92‐455 Environmental Effects‐Noise 

 
Laboratory # 1 
 
Prepared for 
 
Dr. Colin Novak 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Faisal SIDDIQUI 
Student ID 101963673 
rd
3  year Candidate for BASc. Mechanical Engineering 
Department of Mechanical Automotive and Materials Engineering
 Table of Content

Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 2
Objective ......................................................................................................................................... 2
Part 1A ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Procedure ................................................................................................................................ 3
Test Conditions ....................................................................................................................... 3
Observations and Results........................................................................................................ 4
Answers to Questions ............................................................................................................. 5
Drill Schematics.............................................................................................................................. 8
Part 1B ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Procedure ................................................................................................................................ 9
Test Conditions ....................................................................................................................... 9
Observations and Results...................................................................................................... 10
Questions: ............................................................................................................................. 10
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 12
Part 1A: ..................................................................................................................................... 12
Part 1B: ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Drill Speed: ............................................................................................................................... 13
Appendix....................................................................................................................................... 14

List of Tables

Table 1: Apparatus for Part 1A....................................................................................................... 4

Table 2: Apparatus for Part 1B ....................................................................................................... 9

List of Figures
Figure 1: Pink Noise frequency distribution................................................................................. 14
Figure 2: White noise frequency distribution ............................................................................... 14
Figure 3: Pink Noise frequency distribution for Big Speaker....................................................... 15
Figure 4: Pink Noise frequency distribution Small Speaker......................................................... 15
Figure 5: Frequency distribution for the Drill............................................................................... 16
Introduction
An octave band measures the total acoustical energy within the pass band of a pass filter. For
most engineering applications, the greatest interest lies in the frequency range from 20 to 20,000
Hz. Although it is possible to analyze a source on a frequency by frequency basis, this is both
impractical and time-consuming. For this reason, a scale of octave bands and one-third octave
bands has been developed. Each band covers a specific range of frequencies and excludes all
others. Thus, each octave band covers a frequency range of one octave. The octave band is
referred by its center frequency. The center frequencies of successive filters are separated by one
octave. The width of octave filters progressively increases with frequency. More detail is
sometimes needed to obtain adequate frequency resolution, hence the need for bandwidths finer
than one octave.

The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is another method for calculating the DFT. While it produces
the same result as the other approaches, it is incredibly more efficient, often reducing the
computation time by hundreds. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is a narrow band. It is a
discrete Fourier transform algorithm which reduces the number of computations needed for

N points from 2N 2 to 2 NLg N , where Lg is the base-2 logarithm.

The choice of filter bandwidth depends on the nature of the measured noise; i.e. is it broadband
or does it have significant pure tones which you want to identify? Closely spaced pure tones will
not be discovered by a wide bandwidth analysis.

Objective
The objective is to measure the frequency response of physical systems using one octave and
FFT analysis. Also, to relate the measured frequency response to the physical characteristics of
the source and to become familiar with the procedure of noise level measurement.

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Part 1A

¾ Perform one octave and FFT measurements of random white noise and random pink
noise signals directly inputted into the analyzer.
¾ Measure the frequency response of a small and large speaker for comparisons using pink
noise.

Procedure

1. The noise source was connected and the analyzer is connected to the computer.
2. Random pink noise was fed for FFT and one octave measurement. It was recorded (and
saved for ten seconds).
3. After that random white noise was fed for FFT and one octave measurement.
4. It was recorded (and saved for ten seconds).
5. Then the noise source was connected to the big speaker.
6. Microphone was situated 1 meter away from the speaker. The output from the speaker
was picked by the microphone.
7. The microphone was fed to a preamplifier which was connected to the analyzer, and the
analyzer was connected to the computer system.
8. Random pink noise was fed for FFT and one octave measurement. It was recorded (and
saved for ten seconds).
9. Eventually, the procedures 4, 5, 6 and 7 were repeated for the small speaker.

Test Conditions

Noise Source: White and Pink Noise

Microphone Location: 1 meter from speaker face along centre axis
Test Location: Lecture Room
Equipment: The table below

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Table 1: Apparatus for Part 1A
Instrument Manufacturer Model Serial Number
FFT Analyser 01 dB Orchestra UA 00011
Software 01 dB dBRTA/dBFA N/A
Microphone G.R.A.S 4OAF 42713
Preamplifier G.R.A.S 26AK 44431
Misc, Cable N/A N/A N/A
Audio amplifier Peavey MP400 S0530227
Noise Source 01 dB Orchestra UA 00011
Large Speaker Peavey PRIO E0140441
Small Speaker Chrysler Infinity 6593 36670

Observations and Results

The following observations were made when FFT and one octave measurement of the white and
noise signals were recorded and saved:

1. The pink noise spectrum graph (Part A) shows that the noise spectrum has equal powers
over equal frequency ranges in a log scale.
2. The white noise spectrum graph (Part A) shows that the Sound Pressure Level shows and
increment of 3 dB for every one octave band.
3. In both cases, the one octave results are larger than the FFT results.

The following briefly defined terms help reflect upon the facts as to why the sound pressure level
for the white noise has shown an increment of 3dB, and also why the pink noise spectrum
displays equal powers over equal frequency range.
Octave band: It is characterized by the following relation:

If f n is the lower cutoff frequency and f n +1 is the upper cutoff frequency, the ratio of band limits
is given by:
f n +1
= 2k
fn

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 1
where k = 1 for full octave bands and k = 3 for one-third octave bands.

An octave has a centre frequency that is 2 times the lower cutoff frequency and has an upper
cutoff frequency that is twice the lower cutoff frequency. Therefore,
fo where
f1 =
2 f1 = Lower cutoff frequency
f2 = 2 fo f 2 = Upper cutoff frequency
f 2 = 2 f1 f o = Centre frequency
bw = f 2 − f1 bw = Band width

FFT: It is the Fast Fourier Transform (see Introduction). In contrast to octave band, its bands are
segmented to equal width.
White Noise: It is known of having same power over frequency ranges of equal width. So the
band level increases by 3 dB with every octave. That is for a double in frequency, the sound
10 log ( 2 ) = 3dB
pressure level shows an increment of .

Pink Noise: On linear scale, it decreases in amplitude as frequency. This is the reason that it
produces constant amplitude across every octave bands.

Observation Made For Two Speakers’ Response:

From the observation of frequency response of the large speaker it is found that the spectrum
contains high frequency components and the frequency response of the small speaker show that
the spectrum contains the low frequency components.

Answers to Questions

1. White noise, as mentioned previously, is characterized by having equal power over

frequency ranges of equal width (on a linear scale); therefore, its SPL increases by 3dB
for each successive octave band. The pink noise, on the other hand, decreases in
amplitude as frequency increases (on linear scale) in just the right amount (-3dB/octave)

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 to compensate for the increasing widths of the octave filters; therefore, it yields constant
amplitude across all octave bands.

The term white noise derives its name since it is analogous to white light in that it
contains all audible frequencies distributed uniformly throughout the spectrum. For white
noise, passing white light through a prism (a form of filter) breaks it down into a range of
colors. Examination shows that red light is characterized by the longer wavelengths of
light. i.e., light in the lower frequency region. Similarly, pink noise has higher energy in
the low frequencies; hence the pink noise is analogues to red light.

th
2. As compared to the one octave band, the i band of the FFT is narrower in frequency

range. Therefore, if Δf1 is the i band of the FFT, and if Δf 2 is the i band of the one
th th

octave, where Δf1 < Δf 2 , then

⎛ Δf ⎞
SPL2 = SPL1 + 10 log10 ⎜ 2 ⎟ ⇒ SPL2 > SPL1
⎝ Δf1 ⎠
Hence, the FFT results are lower than the one octave results.

3. Human ears tend to perceive frequency ranges in a logarithmic manner and almost all
professional frequency analyzers have logarithmic frequency bands. Since pink noise has
an even distribution of power if the frequency is mapped in a logarithmic scale, it closely
matches the spectrum of sound that we hear in our everyday world. Due to its flat
response, pink noise is used extensively for testing and it is easier to compare results
visually. Pink Noise is calibrated to how we hear. Each time the frequency doubles we
hear that as an octave. From one octave to the next we expect to hear an appropriate
amount of sound energy, which is why we calibrate our audio systems to pink noise and
why pink noise is used instead of white noise for observing frequency response.

4. After inspecting the graph for Part B (Pink Noise — Large Speaker and Small Speaker),
we can deduce that the larger speaker can accommodate a wide frequency range while

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 operating at a relatively high sound pressure level; therefore, it could be best used for
theatre. Big speaker is useful for producing high sound pressure level at frequencies
between 100 Hz to 1 kHz. The smaller speaker, on the other hand, produces less sound
power and hence lower sound pressure level. Small speaker is useful for producing high
sound pressure level at frequencies between 500 Hz to 4 kHz.

5. Again referring to the graph (Part B: Pink Noise — Large Speaker and Small Speaker),
the smaller speaker is best suited for audio signals that fall in 500 Hz to 4 kHz frequency
range and places where relatively lower sound pressure level required. This is evident by
the relatively lower sound pressure level characteristics; in general and high sound
pressure level at 500 Hz to 4 kHz frequency responses for the small speaker.

The larger speaker is best suited for signals which use a frequency range of roughly100
Hz to 1 kHz. It is also good to block those audio signals that fall in the low frequency
region (16 Hz to 100 Hz). The dB values for those different frequency ranges, shown by
the frequency response of the larger speaker, assert this fact.

6. During the two speaker measurements, in order to have a reliable measurement, their
sound power needs to be the same as that in free field. But the change in acoustic
impedance between the room used for testing and free field introduced difference in
power source (due to the refection by the boundaries of the room). The boundaries of the
room-such as walls, floors, ceilings, stairs , the room absorption constant, the temperature
and humidity of the air affect the measurement of sound power. Therefore, a correction
factor is needed in order to account for the above mentioned factors.

The other problem is the precise reading of data from the spectrum due to sound
reverberation. From the graph, we can deduce a general trend, but finding an exact value
is very difficult due to this sound reverberation.

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Drill Schematics

8
Part 1B

¾ Perform one octave and FFT measurements for a power hand drill.
¾ Measure the frequency response of the drill and quantify the physical characteristic of the
source.

Procedure

1. The power drill was held at 1 meter away from the microphone.
2. The microphone was connected to a preamplifier which was connected to the analyzer.
The analyzer was connected to the computer.
3. The drill was run for ten seconds for FFT and one octave measurement.
4. The rpm of the drill was measured by the professor using the hand held meter for
comparison purpose.

Test Conditions

Noise Source: D21009 Hand Drill

Microphone Location:1 meter from the drill housing
Test Location: Lecture Room
Equipment: See table below

Table 2: Apparatus for Part 1B

Instrument Manufacturer Model Serial Number
FFT Analyser 01 dB Orchestra UA 00011
Software 01 dB dBRTA / dBFA N/A
Microphone G.R.A.S 4OAF 42713
Preamplifier G.R.A.S 26AK 44431
Misc. Cable N/A N/A N/A
Hand Drill DeWalt D21009 973778

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Observations and Results

After recording and saving the FFT and one octave measurements of the power drill, the
following observations were made:

1. From the frequency response of the drill (the FFT part), the fundamental frequency of the
mesh (Mesh frequency is the rate at which tooth pairs contact as they pass through mesh,
expressed in Hz) can be estimated. From that we can be able to calculate the fundamental
frequency of the gears, which in turn we can calculate the rpm of the armature (frequency
of the fan) and the rpm of the drill.
2. The frequency response (FFT part) also gives us a rough indication of how smooth the
parts rotate; since, the smoothness of the contact surfaces of the rotating parts can be
deduced by the spikes they produce on the frequency response curve.
3. While taking the rpm measurement of the drill using the hand held meter, the professor
directed a laser beam on to the reflective part of the drill.

Questions:

1. Comparison of one octave measurements and FFT results:

The magnitude of the normal spectrum (FFT) measures the amplitudes within equally
divided frequency bins. Octave analysis, however, computes the spectral amplitude in
logarithmic frequency bands whose widths are proportional to their center frequencies.
Therefore, one octave analysis measures spectral power closer to the way people perceive
sound: in octaves. That is, our hearing primarily perceives frequency in a logarithmic
manner.

2. Frequency Response Peaks/Measurement of rpm of hand drill:

From the Drill Schematics, we see that the drill is characterized by two gears and a fan and
each of these parts influence the drills vibration and frequencies. The spectrum for this
particular drill shows that the gears teeth produce harmonic frequencies (as it is apparent by
the observed spikes at different frequencies); the harmonics are not exactly periodic, which
in turn indicates the wear of the gears.

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 From the frequency response (we need to use the FFT, since it shows the fundamental
frequencies and the harmonics), we can estimate the fundamental frequency of the motor to
be about 2000 Hz.
And since the motor fan and helical gear are part of the same structure the whole structure is
also moving with the same speed i.e. about 2000Hz. There may be slight variation in speed
between the motor, fan and the helical gear. And therefore we can see multiple spikes near
2000Hz on the plot for drill results. They have different sound pressure levels due to
different parts make noise of different magnitudes.

Also from the gear relations we can see that since the 4 teeth helical gear is connected to a
45 teeth gear the 45 teeth gear will have a frequency as follows:
N hellical gear 4
f 45 teeth gear = f hellical gear = × 2000 = 177 Hz
N 45 teeth gear 45

Where,
f 45 teeth gear = Frequency of gear with 45 teeth
N hellical gear = Number of teeth of the hellical gear
N 45 teeth gear = Number of teeth of the 45 teeth gear
f hellical gear = Frequency of hellical gear

The frequency of the drill chuck would be the same as 45 teeth gear with some variation due
to ware of the structure. This is the reason we can see multiple spikes near 177Hz frequency.
Thus the rpm of the gear chuck would be as follows:

60 60
rpmgear chuck = × f 45 teeth gear = × 177 ≅ 1700rpm
2π 2π
Where,
rpmgear chuck = Speed of the gear chuck in rpm
f 45 teeth gear = Frequency of gear with 45 teeth

Comparing the calculated frequencies and the observed frequencies from the FFT:

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 a) The spike around the 2000Hz corresponds to that of the mesh.
b) Another spike around the 2000Hz corresponds to that of the helical gear – 4 teeth.
c) Another spike around the 2000Hz corresponds to that of the fan.
d) The peak for the fan occurs around 3000Hz.
e) The four distinct spikes in the higher frequency range correspond to the four gears. In the
higher frequency range, the numerous spikes account for the 40 fan blades, the two
brushes, and the commutator.
f) The numerous spikes in the lower frequency range are due to ware of the structure near
the drill chuck or the 45 gear teeth.

3. Problems with the procedure/Suggestions:

Similar to the speaker measurements, the power drill measurements also introduce error due
to the boundaries of the room; hence a correction factor is needed in order to account for the
reflected sound.

The drill produces two fundamental frequencies-one by the rotation of the drill chuck and
another by the rotation of the motor armature. Therefore, the relative position of the
microphone that picks the different sound pressures plays a vital role. Hence, for a more
precise value, different measurements for different positions of the microphone might be
needed.

The other problem is the precise reading of data from the spectrum. From the graph, it is
difficult to get an exact value.

Conclusion

Part 1A:
After performing the one octave and FFT measurements, the frequency spectrum shows that

12
white noise is characterized by having equal power over frequency ranges of equal width (on a
linear scale), its SPL shows an increment by 3dB for each octave band. The pink noise yields
th
constant amplitude across all octave bands. As the i band of the FFT is much narrower than that
of the one octave band, the one octave results are greater than those of FFT.
Pink noise is used for observing the speaker frequency response because it nearly resembles the
spectrum of sound that we hear in our everyday life. From the frequency response, the larger
speaker uses a wide frequency range at a relatively high frequency area. Eventually, it could be
best suited for use in theatres and open halls. The smaller speaker uses the low frequency part
and is best suited for louder media.
The speaker measurements would be more reliable, if a correction factor is added in order to
account the effect of the room boundaries. From the spectrum graph, we can deduce a general
trend, but finding an exact value is very difficult.

Part 1B:
The FFT measures the spectral amplitudes in a linear frequency range. On the other hand, octave
analysis measures the spectral amplitude in logarithmic frequency bands. So one octave analysis
measures spectral power closer to the way people perceive sound. The spectrum shows the teeth
of gears in this particular drill don’t transmit load as smoothly either (as it is apparent by the
observed spikes at different frequencies), and hence create distinct sounds at distinct frequencies.
It also shows that the harmonics are not exactly periodic (that is they are not an exact integral
multiple of the fundamental frequency), which indicates the wear of the gears.
Similar to the speaker measurements, the power drill measurements also introduce error due to
the boundaries of the room; hence a correction factor is needed in order to account for the
reflected sound. For a more precise value, different measurements for different positions of the
microphone might be needed.

Drill Speed:
From the frequency response and the results of our calculation, we can estimate the rpm of the
drill to be about 1700rpm.

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Appendix

Figure 1: Pink Noise frequency distribution

Figure 2: White noise frequency distribution

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Figure 3: Pink Noise frequency distribution for Big Speaker

Figure 4: Pink Noise frequency distribution Small Speaker

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Figure 5: Frequency distribution for the Drill

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