SOUND

ITS BEHAVIOUR

PRESENTED BY:-

SUBHRANSHU PANDA SUKRUTI PHATAK T. PRATIMA RUCHI SHARDUL PUSHPENDRA SAHU AVINASH PATRA RASHMI SAI SARANSH SHRIVASTAVA

A BRIEF ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF SOUND

We'll be taking a look at the way sound behaves when it interacts with obstacles on its path. Generally the nature of these interactions depend as much on the material the obstacle and its dimensions as the sound frequency content does. The behaviors we'll be looking at mostly relate to waves in general but we'll concentrate on sound waves. These are: Reflection Diffraction Refraction Absorption Transmission Echo Reverberation Resonance Insulation

Reflection
A wave hitting a flat surface with an incidence angle of (between the normal to the surface and the direction of the wave) is reflected at a reflection angle of degrees. In the figure we observe an example of a flat surface and then a concave surface in which all the reflected rays converge in the focus point of the curved surface.

Dependency on the shape & form

Concave surfaces are avoided in acoustics as they tend to focus sound in a precise point creating bad sound distribution. However they are used for the construction of directional microphones, as they allow signals (very weak ones too) to be picked up. While, convex surfaces diffuse sound and are thus greatly used to improve the acoustics of environments. When a wave reflects off a convex surface, the reflected wave's virtual extension passes through the surface's focus point.

Reflections inside a room When a sound gets diffused in a room, it reaches the listener in different ways. The first signal that reaches the listener is the strongest one and is the direct one, in other words, the signal that has taken the shortest route between the source of the sound and the listener. After the direct signal, arrive the signals that have undergone one reflection only, and that have therefore a smaller amplitude compared to the direct signal.

 This is because of the loss of energy that occurs with reflection. We call these signals early reflections ("precocious sound"). After a further delay come all the signals that have undergone more than one reflection, with an amplitude that is yet inferior to the early reflections. These are called reverb cluster, taking their name from the fact that they are not considered individually but as a single body. The figure below shows us the distribution of these signals in time, and their amplitudes

REFRACTION

Refraction
This term refers to the phenomenon by which a wave that crosses two media of different densities changes direction as it passes from one to the other. This behavior is easily explainable if we recall what we said about the speed of sound in media of different densities. We know that sound travels faster in denser media. Walls have a greater density than air and therefore wave fronts that begin to penetrate the wall are faster than those that are still outside it. So, as it enters the wall the very same wave front has a faster part (the one already inside the wall) and a slower part (the one still outside the wall). When the whole wave front has fully penetrated the wall, its direction has changed angle. Exiting the wall the same phenomenon occurs but inversely, and the wave returns to its original direction.

Open-air refraction In the morning the upper layer (cold air) has a greater density compared to the lower layer (warm air) and so sound tends to move upwards . In the evening we have the opposite situation and the denser layer (cold air) becomes the inferior one. This causes sound to move downwards. This has to be taken into careful consideration when organizing an open-air concert [Live sound ] seeing that the long setup process takes place many hours before the concert begins and therefore the atmospheric conditions will inevitably change by the time it starts.

DIFFRACTION

Diffraction
The best and the most direct way to describe this phenomenon is to say that it takes place when a sound circumvents an obstacle. This greatly depends upon frequency content seeing that sounds with a great wavelength (and thus a low frequency) easily override obstacles that are smaller than the sound's wavelength. This is one of the reasons why the first frequencies to be attenuated are the high ones whilst low ones are diffused over far longer distances.

ABSORPTION

Absorption
Absorption can be described as the conversion of acoustic energy into thermal energy by a surface. In other words, when a sound comes across an obstacle, it transfers energy to it which is then dissipated as heat. Generally speaking these four phenomena are all present when sound meets an obstacle. The following figure illustrates a typical situation:

 Reflection, diffusion, refraction and absorption together

TRANMISSON

Transmission
Acoustic transmission in building design refers to a number of processes by which sound can be transferred from one part of a building to another. Typically these are:

AIRBORNE TRANSMISSION IMPACT TRANSMISSION FLANKING TRANSMISSION

 Airborne transmission - a noise source in one room sends air pressure waves which induce vibration to one side of a wall or element of structure setting it moving such that the other face of the wall vibrates in an adjacent room. Structural isolation therefore becomes an important consideration in the acoustic design of buildings. Highly sensitive areas of buildings, for example recording studios, may be almost entirely isolated from the rest of a structure. Air tightness also becomes an important control technique. A tightly sealed door might have reasonable sound reduction properties, but if it is left open only a few millimeters its effectiveness is reduced to practically nothing. The most important acoustic control method is adding mass into the structure, such as a heavy dividing wall, which will usually reduce airborne sound transmission better than a light one.

 Impact transmission - a noise source in one room results from an impact of an object onto a separating surface, such as a floor and transmits the sound to an adjacent room. A typical example would be the sound of footsteps in a room being heard in a room below. Acoustic control measures usually include attempts to isolate the source of the impact, or cushioning it. For example carpets will perform significantly better than hard floors.

 Flanking transmission - a more complex form of noise transmission, where the resultant vibrations from a noise source are transmitted to other rooms of the building usually by elements of structure within the building. For example, in a steel framed building, once the frame itself is set into motion the effective transmission can be pronounced.

SECTION

PLAN

Sound Transmission Coefficient

(a) Sound transmission coefficient (T): It is the ratio which the sound energy of a given frequency transmitted through a surface to that incident on it. (b) Sound Reduction Index (SRI):

For composite partitions of n nos. of surface parts, the average transmission coefficient TAV can be found from the following equation:

where Ti = transmission coefficients of the ith part Ai = area of the ith part A = total area of partition =

Transmission of Sound across Medium Boundaries

When an acoustic wave travelling in one medium encounters the boundary of a second medium, reflected and transmitted waves are generated. For example, when sound strikes upon a solid partition, part is reflected, part absorbed within the material, and part transmitted to the other side or to elsewhere in the building.

Distribution of Energy from Air-borne Sound Striking a Partition The ratios of the pressure amplitudes and intensities of the reflected and transmitted waves to those of the incident waves depend on the following factors: (a) In angle of incidence, q , (b) The densities of the two media, and (c) The speeds of sound in the two media. The sound transmission properties of a single leaf solid partition can be divided into three distinct regions

Coincidence Effect
coincidence effect has the following characteristics. (i) The problem is not confined to a single frequency. (ii) The lowest frequency that the problem occurs is when the velocity of the bending wave equals the velocity of sound in air. This is called the critical frequency and the sound wave is at 0 angle of incidence. (iii) Above the critical frequency, transmission is dominated by coincidence.

ECHO

Echo
An echo is a reflection of sound, arriving at the listener some time after the direct sound. Typical examples are the echo produced by the bottom of a well, by a building, or by the walls of an enclosed room. A true echo is a single reflection of the sound wave. The strength of an echo is measured in dB . Echoes may be desirable (as in sonar) or undesirable (as in telephone systems).

REVERBERATION

Reverberation
If so many reflections arrive at a listener that they are unable to distinguish between them, the proper term is reverberation. An echo can be explained as a wave that has been reflected by a discontinuity in the propagation medium, and returns with sufficient magnitude and delay to be perceived. When dealing with audible frequencies, the human ear cannot distinguish an echo from the original sound if the delay is less than 1/10 of a second. Thus, since the velocity of sound is approximately 343 m/s at a normal room temperature of about 20C. Sound travels approximately 343 meters/s (1100 ft/s). the sound takes half the time to get to the object and half the time to return. The distance for an object with a 2-second echo return would be 1 sec X 343 meters/s .In most situations with human hearing, echoes are about one-half second or about half this distance, since sounds grow fainter with distance.

ECHO Vs REVERBERATION Both echo and reverberation is different thing. Or we can say that reverberation is need while echo doesn't.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
ECHO

Sound is a mechanical wave which travels through a medium from one location to another. This motion through a medium occurs as one particle of the medium interacts with its neighboring particle, transmitting the mechanical motion and corresponding energy to it. This transport of mechanical energy through a medium by particle interaction is what makes a sound wave a mechanical wave.

As a sound wave reaches the end of its medium, it undergoes certain characteristic behaviors. Whether the end of the medium is of wall or canyon cliff, there is likely to be some transmission/refraction, reflection and/or diffraction occurring. Reflection of sound waves off of barriers result in some observable behaviors which you have likely experienced. If you have ever been inside of a large canyon, you have likely observed an echo resulting from the reflection of sound waves off the canyon walls. Suppose you are in a canyon and you give a holler. Shortly after the holler, you would hear the echo of the holler - a faint sound resembling the original sound. This echo results from the reflection of sound off the distant canyon walls and its ultimate return to your ear. If the canyon wall is more than approximately 17 meters away from where you are standing, then the sound wave will take more than 0.1 seconds to reflect and return to you. Since the perception of a sound usually endures in memory for only 0.1 seconds, there will be a small time delay between the perception of the original sound and the perception of the reflected sound. Thus, we call the perception of the reflected sound wave an echo.

Left: Reflections that reach the ear after 40ms are perceived as a distinct echo (delay). Right: Reflections that reach the ear within 40ms are perceived as richness and warmth (reverberation).

REVERBERATION
A reverberation is quite different than an echo. The distinction between an echo and a reverberation is depicted in the animation at the left. A reverberation is perceived when the reflected sound wave reaches your ear in less than 0.1 second after the original sound wave. Since the original sound wave is still held in memory, there is no time delay between the perception of the reflected sound wave and the original sound wave.

The two sound waves tend to combine as one very prolonged sound wave. If you have ever sung in the shower (and we know that you have), then you have probably experienced a reverberation. The Pavarotti-like sound which you hear is the result of the reflection of the sounds you create combining with the original sounds. Because the shower walls are typically less than 17 meters away, these reflected sound waves combine with your original sound waves to create a prolonged sound - a reverberation.

INSULATION

Sound insulation
Sound insulation is the process of soundproofing an enclosed space, such as a room. This type of insulating activity is usually employed when there is a need to keep sound from filtering into or out of the space. Sound insulation techniques are often used in business settings, as well as in multi-family dwellings like duplexes and apartment buildings. One example of how sound insulation is used is found in a recording studio. In order to prevent background noise from interfering with the recording process, singers and musicians create their vocal and instrumental tracks in a soundproof recording booth. Because the booth prohibits the introduction of sounds from outside the space, there is nothing present to distort or interfere with the quality of the recording. The audio tracks containing vocal performances and the various music tracks are captured exactly as the performers hear them. In living space, sound insulation normally involves the installation of insulation in walls, under floors and above ceilings. This can be especially important in apartment buildings and other structures where people live in close proximity. The inclusion of the insulation between apartments to the side, above, and below helps to ensure all the residents enjoy a measure of peace and quiet, even when others in the building are playing music or having a party.

 It is important to avoid confusion between sound absorption and sound insulation. (a) Sound absorption is the prevention of reflection of sound or alternatively, a reduction in the sound energy reflected by the surfaces of a room. (b) Sound insulation is the prevention of transmission of sound or alternatively, a reduction of sound energy transmitted into an adjoining air space.

 Two types of sound insulation are to be dealt with in building construction, as illustrated in Figure. (a) Airborne Sound Insulation : the insulation against noise originating in air, e.g. voices, music, motor traffic, wind. (b) Impact Sound Insulation : the insulation against noise originating directly on a structure by blows or vibration e.g. footsteps above, furniture being moved, drilling and hammering the structure.

Airborne Sound Insulation by Partition Airborne sound can be transmitted in a receiving room via some or all of the paths (A) to (D) as shown in Figure. It is called thedirect path. All transmission paths other than path (A) are together termed the indirect or flanking transmission. This indirect transmission becomes increasingly important when the insulation requirement of the separating partition is about 35 dB upwards. The ideal material for good sound insulation has a very high mass and low stiffness but some of the most convenient building material have low mass and relatively high stiffness. Impact Sound Insulation Insulation against structure-borne (or impact) noise can be achieved by the use of : (a) Soft floor finish (carpet, cork, vinyl, rubber, etc.), (b) Resiliently suspended solid ceiling, (c) Resilient (anti vibration) mounts, and (d) Floating floor.

Room-to-room insulation
In many cases a continuous suspended ceiling is chosen in order to achieve maximum flexibility. However these constructions will give lower sound insulation compared to constructions where the partitions are allowed to penetrate the suspended ceiling or reach all the way up to the soffit. If partitions do not reach the structural soffit a horizontal transmission path for the sound via the void over the suspended ceiling is created. Therefore, traditional acoustic ceilings often provide insufficient sound insulation. In these cases special acoustic ceiling systems are required which offer additional sound insulating properties.

Laboratory value/site value In practice on site, the room-to-room sound insulation (Rw) can be estimated to be 5-8 dB lower than the lowest value in laboratory for the suspended ceiling and partition respectively. This is due to the fact that interaction between the suspended ceiling and the partition considerably reduces sound insulation. Also flanking transmission might occur and some installation details might not be perfect. Room-to-room sound insulation values Site result will be 5-8 dB lower than laboratory value.

One-way sound insulation

Installations in the void between the structural soffit and the suspended ceiling, such as piping and ductwork systems, can give rise to noise. In such cases, a sound insulating suspended ceiling system can be used to reduce the noise to acceptable levels in the room below. One-way sound insulation values In order to determine the noise level generated by a source in the void, you should ascertain the frequency spectra of the suspended ceiling's sound insulation and the noise source.

Vertical airborne sound insulation

The airborne sound insulation of a floor structure can be improved by means of a suspended ceiling system. Airborne sound insulation may relate to sounds generated in both the room below and the room above. Improvements are always linked to a specific type of floor structure.

Vertical airborne sound insulation values The improvements are linked to a homogenous concrete floor of normal thickness (160-200 mm) and with a plastic carpet.

Impact sound insulation Impact sound insulation relates to the reduction of footstep sound from people walking on a floor structure. It is determined by the impact sound level in the room below. A suspended ceiling system can be used to improve the impact sound insulation and therefore reduce the impact sound level. Improvements are always linked to a specific type of floor structure. Impact sound level values The improvements are linked to a homogenous concrete floor of normal thickness (160-200 mm) and with a plastic carpet.

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