Acoustics

 Branch of physics that deals with the production control, transmission, reception, and effects of sound

Types
1. Psycho-acoustics
o deals with the health of the human being to audible sounds
o medical purposes

2. Electro-acoustics
o deals with the generation and detection of audible sound waves
o development of acoustical instruments, principle of sound reproduction

3. Sonics
o technical application of sound in basic scientific research industry and medicine
o ultrasound, treatment of malignant disease using heat therapy

4. Environmental acoustics
o effect of the environment on audible sound waves
o noise control, acoustical design of auditoriums and concert halls, echoes in rooms

ENVIRONMENTAL ACOUSTICS
Types:
1. architectural acoustics
o interior buildings
2. landscape acoustics
o outdoors like concert in a football field

Goal:
1. provide the most favorable conditions for the production, transmission, and perception of desirable sounds
inside rooms or open air
2. exclude or reduce unwanted sounds such as noises and vibrations

Acoustics in architecture is needed because:

a. trends in architectural design that go against acoustical privacy
b. multi-purpose areas that are divided into large areas without partitions
c. lightweight construction materials
d. external sources that contribute to noise pollution in buildings (trains, helicopters)
e. because of technology buildings have become mechanized (elevators, airconditioning units) that contribute to
lose patterns
HISTORY

 1st recorded activity that used acoustics  Greek, open air auditorium
 Romans developed the arena
 Middle ages
o Churches became the new assembly area
o Built of stone, creates echo
o Use of chants, songs, and visual presentation
 th
16 century onwards  opera

SOUND
 basic element of acoustics
 any vibratory motion of bodies wherein the transmission of these vibrations in a solid or liquid medium
produces a sensation on a human auditory mechanism

Sources:
1. speech  human voice
2. music  instrument
3. noise  impact or vibratory bodies

TYPES:

1. wanted  heard as perfectly as possible at a right level or loudness without causing pain or strain
2. unwanted exhibits an annoyance factor
MEDIA OF PROPAGATION OF SOUND

1. solid  when sound travels to the parts of the bldg., structure -

2. liquid  travels through water
3. gas  travels through air, airborne sound

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

1. velocity
 depending on the medium it travels
 affected by temperature and pressure
 at normal room temperature (68 F) and at sea level (velocity = 344 m/s )
 velocity decreases at 3 cm/s for every 1 deg F increase in temperature
 sound travels faster in denser medium ( solid and water )

2. frequency
 rate of repetition of a period event
 pitch
 1 cycle/ sec = 1 hertz (Hz)
 Range of hearing for humans = 20 – 20,000 Hz
 Human being speaking nice = 100 – 600 Hz

3. Intensity
 Amount of acoustic power flowing through a unit area in a specified direction
 Determined by pressure exerted by the sound
 Loudness or softness of sound

; where: P = sound power (watts); A = area (m2, cm2)

NB: intensity of sound diminishes inversely as the square of the distance from the source (distance increases, intensity
decreases; vice versa); unit of measurement = decibel (db)

DECIBELS (db)
Threshold of audibility 0
Human breathing 10
Average whisper 20
Residence without radio 30
Residence with radio 40
Average office 50
Areas near highway traffic 60
Large store 70
School cafeteria 80
Noisy urban traffic 90
Automobile horn 100
Accumulating motorcycle 110
Rock band 120
Threshold of pain 130
Jet engine 140

BEHAVIOR OF SOUND IN ENCLOSED AREAS

1. Sound directionality

3 elements:
a. Sound source
b. Path  medium
c. Auditor  receiver or listener of the sound
o High frequency  more pronounced path along the axis of the sound source
o Medium frequency  sound dispersed in almost all directions
o Low frequency  most dispersed in all directions
 2. Sound reflection
 Hard, rigid, and flat surface (concrete, brick, glass, stone) reflects more than soft, porous, and uneven
surface
a. Flat or level surface
 angle of incident ray = angle of reflected ray
b. Convex surface
 reflection of sound will be dispersed
c. Concave surface
 reflected sound will be concentrated or focused on a certain area

3. Sound absorption
 Soft and porous materials absorb considerable amount of sound stroke at them (sound absorbers)
 Absorbed sound will be transformed into heat energy

4. Sound diffusion or dispersion

 When sound waves are a.) travelling in all directions, and b.) sound intensity is equal to all parts of the
enclosed areas
i. Promotes uniform distribution of sound
ii. Accentuates the natural qualities of music and speech
iii. Prevents the recurrence of undesirable effects

5. Sound defraction
 Bending or changing sound direction
 Lower sound frequency, longer wavelength, changes direction more
 Sound changes direction when passing through an opening

6. Sound dissipation
 Attenuation  weakening of sound intensity after the sound source is turned off, which is caused by
absorption in the air and distance

INVERSE SQUARE LAW IN ACOUSTICS

 Sound intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source

; where: I = intensity
P = acoustical power
A = area (cm2, m2)

SOUND DEFECTS
1. Echo
 Sound waves are reflected to a listener in sufficient magnitude of time delay so as to be perceived
separately from those communicated directly from the source

2. Fluttering
 Repetitive succession of small echoes which occurs when a slight burst of sound is produced between
parallel sound reflective surfaces
 Very long corridor less than 50 ft width
 Buzzing or ringing sound
Solution:
 Use absorptive materials such as carpets
 Break the uniformity of walls with doors or windows
 Change the slope of one wall from 1:10 to 1:20

3. Sound shadow
 Areas in a room have deficiency in sound or do not receive adequate amount of direction or reflected
sound
Solution:
 Put splay (jagged) on one side
 4. Sound concentration or focus sound
 Sound reflections from concave surfaces concentrate in a focal point called hot spots
Solution:
 Put undulations on wall

5. Whispering gallery or creep

 High frequency sound travels around a large concave room or hall
 St. Paul’s Cathedral, US Capitol, Washington
Solution:
 Provide coffers or recessed areas
 Hang something on top

ROOM ACOUSTICS

Factors

 Shape of the Room

o Preferably rectangular or trapezoidal
o Square-, circular-, or oval-shaped room is acoustically unfavorable

 Size of the Room

o Assuming that no device used, normal speech of a human reaches 20 to 30 meters.
o Maximum volume for speech is 18000 cubic meters, for music, is 30000 cubic meters.
o Height of room should not exceed 8 meters.
o Preferable dimensions are 2:3:5 and 8:12:20 – respectively by height, width, and length

 Furnishings found in the Room

o Solid Walls/Ceilings aren’t preferable for acoustically sensitive rooms.
o Ceilings should be suspended.
o Claddings should have intervening voids.
o Sitting of the room should be staggered.
o Step Height should be 8 cm.

 Position of Sound Source

o Source of sound should not be in front of a hard reflecting surface.
o If room height is excessive, reflective sound boards around the sound source is recommended.
o If there is more than 1 source of sound, they must be close to each other.

 Reverberation Period
o Reverberation refers to gradual decay of sound in a room after the sound source has been shut-off.
o Reverberation is caused by successive reflections within the boundaries of a room.
o Reverberation time refers to the time it takes for the sound to be inaudible.
o ; when the unit for distance is in ft
o ; when the unit for distance is in m
o Wherein RT Reverberation Time; V  Volume of Room; A  No. of Sabin
o Sabin  unit of sound absorption of a surface; also called ‘Open Window Unit’
o 1 square foot of a surface has an absorption coefficient of 1.0.
o Experiment for Sabin by W.C. Sabin: a sound window which has an area of a square foot can absorb 100
percent of sound, was tested, ending up with a clear observation – the formula.
o Ideal reverberation time: not short and not long
o Graph between Level of Audibility (y) and Time in seconds (x) has an angle with respect to the horizon of
45 degrees. More than 45 degrees means that a flat/dead effect is produced. Less than 45 degrees
results to overlapping of consecutive syllables.