ARCHITECTURAL
ACOUSTICS
ASSIGNMENT
(DEFINITIONS AND ACOUSTICAL DESIGN OF ROOMS)
G. AKSHAY KUMAR
17041AA031
QUESTION – 1
Write short notes on any three of the following:
a) Transmission Loss
b) Sound Leaks in Doors
c) Rubber Mounts
d) Acoustic Design of Classroom
a) TRANSMISSION LOSS –
Transmission loss (TL) in general describes the accumulated decrease in
intensity of a waveform energy as a wave propagates outwards from a source,
or as it propagates through a certain area or through a certain type of
structure.
It is a terminology frequently used in optics and acoustics. Measures of
TL are very important in the industry of acoustic devices such as mufflers and
sonars.
Measurement of transmission loss can be in terms of decibels.
Mathematically, transmission loss is measured in dB scale and in general
it can be defined using the following formula:
TL =
where:
▪ is the power of incident wave coming towards a defined area
(or structure);
▪ is the power of transmitted wave going away from the defined
area (or structure).
Applications –
Transmission loss may refer to a more specific concept in one of the
fields below.
▪ Electrical engineering
▪ Duct Acoustics
▪ Room Acoustics
▪ Underwater Acoustics
b) SOUND LEAKS OF DOORS –
Whether residential or commercial, most doors are poor isolators of
airborne sound.
Two main reasons for the poor performance are;
▪ Poor Seals
▪ lack of mass in the door itself
Doors need to be as heavy as possible and airtight. A double-door
assembly will always out perform a single door.
The door, or more accurately the door slab, is often hollow. Fortunately,
most hollow core doors can be exactly replaced with solid core doors. The
difference in mass, yields significant improvements. You will be faced with
different slab core options such as particleboard filled, MDF filled or a mineral
core. It is better to stick with either particleboard or MDF, since mineral core is
more expensive.
c) RUBBER MOUNTS –
Rubber mounts are used mainly in vibration isolation of mechanical
equipment and HVAC applications.
Rubber mounts are economical and easy to install, offering protection
from vibrations and reduce structure-borne noise transmission.
The advantages of these products are the increased vibration isolation
whilst also achieving to fix the machine on to the base/ground which results in
greater reflection.
Rubber Mounts
d) ACOUSTIC DESIGN OF CLASSROOM –
Hearing and understanding are important parts of the learning process.
A noisy classroom can make these tasks difficult. Noise in the classroom is
more than students talking. There are other factors that make it hard to hear
and understand in the classroom.
Acoustics are factors in the room design that may make sounds louder
or softer. Examples include floor rugs, ceiling type, and air ducts. Classroom
acoustics is the term for these issues in schools.
Two things cause poor classroom acoustics: too much background noise
and/or too much reverberation.
When classroom acoustics are poor, it can cause problems with how a
student -
▪ understands speech
▪ reads and spells
▪ behaves in the classroom
▪ pays attention
▪ Concentrates.
A quiet classroom helps teachers and students. It is especially important
to have a quiet room if a student has -
▪ hearing loss in one or both ears
▪ an ear infection or fluid in the ear
▪ a learning disability
▪ auditory processing disorder
▪ speech and language delay
▪ attention problems
Teachers also do better if there are good classroom acoustics. Talking in
a loud classroom strains the teacher’s voice and may lead to voice problems.
It is important to think about background noise and reverberation in any
space used for learning. Some simple ways to make a classroom quieter
include the following:
▪ Place rugs or carpet in the room.
▪ Hang curtains or blinds in the windows.
▪ Hang soft materials such as felt or corkboard on the walls.
▪ Place tables at an angle around the room instead of in rows.
▪ Turn off noisy equipment when it is not in use.
▪ Replace noisy light fixtures.
▪ Show students how hard it can be to hear when many children
talk at the same time.
▪ Place soft tips on the bottom of chairs and tables.
QUESTION – 2
What are the acoustical considerations that needs to be taken in the design
of a seminar hall?
DESIGN OF A SEMINAR HALL –
Factors to be considered in the acoustic design of a seminar hall are:
▪ Volume
▪ Shape
▪ Sound Absorption
▪ Site Selection
▪ Seats and Seating Arrangement
Volume –
The hall should have enough volume and it should be decided while
keeping in view the intensities of sounds likely to be developed in the hall.
Shape –
This is a very important consideration in the acoustic design of an
auditorium and it involves geometrical aspects of the hall. The paths followed
by the reflected sound waves are traced and concentrations of sound waves, if
any, are noted.
The concave walls are not good for acoustic purposes as they tend to
concentrate sound waves. The plain walls are better. But the convex walls are
excellent and arc used to reduce the possibilities of echoes to the minimum
extent.
Sound Absorption –
The adequate absorbing surfaces should be provided in the hall to
control the reverberation.
The careful study of the hall should be made before recommending the
type of absorbent material and its location in the hall.
The surface from which the sound is likely to be reflected should be so
designed as to assist distribution of sound.
The areas likely to cause objectionable sound reflection should be clearly
sorted out for the treatment with sound absorbing material. Such areas
include rear walls, balcony parapet...concave surfaces etc.
The rest of the sound absorbing materials should be properly distributed
on the remaining surfaces of the auditorium.
Site Selection –
There are various considerations for the proper site selection of an
auditorium. But the most important one is the noise pollution.
If the site is not situated in a quiet place, elaborate costly arrangements
will have to be made to have an acoustically good hall.
Seats and Seating Arrangement –
The scats should be staggered sideways in relation to those in front so
that a listener in any row is not looking directly over the head of the person in
front of him.
