ASSIGNMENT-1

BUILDING SERVICES-3
ACOUSTICS

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

AR. SURJEET SINGH NITISH KUMAR
B.ARCH 4th YR.
7th SEMESTER
 INDEX

S.NO. TOPIC PAGE NO.

I. WHAT IS SOUND 1
II. FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND 1-3
III. BEHAVIOUR OF A SOUND IN ENCLOSED SPACES 3
IV. ROOM ACOUSTICS 4
V. ENCLOSED SPACE FUNCTION 5-8
 WHAT IS SOUND ?
MECHANICAL RADIANT ENERGY THAT IS
TRANSMITTED BY LONGITUDINAL PRESSURE
WAVES IN A MATERIAL MEDIUM (SUCH AS AIR)
AND IS THE OBJECTIVE CAUSE OF HEARING.
IN PHYSICS, SOUND IS A VIBRATION THAT
TYPICALLY PROPAGATES AS AN AUDIBLE
WAVE OF PRESSURE, THROUGH A
TRANSMISSION MEDIUM SUCH AS A GAS,
LIQUID OR SOLID. IN HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
AND PSYCHOLOGY, SOUND IS THE RECEPTION
OF SUCH WAVES AND THEIR PERCEPTION BY
THE BRAIN.

FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND:

•PITCH- THE QUALITY OF A SOUND GOVERNED
BY THE RATE OF VIBRATIONS PRODUCING IT;
THE DEGREE OF HIGHNESS OR LOWNESS OF A
TONE.
PITCH CAN BE TAKEN AS THE MEASURE OF
SOUND FREQUENCY EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF
HERTZ. HIGHER THE FREQUENCY, HIGHER THE
PITCH. ALL KINDS OF SOUND PRODUCES SOME
WAVES THAT ARE MEASURED WITH RESPECT TO
THE FREQUENCY IT CARRIES.

•FREQUENCY- IT IS MEASURED AS THE NUMBER OF WAVE CYCLES THAT OCCUR IN ONE

SECOND. THE UNIT OF FREQUENCY MEASUREMENT IS HERTZ (HZ FOR SHORT).
A FREQUENCY OF 1 HZ MEANS ONE WAVE CYCLE PER SECOND. A FREQUENCY OF 10 HZ MEANS
TEN WAVE CYCLES PER SECOND, WHERE THE CYCLES ARE MUCH SHORTER AND CLOSER
TOGETHER.
THE NUMBER OF CYCLES PER SECOND (HERTZ) (ABBREVIATED AS, HZ) OF ANYTHING THAT
OSCILLATES IS CALLED THE "FREQUENCY". THE ELECTRICITY OF AN AC WALL OUTLET IS SAID TO
HAVE A FREQUENCY OF 60 HERTZ AS IT CYCLES NEGATIVE THEN POSITIVE 60 TIMES EACH
SECOND.
SOUND IS AN OSCILLATING WAVE, BUT IT HAS A BROAD RANGE OF FREQUENCIES. A LOW
FREQUENCY SOUND (SAY, 50 HZ) MIGHT SOUND LIKE A LOW RUMBLE, WHILE A HIGH FREQUENCY
SOUND (SAY 12,000 HZ), MIGHT SOUND MORE LIKE A "SIZZLE". A PERSON WITH NORMAL HEARING
CAN HEAR ALL THE WAY UP TO ABOUT 20,000 HZ.

TIME PERIOD- THE TIME REQUIRED TO

PRODUCE ONE COMPLETE WAVE OR CYCLE OR
CYCLE IS CALLED TIME-PERIOD OF THE WAVE.
NOW, ONE COMPLETE WAVE IS PRODUCED BY
ONE FULL VIBRATION OF THE VIBRATING
BODY. SO, WE CAN SAY THAT THE TIME TAKEN
TO COMPLETE ONE VIBRATION IS KNOWN AS
TIME-PERIOD. IT IS DENOTED BY LETTER T. THE
UNIT OF MEASUREMENT OF TIME-PERIOD IS
SECOND (S).
QUALITY OF SOUND OR TIMBRE- SOUND QUALITY IS
TYPICALLY AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ACCURACY,
FIDELITY, OR INTELLIGIBILITY OF AUDIO OUTPUT FROM
AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE. QUALITY CAN BE MEASURED
OBJECTIVELY, SUCH AS WHEN TOOLS ARE USED TO GAUGE
THE ACCURACY WITH WHICH THE DEVICE REPRODUCES
AN ORIGINAL SOUND;[OR IT CAN BE MEASURED
SUBJECTIVELY, SUCH AS WHEN HUMAN LISTENERS
RESPOND TO THE SOUND OR GAUGE
ITS PERCEIVED SIMILARITY TO ANOTHER SOUND. SOUNDS
MAY BE GENERALLY CHARACTERIZED
BY PITCH, LOUDNESS, AND QUALITY. SOUND "QUALITY"
OR "TIMBRE" DESCRIBES THOSE CHARACTERISTICS OF
SOUND WHICH ALLOW THE EAR TO DISTINGUISH SOUNDS
WHICH HAVE THE SAME PITCH AND LOUDNESS. TIMBRE IS
THEN A GENERAL TERM FOR THE DISTINGUISHABLE
CHARACTERISTICS OF A TONE. TIMBRE IS MAINLY
DETERMINED BY THE HARMONIC CONTENT OF A SOUND
AND THE DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOUND
SUCH AS VIBRATO AND THE ATTACK-DECAY ENVELOPE OF
THE SOUND.

•LOUDNESS- THE LOUDNESS IS A SENSATION OF HOW STRONG A SOUND WAVE IS AT A

PLACE. IT IS ALWAYS A RELATIVE TERM AND IS A DIMENSIONLESS QUANTITY. LOUDNESS IS
MEASURED IN DECIBEL (DB). IT IS GIVEN AS:
THE LOUDNESS DEPENDS ON THE AMPLITUDE OF THE VIBRATION. IT WILL BE LOUDER WHEN THE
AMPLITUDE IS HIGH. SUPPOSE WHEN WE PLUCK A STRING OF THE SITAR IT STARTS VIBRATING WITH
LOW AMPLITUDE AND IF WE APPLY MORE ENERGY BY PLUCKING MORE STRONGLY, THE STRING
WILL VIBRATE WITH THE GREATER AMPLITUDE AND PRODUCE A LOUD SOUND. AS THE AMPLITUDE
OF VIBRATION INCREASES, SOUND ALSO INCREASES.

INTENSITY- SOUND INTENSITY- ALSO KNOWN AS ACOUSTIC INTENSITY, IS DEFINED AS THE

POWER CARRIED BY SOUND WAVES PER UNIT AREA IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO
THAT AREA. THE SI UNIT OF INTENSITY, WHICH INCLUDES SOUND INTENSITY, IS
THE WATT PER SQUARE METER (W/M2). ONE APPLICATION IS THE NOISE MEASUREMENT OF
SOUND INTENSITY IN THE AIR AT A LISTENER'S LOCATION AS A SOUND ENERGY QUANTITY.
SOUND INTENSITY IS NOT THE SAME PHYSICAL QUANTITY AS SOUND PRESSURE. HUMAN
HEARING IS DIRECTLY SENSITIVE TO SOUND PRESSURE WHICH IS RELATED TO SOUND
INTENSITY. IN CONSUMER AUDIO ELECTRONICS, THE LEVEL DIFFERENCES ARE CALLED
"INTENSITY" DIFFERENCES, BUT SOUND INTENSITY IS A SPECIFICALLY DEFINED QUANTITY
AND CANNOT BE SENSED BY A SIMPLE MICROPHONE.
•WAVELENGTH- THE MINIMUM DISTANCE IN WHICH A SOUND WAVE REPEATS ITSELF IS
CALLED ITS WAVELENGTH. THAT IS IT IS THE LENGTH OF ONE COMPLETE WAVE. IT IS
DENOTED BY A GREEK LETTER Λ (LAMBDA). WE KNOW THAT IN A SOUND WAVE, THE
COMBINED LENGTH OF A COMPRESSION AND AN ADJACENT RAREFACTION IS CALLED ITS
WAVELENGTH. ALSO, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CENTRES OF TWO CONSECUTIVE
COMPRESSIONS OR TWO CONSECUTIVE RAREFACTIONS IS EQUAL TO ITS WAVELENGTH

•AMPLITUDE- WHEN A WAVE PASSES THROUGH A MEDIUM, THE PARTICLES OF THE

MEDIUM GET DISPLACED TEMPORARILY FROM THEIR ORIGINAL UNDISTURBED POSITIONS.
THE MAXIMUM DISPLACEMENT OF THE PARTICLES OF THE MEDIUM FROM THEIR ORIGINAL
UNDISTURBED POSITIONS, WHEN A WAVE PASSES THROUGH THE MEDIUM IS CALLED
AMPLITUDE OF THE WAVE. IN FACT THE AMPLITUDE IS USED TO DESCRIBE THE SIZE OF
THE WAVE. THE S.I UNIT OF MEASUREMENT OF AMPLITUDE IS METRE (M) THOUGH
SOMETIMES IT IS ALSO MEASURED IN CENTIMETRES.

•TIME PERIOD- THE TIME REQUIRED TO PRODUAMPLITUDE- WHEN A WAVE PASSES

THROUGH A MEDIUM, THE PARTICLES OF THE MEDIUM GET DISPLACED TEMPORARILY
FROM THEIR ORIGINAL UNDISTURBED POSITIONS. THE MAXIMUM DISPLACEMENT OF THE
PARTICLES OF THE MEDIUM FROM THEIR ORIGINAL UNDISTURBED POSITIONS, WHEN A
WAVE PASSES THROUGH THE MEDIUM IS CALLED AMPLITUDE OF THE WAVE. IN FACT THE
AMPLITUDE IS USED TO DESCRIBE THE SIZE OF THE WAVE. THE S.I UNIT OF
MEASUREMENT OF AMPLITUDE IS METRE (M) THOUGH SOMETIMES IT IS ALSO MEASURED
IN CENTIMETRES.
•CE ONE COMPLETE WAVE OR CYCLE OR CYCLE IS CALLED TIME-PERIOD OF THE WAVE.
NOW, ONE COMPLETE WAVE IS PRODUCED BY ONE FULL VIBRATION OF THE VIBRATING
BODY. SO, WE CAN SAY THAT THE TIME TAKEN TO COMPLETE ONE VIBRATION IS KNOWN AS
TIME-PERIOD. IT IS DENOTED BY LETTER T. THE UNIT OF MEASUREMENT OF TIME-PERIOD
IS SECOND (S).

•VELOCITY-THE DISTANCE TRAVELLED BY A WAVE IN ONE SECOND IS CALLED VELOCITY OF

THE WAVE OR SPEED OF THE WAVE. IT IS REPRESENTED BY THE LETTER V. THE S.I UNIT
FOR MEASURING THE VELOCITY IS METRES PER SECOND (M/S OR MS-1).
BEHAVIOR OF SOUND IN CLOSED SPACE:
SHAPE, DIMENSIONS, CONSTRUCTION, AND CONTENTS OF ANY ROOM WILL DETERMINE
HOW SOUND IS TRANSMITTED, REFLECTED AND ABSORBED. THE WAY IN WHICH SOUND
BEHAVES IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE DEPENDS ON THE FOLLOWING FACTORS:
•ATTENUATION DUE TO DISTANCE.
•AUDIENCE ABSORPTION OF DIRECT SOUND.
•SURFACE ABSORPTION OF DIRECT AND REFLECTED SOUND.
•REFLECTION FROM RE-ENTRANT ANGLE - SOUND ENTERING RIGHT-ANGLED CORNER OF
ROOM WILL BE REFLECTED BACK TOWARDS SOURCE IF SURFACES ARE ACOUSTICALLY
REFLECTIVE. THIS CAN PRODUCE ECHOES IN LARGE SPACES.
•DISPERSION OF MODELED SURFACE - REFLECTIONS CAN BE REDUCED BY MAKING ONE
SURFACE
•DISPERSIVE I.E. NOT AT A RIGHT ANGLE.
•EDGE DIFFRACTION - EDGE DIFFRACTION RESULTS IN THE CURVATURE OF PART OF A
SOUND WAVE AROUND THE EDGE OF A BARRIER.
•SOUND SHADOW - ANY BARRIER INTERRUPTING A SOUND WAVE WILL CREATE A SHADOW
(LIGHT). HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF EDGE DIFFRACTION SOME SOUND WILL CREEP INTO THIS
BUT SUCH PENETRATION IS FREQUENCY DEPENDENT - HIGH FREQUENCIES ARE LESS
DIFFRACTED THAN LOW FREQUENCIES. SUCH PROBLEMS CAN OCCUR IN AUDITORIUM WITH
BALCONIES.
•PRIMARY REFLECTION - ANGLE OF INCIDENCE = ANGLE OF REFLECTION, PLUS NATURE OF
SOUND REFLECTOR IS IMPORTANT.
•PANEL RESONANCE - SOUND WAVES CAN PROPAGATE "THROUGH" A SOLID MATERIAL BY
PANEL VIBRATION. THE SOUND DOES NOT ACTUALLY PENETRATE THE MATERIAL BUT
RATHER CAUSES THIS TO VIBRATE AND ACT AS A SOUND SOURCE ITSELF. THE PANEL WILL
BE VIBRATED BY BOTH DIRECT AND REFLECTED SOUND WAVES.
FACTORS AFFECT SOUND TRANSMISSION:
1. INCREASED WEIGHT PER UNIT AREA OF PANEL DECREASES SOUND TRANSMISSION
2. 2. INCREASED FREQUENCY OF INCIDENT SOUND DECREASES SOUND TRANSMISSION.
APART FROM JUST MASS OF THE PANEL OTHER FACTORS CAN AFFECT SOUND
TRANSMISSION:
•PANEL STIFFNESS - AT VERY LOW FREQUENCIES THE STIFFNESS (I.E. RESISTANCE TO
DEFORMATION) MAY HAVE MORE EFFECT THAN ITS WEIGHT. IN THIS PART OF THE
FREQUENCY RANGE INSULATION IS TERMED STIFFNESS CONTROLLED.
•RIGID PANELS - IF A RIGID PANEL IS STRUCK IT WILL CONTINUE TO VIBRATE AT
FREQUENCIES DETERMINED BY ITS SIZE, SHAPE, AND THICKNESS - THIS IS ITS "NATURAL
FREQUENCY" (NATURAL MODE OF VIBRATION).
ALL SUBSEQUENT FREQUENCIES WHICH PRODUCE SUCH VIBRATION ARE
CALLED RESONANT FREQUENCIES AND SOUND INSULATION WILL BE REDUCED. THIS IS
TERMED RESONANCE CONTROLLED INSULATION.
•COINCIDENT SOUND - NOT ALL SOUND STRIKING A PANEL WILL STRIKE THIS AT RIGHT
ANGLES BUT SOME WILL STRIKE THIS OBLIQUELY AND THESE WILL PRODUCE A FORCED
MOTION IN THE PANEL (THE TRACE WAVELENGTH). WHEN THE BENDING WAVELENGTH OF
THE PANEL IS EQUAL TO THE TRACE WAVELENGTH THEN TRANSMISSION INCREASES AND
INSULATION IS DECREASED. IN THIS FREQUENCY REGION SOUND TRANSMISSION IS SAID TO
BE COINCIDENCE CONTROLLED
•INTER-REFLECTION, STANDING WAVES AND REVERBERATION - STANDING WAVES ARE
STATIONARY FLUCTUATIONS IN PRESSURE DUE TO THE SUPERPOSITION OF SOUND WAVES
MOVING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
•SOUND TRANSMISSION

On encountering barriers posed by the enclosure, sound waves are

likely to behave in the following ways:
• Reflection
• Absorption
• Refraction
• Diffusion
• Diffraction
• Transmission
Reflection :
This occurs when the wavelength of a sound wave
is smaller than the surface of an obstacle. In the
case of an enclosed space, the sound waves hit
every side of the enclosure continuously until the
sound energy reduces to zero. The amount of
waves reflected depends on the smoothness, size,
and softness of the materials of enclosure. The
angle of incidence of sound rays is equal to that of
the reflected rays only if the surface of the reflector
is flat. But when it is curved, the angles are
different.

ABSORBTION”:
When sound waves hit the surface of an obstacle, some of its energy is reflected while some are lost through its transfer
to the molecules of the barrier. The lost sound energy is said to have been absorbed by the barrier. The thickness and
nature of the material as regards its softness and hardness influences the amount of sound energy absorbed.

REFRACTION:
This is the bending of sound when it travels from one medium into another medium. The difference in the composition
of the two different media bends the sound i.e. the angle of incidence changes into an angle of refraction as it travels
into the new medium.

Diffusion:
This is the scattering of waves from a surface. It occurs as a result of the texture and hardness of the obstacle is
comparable to the wavelength of the sound. The direction of the incident ray changes when it strikes the surface of the
obstacle. Satisfaction is achieved when sound is heard in all direction at equal level
 DIFFRACTION:
When the wavelength of a sound wave is smaller or equal to the size of the obstacle, the sound rays tend to bend
round the edge of the obstacle thereby turning the edge to a sound source.

Transmission :
:In this phenomenon, sound wave is carried by molecules of the obstacle through vibration and reemitted at the other
side irrespective of the medium. It can be structure borne, air borne or impact sound.

•DISPERSION- ACOUSTIC DISPERSION- IS THE PHENOMENON OF A SOUND

WAVE SEPARATING INTO ITS COMPONENT FREQUENCIES AS IT PASSES THROUGH A
MATERIAL. THE PHASE VELOCITY OF THESOUND WAVE IS VIEWED AS A FUNCTION OF
FREQUENCY.

REVERBERATION- THIS IS THE PERSISTENCE OF SOUND IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE AS A

RESULT OF CONTINUOUS REFLECTION OR SCATTERING OF SOUND AFTER THE SOURCE HAS
STOPPED. IT IS ONE THE MOST PROMINENT BEHAVIOURS OF SOUND IN AN ENCLOSURE. IT
OCCURS WHEN SOUND WAVES HITS A SURFACE AND ARE REFLECTED TOWARD ANOTHER
SURFACE WHICH ALSO REFLECTS IT. SOME OF THE SOUND IS ABSORBED WITH THIS
CONTINUOUS REFLECTION WHICH GRADUALLY REDUCES THE ENERGY OF THE SOUND TO
ZERO. THE PHENOMENON CAN AFFECT THE AUDIBILITY OF SOUND IN AN ENCLOSURE,
ESPECIALLY IF THE REVERBERATION TIME, WHICH IS THE TIME TAKEN FOR THE
•ECHO- THIS OCCURS WHEN THE REVERBERATION TIME IS LONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE A
DISTINCT REPETITION OF THE DIRECT SOUND. THIS CONDITION IS AN ADVANCED FORM OF
REVERBERATION WHERE THE SOUND IS HEARD CLEARLY AND REPEATEDLY AFTER SOME
TIME UNTIL IT FADES

Acoustically treating a room is necessary in audio production due to the fact that very few “spaces” have the physical
qualities that make for accurate monitoring or desired recording. There are many things that can be done to a space
before and during construction to optimize its acoustic behaviour. These include the shape of the space, its isolation,
and the surface materials. Once a room is already constructed, Acoustic Treatment mostly tends to consist of treating
the surfaces. There are two primary elements to consider: absorption and diffusion. Acoustic foam is well suited to
alleviate slap and flutter echo, the two most common problems in rooms not specifically designed for music recording
and performance. In fact, foam can turn even the most cavernous warehouse or gymnasium into a suitable acoustic
environment. Diffusion keeps sound waves from grouping, so there are no hot spots or nulls in a room. In conjunction
with absorption, diffusion can effectively turn virtually any space into one that is appropriate and useful for the
purpose of recording or monitoring sound with a high degree of accuracy.