiling should not be parallel to the floor.
The convex-shaped walls are, however, considered best to reduce the echoes
to great extent. To avoid sound foci due to curved ceilings, the radius of
curvature of the ceilings should be made atleast twice the height, or less than
half the ceiling height. As far as possible, rear walls should not be provided
as concave walls, unless treated with sound absorbant materials.


(v) Seats and Seating arrangement :
The audience may be the largest contributors to the absorption from the
audience present in the hall.
The seating arrangement should be such as to ensure good audibility and

visibility.
The seating accommodation for this purpose should be such as to cover an

angle of 90° with horizontal and 30° with vertical. On this basis the distance
of the front row should be 3.5 m. for drama and 4.5 m. or more for cinema
purposes.
The width of seat should be between 45 to 55 cm.
The back to back distance of chairs in successive rows of seats should be

atleast 85 cm. but may be more upto 105 cm. depending upon the comport
desired.

 REFERENCES
 Building ConstructionAuthor: Dr. B. C. Punmia, Ashokkumar Jain,
Arunkumar JainPublisher: Laxmi Pub. Delhi
 Elements of Civil Engineering Author: Dr. R.K. Jain and Dr. P.P. Lodha
Publisher: McGraw Hill Education, India Pvt. Ltd.
 Engineering Material Author: S.C. RangwalaPublisher: Charotar Pub.
House, Anand


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Course: Professional Graduate Programme in Civil

Acoustics is a branch of sound science that studies the origin, propagation,

Acoustics knowledge is required for the design of theatres, movie halls,

When a sound starts from any source, such as speech or music, it is

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

A noise is an abrupt sound of complex character with an irregular period and

CHARACTERISTICS OF AUDIBLE SOUND :

A certain amount of reverberation is desirable for improving the qualities of

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

According to Prof. Sabine of Hardward University, the time of reverberation

When a sound wave strikes a surface, a part of its energy is absorbed by

The sound generated in an auditorium or hall is absorbed in four ways :

(i) in the air

(ii) by the audience

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

(iv) at the boundary surfaces, such as floors, ceilings, walls, etc.

The special materials used on boundary surfaces to increase absorption are

Absorbants can be classified as follows:

GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND FACTORS IN ACOUSTICAL

(i) Site selection and planning :

In selecting the site for an auditorium or a hall, the problem of noise is an

It is particularly necessary to keep the level of the outdoor noise low by

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

When air-conditioning is provided, special care should be taken to reduce the

(ii) Dimensions (volume) :

The volume of the room should be in proportion to the intensity of sounds to

A small increase in height results in the considerable increase in the volume.

(a) Public lecture halls= 2.8 to 3.7 m³/person.

The shape of the room is more important in the acoustical design of an

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

The shape of the hall is to be geometrically arranged in view of better

Usually the shape of auditorium is expressed in terms of ratio

(iv) Treatment to Interior surfaces :

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

The seating arrangement should be such as to ensure good audibility and

The seating accommodation for this purpose should be such as to cover an

The width of seat should be between 45 to 55 cm.

The back to back distance of chairs in successive rows of seats should be

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

International Institute of Management & Technical Studies

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