ENGINEERING PHYSICS

Lab Book

NAME: Anisha Vijay Devrukhkar

Our goal with the "Acoustics of Buildings" project is to make the spaces we live and work in more
comfortable and enjoyable by focusing on how sound behaves in our environment.

1. Understand the Sound Environment: We want to get to know the unique sound character of our
building-how echoes linger, how well we can hear in different areas, and what background noises
might be bothering us.

2. Find What's Causing Sound Issues: Identify the spots in the building where sound isn't quite right.
Is it too noisy in the office? Do conversations echo too much in the lobby? We want to pinpoint these
issues.

3. Fixing Sound Hiccups: Come up with practical solutions to make things better. This might involve
changing some design elements, adding materials that absorb sound, or adjusting the ventilation
system to reduce unwanted noise.

4. Make Spaces More Enjoyable: Imagine walking into a room, and it just feels right, sound-wise.
That's what we're aiming for-spaces that are not only visually appealing but also sound great,
whether it's a meeting room, a lounge, or a quiet corner for focus.

5. Following the Rules: We'll make sure that all our improvements meet the standards and rules for
building design. It's not just about making things sound good; it's about doing it the right way.

6. Step-by-Step Improvements: We'll plan out how to make these changes without causing too much
disruption. Think of it as a journey, with each step bringing us closer to a more comfortable and
inviting environment.

7. Checking in and Learning: After we make these improvements, we'll check in with the people who
use the spaces. Are they happier with the changes. We'll keep learning and adjusting to make sure
our building sounds as good as it looks. In a nutshell, this project is about turning our building into a
harmonious and welcoming place, where the sounds around us contribute to a positive and
enjoyable experience.

Introduction:

Acoustics is the branch of physics and science that deals with the study of sound, its production,
transmission, and effects. It encompasses a wide range of phenomena related to mechanical
waves in gases, liquids, and solids, including vibration, resonance, and the behavior of sound
waves. The area of study of design of musical instruments is known as musical acoustics; The
technology of sound production and recording as electro acoustics; Use of sound in medical
diagnosis and therapy as bioacoustics; The design of buildings, auditoriums, musical halls, lecture
halls, recording rooms etc. as architectural acoustic. Architectural acoustics deals in general with
the behaviour of sound waves inclosed spaces and their design to give the best sound effects. The
acoustic properties of building were not studied on a scientific basis till about 1900.Buildings
designed to screen movies, stage dramas or for music concerts often lacked the proper acoustic
quality and were found unfit for such activities. The Fogg Art Museum hall in Harvard University,
U.S.A. turned out to be highly defective when it was built. The lectures given in it were not
intelligible audience. Prof. Wallace C. Sabine, Professor of Physics in Harvard University was
entrusted with the responsibility of eliminating the acoustical defects of the hall. Sabine undertook
systematic study of the problem and evolved conditions for a satisfactory acoustic quality a hall.
He found that quite often reverberation was the main cause for a defective quality of the hall.
Addition of absorbent materials at appropriate surface enhances the quality of sound the halls.
Other precautions are to be taken about the shape of walls, ceiling and the hall total acoustic
defects do not arise. Thus, Prof. Sabine laid the foundations of acoustic engineering.

Factors Affecting Acoustic of Building And Their Remedies:

A hall or auditorium designed for lectures or concerts is regarded to have right acoustical quality
when the following conditions prevail in it. (i) The initial sound from the source should be of
adequate intensity. (ii) The sound should be evenly spread over the whole area covered by the
audience. (iii) The successive sounds in the speech or music should be clear and distinct; and the
tonal quality of music is not altered. (iv) All undesired sound should be reduced to the extent that it
will not interfere with the normal hearing or speech. There are several factors that affect the
acoustical quality of a hall. We discuss here common acoustical defects. 1.Reverberation Time: If a
hall is to be acoustically satisfactory, it is essential that it have the right reverberation time. The
reverberation time should be neither too long o short. A very short reverberation time makes a room
'dead'. On the other hand, a reverberation time renders speech unintelligible. The optimum value for
reverberation depends on the purpose for which a hall is designed. A reverberation time of 0.6 sec is
table for speeches and lectures, while a reverberation time of 1 to 2 secs is satisfactory concerts. In
case of theatres the optimum value varies with the volume. For small theatres 15 secs is suitable
whereas for large theatres it may go up to 2.3 secs. Remedies: The reverberation time can be
controlled by the suitable choice of building materials and furnishing materials. If the reverberation
time of a hall is too long, it can be cut down by increasing the absorption or reducing volume and if it
is too short, it can be increased by changing high absorption materials to materials of low absorption
or increasing volume. Since open windows allow the sound energy to flow out of the hall, there
should be a limited number of windows. They may be opened or closed to obtain optimum
reverberation time. Cardboard sheets, perforated sheets, felt, heavy curtains, thick carpets etc are
used to increase wall and floor surface absorption. Therefore, the walls are to be provided with
absorptive materials to the required extent and at suitable places. Heavy fold curtains may be used
to increase the absorption. Covering the floor with carpet also increases the absorption. Audience
also contribute to absorption of sound. The absorption coefficient of an individual is about 0.45
sabins. In order to compensate for an increase in the reverberation time due to an unexpected
decrease in audience strength, upholstered seats are to be provided in the hall. Absorption due to an
upholstered chair is equivalent to that of an individual. In the absence of audience the upholstered
chair absorbs the sound energy and it does not contribute to absorption when it is occupied.
2.Loudness: Sufficient loudness at every point in the hall is an important factor for satisfactory
hearing. Excessive absorption in the hall or lack of reflecting surfaces near the source may lead to
decrease in the loudness of the sound. Remedies: A hard reflecting surface positioned near the
sound source improve the loudness. Polished wooden reflecting boards kept behind the speaker and
sometimes above the speaker will be helpful. Low ceilings are also of help in reflecting the sound
energy towards the audience, Adjusting the absorptive material in the hall will improve the situation.
When the hall is large and audience more, loud speakers are to be installed to obtain the desired
level of loudness. 3.Focussing: Reflecting concave surface causes concentration of reflected sound,
creating a sound of larger intensity at the focal point. These spots are known as sound foci . Such
concentrations of sound intensity at some points lead reflected sound at other points. The spots of
sound deficiency are known as dead spots. The sound intensity will be low at dead spots. and
inadequate hearing. Further, if there are highly reflecting parallel surfaces in the hall, the reflected
and direct sound waves may form standing waves which leads to uneven distribution of sound in the
hall. Remedies: The sound foci and dead spots may be eliminated if curvilinear interiors are avoided.
If such surfaces are present, they should be covered with highly absorptive materials. Suitable sound
diffusers to be installed in the hall to cause even distribution of sound in the hall. A paraboloidal
reflecting surface arranged with the speaker at its focus is helpful directing a uniform reflected beam
of sound in the hall 4. Echoes: When the walls of the hall are parallel, hard, and separated by about li
distance, echoes are formed. Curved smooth surfaces of walls also produce echoes. Remedies: This
defect is avoided by selecting proper shape for the auditorium. Use of splayed side walls instead of
parallel walls greatly reduces the problem and enhance the acoustical quality of the hall. Echoes may
be avoided by covering the opposite walls and high ceiling with absorptive material. 5. Echelon
effect: If a hall has a flight of steps, with equal width, the sound waves reflected from then will
consist of echoes with regular phase difference, These echoes combine to produce a musical note
which will be heard along with the direct sound. This is called echelon effect. It makes the original
sound unintelligible or confusing. Remedies: It may be remedied by having steps of unequal width.
The steps may be covered with proper sound absorbing materials, for example with a carpet. 6.
Resonance: Sound waves are capable of setting physical vibration in surrounding objects, such as
window panes, walls, enclosed air etc. The vibrating objects in turn product sound waves. The
frequency of the forced vibration may match some frequency of the sound produced and hence
results in resonance phenomenon. Due to the resonance, certain tones of the original music may get
reinforced and may result in distortion of the original sound. In a hall the whole air mass vibrates if
sound is continuously produced from a source The vibration of air in turn adds to the resonant
frequencies of the hall depending on is dimensions. If lower modes of resonant frequencies are
excited by the source, the soul distribution in the hall will be erratic. Remedies: The vibrating bodies
may be suitably damped to eliminate resonance due them. In larger halls the resaonance frequence
are quite low hence by selecting larger halls resonance defect can be eliminated. 7. Noise: Noise is
unwanted sound which masks the satisfactory hearing of speech and music. There are mainly three
types of noises that are to be minimized. They are (i) air-borne noise, (ii) structure-borne noise and
(ii) internal noise. Internal noise can be reduced by adding absorbing materials on walls, ceiling etc.
But the other noise for transmitted through the structural links with neighbouring structures. In
these cases, noise attenuation becomes important. Acoustical (absorptive) materials cannot help in
these cases. Acoustical materials only minimize reflection but cannot minimize transmission of
sound. it is therefore, essential that the structural barriers of the building must be such that they
transmit minimum energy. Thus, to increase the transmission loss of sound energy, cavity walls,
compound walls, double-pane window construction, floating floors etc are used. (i) The noise that
comes into building through air from distant sources is called air-borne noise. A part of it directly
enters the hall through the open windows, doors or other openings while another part enters by
transmission through walls and floors. Remedies: The building may be located on quite sites away
from heavy traffic, market places, railway stations, airports etc. They may be shaded from noise by
interposing a buffer zone of trees, gardens etc. (ii) The noise which comes from impact sources on
the structural extents of the building is known as the structure-borne noise. It is directly transmitted
to the building by vibrations in the structure. The common sources of this type of noise are foot-
steps, moving of furniture, operating machinery etc. Remedies: The problem due to machinery and
domestic appliances can be overcome by placing vibration isolators between machines and their
supports. Cavity walls, compound walls may be used to increase the noise transmission loss and keep
the noise in the building at desired level. (iii) Internal noise is the noise produced in a hall or office
etc. They are produced by air conditioners, movement of people etc. Remedies: The walls, floors and
ceilings may be provided with enough sound absorbing materials. The gadgets or machinery should
be placed on sound absorbent material.