TECHNICAL FEATURE

This article was published in ASHRAE Journal, December 2016. Copyright 2016 ASHRAE. Posted at www.ashrae.org. This article may not be copied and/or
distributed electronically or in paper form without permission of ASHRAE. For more information about ASHRAE Journal, visit www.ashrae.org.

Understanding
Duct Rumble
BY JOHN A. PAULAUSKIS, MEMBER ASHRAE

To determine a common source of duct rumble, 22 HVAC duct system case histories
for various clients between 1984 and 2014 were studied. The case histories included
actual field measurements and duct rumble remediation controls. Trial-and-error
duct rumble reduction led to specific design and retrofit techniques to reduce duct
rumble. The term “duct rumble” is incorrectly defined in the HVAC industry as low-
frequency fan noise that “breaks out” of ductwork.
The cases summarized in this article exclude fan noise Background
breakout, and conclude that duct rumble is a physical Duct rumble characteristically has low-frequency
phenomenon that occurs as a combination of airflow “sound” energy between 20 Hz and 63 Hz, but can also
turbulence caused by duct fittings with poor aerody- have energy below 20 Hz. Case history complaints of
namics, pressure pulsation in the ductwork at the fan duct rumble were generated when the low-frequency
speed frequency, and the resulting vibration of the rumble was less than or equal to 63 Hz and 70 dB sound
ductwork at resonance. In fact, duct rumble is often pressure level in the occupied spaces. “Sound,” by defi-
described by building occupants as “vibration” instead nition, is a sensation experienced when the brain inter-
of “sound,” and can also cause a feeling of pressure and prets vibrations within the structure of the ear caused
vibration on the ears, head, and chest, and will cause by rapid variations in the air pressure above and below
secondary vibration of things like cups, indoor drywall normal atmospheric pressure.
partitions, and bric-a-brac. If the air pressure changes have major frequency com-
The conclusions reached for the sources of duct rum- ponents below 20 Hz, which is below our normal hear-
ble were a result of reviewing the case history sound ing range, it is called “infrasound.” With infrasound,
and vibration data, and by the trends of increased duct our bodies respond differently than we do for audible
rumble and duct vibration levels during an empirical sound.1 Our body parts, such as our abdomen, arms,
study. The conclusions can provide the basis for further legs, and shoulders, sense infrasound through our tac-
research to understand duct rumble. tile senses, not through our ears. Air perturbations in

John A. Paulauskis is owner of JPAcoustics in Maryville, Illinois.

40 A S H R A E J O U R N A L   ashrae.org  D ECEM BER 2016

 TECHNICAL FEATURE 

Case One Case Two

Rooftop Unit
Perf. 30 in. × 92 in. 27 in. × 40 in.
Fan Diffuser Coil TAF Flat Duct Coil Fan Plenum Condenser TAF Flat Duct Rumble

Square Entry
13 in. × 30 in. Duct
Duct Rumble No Rumble

Case Three Case Four

Rooftop Unit
22 in. × 66 in.
Rumble Flat Duct TAF Discharge Dampers Fan Coil 18 in. × 56 in. 18 in. × 74 in.
Flat Oval Duct Plug Flat Oval Duct
Rumble TAF Fan TAF Rumble

36 in. Diameter 36 in. Diameter

Ductwork Ductwork

Case Five
Air Turbulence
FIGURE 1  Examples of ductwork configurations where turbulent air- Elbow 23 in. × 40 in.
Fan
flow is generated at TAFs in Cases 1 through 5. “Clouds” indicate the RA Coil Airflow Flat Duct Tee
location of maximum air turbulence that is coupled with the flat duct Plenum
surfaces to cause duct rumble.

Rumble

the infrasound frequency range can cause us to be anx-
ious, nauseous and affect our sleep habits.1 One source
of infrasound that has recently been studied for its
adverse effects on humans is the infrasound from large
wind turbine axial fans.2 Similar adverse human reac-
tions have been observed for many of the cases.
Case Histories
The 22 cases covered a wide range of fan types and
ductwork conditions in schools, hospitals, offices, banks,
and hotels. The cases involved rooftop units (RTUs); in-
line, vane-axial type return/relief air fans; and centrifu-
gal fans. Cases included both direct and belt-drive fans,
and one recent case involved a fan-wall duct system with
direct-drive supply air fans.
In two cases, the duct rumble also occurred more than
80 ft (24 m) upstream of the return air fans where a
series of duct elbows and fire/smoke dampers combined
to generate high static pressure drops across the fittings.
Several case histories also demonstrated how the vibrat-
ing ductwork inside a mechanical room can cause a
nearby drywall partition and objects such as metal cabi-
nets to resonate, although the drywall partition was not
connected physically to the ductwork.
In all cases a duct fitting or series of duct fittings were
generating air turbulence. The turbulent airflow fit-
tings are abbreviated as TAFs in this article. Five example
duct configurations with TAFs generating duct rumble
conditions are shown in Figure 1. The approximate loca-
tion of magnified airflow turbulence and maximum

D ECEM BER 2016  ashrae.org  A S H R A E J O U R N A L 41

TECHNICAL FEATURE 

duct rumble levels is designated by a TABLE 1  

Maximum sound/infrasound pressure levels for 22 duct rumble case histories.
“cloud” symbol in Figure 1. SPL SPL SPL FAN DUCT DUCT SIZE
Table 1 lists the sound pressure CASE LINEAR OR AT HZ 31.5 HZ 63 HZ WHEEL SYSTEM (IN. × IN.)
levels, fan types, and duct sizes 1 83 at 20 Hz 74 55 AF Supply 30 × 92
in the case histories. In many of 2 85 85 87 RTU-FC Supply 27 × 40
the cases, the aspect ratio of the 3 88 80 74 RTU-FC Supply 22 × 66
rectangular ductwork was more 4 88 79 70 AF-Plug Supply 18 × 74
than 3:1. Fan speed, the maximum 5 —— 82 77 AF Supply 23 × 40
duct air pressure at the TAF, air- 6 81 86 64 VA Return 16 × 54
flow velocity, steel duct gauge, and
7 —— 78 69 AF Return 26 × 82
streaming Reynolds number3 for
8 89 84 76 RTU-FC Supply/Ret 20 × 66
10 of the case histories are shown
9 —— 70 65 BI Supply 24 × 50
in Table 2. (The streaming Reynolds
10 82 77 78 VA Exhaust 20 × 72
number is a dimensionless mathe-
matical parameter that is the ratio 11 85 81 71 AF Exhaust 20 × 48

of airflow inertia forces to friction 12 —— 81 73 AF Supply 20 × 56

forces, including aerodynamic air- 13 87 82 73 BI Return ——
flow over a flat surface such as the 14 88 83 80 RTU-AF Supply/Ret ——
internal part of a flat duct.) Steel 15 82 61 55 VA Return 22 × 92
duct gauges and reinforcement 16 87 81 77 RTU-AF Supply/Ret ——
spacing was generally at mini- 17 86 75 69 VA Return 44 × 44
mum SMACNA requirements.4 In 18 91 86 84 RTU-AF Return 18 × 86
each case, TAF shapes were docu- 19 76 at 16 Hz 88 75 AF Supply 48 × 98
mented, noting that airflow resis- 20 —— 82 75 AF Fanwall Supply 24 × 86
tance would be high at the TAF.
21 87 at 10 Hz 72 52 RTU-AF Return 28 × 40
Sound and infrasound measure-
21 76 at 16 Hz 72 71 RTU-AF Return 28 × 40
ments were taken in all cases, and
22 79 at 8 Hz 82 —— RTU-FC Supply 16 × 32
duct vibration measurements were
22 76 at 16 Hz 82 —— RTU-FC Supply 16 × 32
taken in Cases 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8. The
maximum vibration levels that were SPL = Sound/Infrasound Pressure Level in Octave or 1/3 Octave Bands RTU = Rooftop Unit
AF = Airfoil FC = Forward Curved BI = Backward Inclined
measured in these five case histories VA = Vane-Axial —— = Data not available
ranged from 0.1 in./s to 0.3 in./s
(2.5 mm/s to 7.6 mm/s) peak vibration velocity on the low-frequency duct rumble was caused by fan noise
surface of each duct. The measured duct vibration fre- penetrating the duct wall. However, case history duct
quencies (Hz) were identical to the fan speed (Hz). vibration measurements and hands-on duct vibration
The case histories suggest that three components concluded that duct rumble sound and infrasound is
are needed in a fan-duct system for the onset of duct caused by ductwork vibration. Sound and vibration
rumble: large, flat ductwork that is vibrating, a source measurements in Case 5 suggest that vibration of a large
of regular air pressure pulses coming from the fan, and duct surface is a nonlinear vibration much like when
a duct fitting or fittings that produce poor aerodynamic you push the bottom of an oil can and it makes a pop-
airflow (TAFs) resulting in air turbulence. The following ping sound. In nonlinear vibration, there is a sudden
paragraphs describe these parameters in more detail discontinuous increase in the vibration amplitude near
based on field observations in the case histories. the resonant frequencies of the duct.5
1. Large, flat-surfaced ductwork. In all case histo- The cases showed that adding duct silencers or
ries, there was a large steel, flat duct, normally greater extending ductwork did not reduce the duct rumble.
than 36 in. (914 mm) in width and greater than 16 in. However, improving duct stiffness by adding drywall
(406 mm) in depth. In the past it was assumed that to the duct surface or using double-wall or round

42 A S H R A E J O U R N A L   ashrae.org  D ECEM BER 2016

 TECHNICAL FEATURE 

ductwork did reduce the duct rumble. TABLE 2   Physical parameters for 10 case histories.
Case 5 was undertaken to document the sound, infra- MAXIMUM
sound, and ductwork vibration parameters by changing DUCT STREAMING
FAN PRESSURE REYNOLDS
fan speeds, duct pressures, and flow aerodynamics of SPEED AT THE TAF AIRFLOW DUCT WALL NUMBER
CASE (RPM) (IN. W.G.) VELOCITY (FPM) STEEL GAUGE (RE × 10 5)
a known HVAC system with duct rumble. As fan speed
was gradually increased, supply duct static pressure, 1 1,375 2.6 1,234 20 3.6
airflow velocity, the streaming Reynolds number, low- 2 800 2 1,370 22 3.4
frequency sound pressure levels, and duct vibration 3 1,070 2.6 1,472 20 3
were recorded, as shown in Table 3. 4 900 3.5 1,415 22 3.8
The HVAC system consisted of a centrifugal scroll-type 5 1,385 2.5 1,500 22 3.2
fan with airfoil fan blades, 90 degree elbow and tee 6 1,750 3.6 –3,500 22 4.5
located immediately downstream of the fan as shown
7 1,050 1 –1,500 20 2.8
in Figure 1. The elbow and tee contained single thickness
8 715 2.6 1,930 20 3.6
turning vanes. The fan was a belt-driven supply-return
9 2,355 1.6 1,800 22 3.8
air fan with a variable frequency drive that allowed duct
10 1,340 1.5 –2,000 22 3.5
pressure and fan speed to be modified for the tests.
Negative air velocity values indicate return/exhaust airflow.
Sound pressure levels were taken inside the
mechanical room at a fixed
location 6 ft (1.8 m) away from TABLE 3  
Case 5 sound pressure and duct vibration levels.
the duct downstream of the STREAMING MAXIMUM VIBRATION AT
SUPPLY DUCT REYNOLDS PEAK VELOCITY (IN./S)
first elbow and upstream
FAN SPEED STATIC PRESSURE AIRFLOW DUCT NUMBER AIRFLOW
of the tee fitting. Vibration (RPM) (IN. W.G.) SUPPLY (CFM) (RE × 10 5) DB AT 31.5 HZ SIDE BOTTOM VELOCITY (FPM)
tests were also performed on 515 0.42 4,519 1.5 69 — — —
various fan scroll and duct-
655 0.68 6,225 1.9 72 0.048 0.05 830
work surfaces. The vibration
measurements in Table 3 are 850 1.15 8,836 2.7 72 0.3 0.05 1,178
the maximum vibration level 1,050 1.84 10,240 3.1 75 0.18 0.13 1,365
taken on the side and bottom 1,195 2.49 11,547 3.5 86 0.06 0.08 1,540
of the duct between reinforce-
1,325 3.24 12,249 3.7 88 0.14 0.09 1,633
ments downstream of the
first elbow. Review of the data 1,385 3.49 13,053 4 89 — — —

shows that the sound pressure

level at 31.5 Hz octave band made a significant increase (3 m/s) to 8 in. (203 mm) in length at a duct velocity of
in amplitude at the passing of streaming Reynolds num- 1,872 fpm (9 m/s). The vertical depth of the flow rever-
bers 2.7 × 105 and 3.1 × 105. The increase in sheet metal sal boundary layer remained at approximately 1 in.
vibration amplitude coincided with the increase in duct (25 mm).
rumble amplitude. The conclusion was that nonlinear The onset of duct rumble occurred at a flow reversal
vibration of the duct surface was causing the duct rum- duct velocity of 1,469 fpm (7 m/s). It was also apparent
ble at duct resonance. from the yarn movement at a cross section of the duct
The aerodynamics of Case 5 were also measured using that air vorticity increased significantly at the higher
a clear plastic plate attached to an opening in the side flow velocities above 1,469 fpm (7 m/s).
of the duct to observe the aerodynamic boundary layer 2. A source of repetitive air pressure-pulses inside
airflow downstream of the elbow using a wand with yarn a duct cavity at a specific frequency related to the fan
attached to the end. As the system airflow was increased speed such as often occurs with HVAC fan/duct sys-
by ramping up the fan speed, the reverse flow bound- tems. The cases where duct vibration was measured by
ary layer dimensions at the elbow increased from 3 in. frequency analysis and the results of Case 5 demonstrate
(76 mm) in length at a nominal duct velocity of 648 fpm that duct rumble is not a function of the blade-passing

D ECEM BER 2016  ashrae.org  A S H R A E J O U R N A L 43

TECHNICAL FEATURE 
frequency (number of fan blades times the fan speed)
nor the belt-drive frequency, but is closely coupled to
the fan speed (rpm) alone. In Cases 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8
shown in Table 2, the fan speed (Hz) was identical to the
duct vibration frequency (Hz). Eliminating the blade-
passing and belt-drive frequencies as input forces, and
considering that the TAF acts to slow continuous airflow
(acts as a termination) suggests that the ductwork mains
with flow restrictions see a volume flow-surge as airflow
moves in pulses at the fan speed through the TAF. If the
fan is viewed as a single piston connected to a semi-
closed ductwork system, the duct rumble is like a closed
cavity with flexible duct walls that vibrate.
3. Flat ductwork shapes and fittings (TAFs) produc-
ing a flow restriction with a high pressure differential
and regular aerodynamic turbulence. TAFs consisted
primarily of elbows, tee fittings with turning vanes,
partially closed fire/smoke dampers, or a series of duct
fittings with very little space between fittings. As shown
in Case 5, when the airflow encounters a rapid change of
direction at one of the TAF duct fittings, the air separates
from the duct and flows in the opposite direction at the
boundary layer closest to the fitting, producing an aero-
dynamic vortex stream. In Case 5, as the reverse flow
dimension extended at the boundary layer, there was a
point where the vortices appeared to match duct reso-
nant frequency, causing vibration amplitude to increase
and resulted in duct rumble. This is consistent with pre-
vious references and studies.6 – 9
As mentioned earlier, a mathematical parameter
incorporates aerodynamic airflow over flat surface com-
ponents. It is known as the streaming Reynolds number
(Re = Vd/, where V is the nominal airstream velocity
[fps]). Osborne Reynolds has shown that airflow over
a flat plate will separate from a flat plate at a nominal
Reynolds number of 3.5 × 105 (see Reference 3, Chap.
XVI, p. 454). This may be analogous to airflow inside a
flat duct where d is the duct height or width (ft), and  is
the kinematic viscosity of air.  = 1.6 × 10-4 for 70°F (21°C)
return air, and 1.5 × 10-4 for 55°F (13°C) supply air.
In 10 of the case histories shown in Table 2 where the
streaming Reynolds number parameters were available
(there was insufficient flow velocity or duct dimen-
sions in the remaining case histories), the ductwork
with a streaming Reynolds number between 2.8 × 105
and 4.5 × 105 exhibited a duct rumble condition. This is
consistent with a nominal Reynolds number of 3.5 × 105
44 A S H R A E J O U R N A L   ashrae.org  D ECEM BER 2016
for airflow instability (i.e., turbulent airflow) over a flat
plate predicted by Reynolds. This data would suggest
that the streaming Reynolds number is one parameter
that may be used to help predict duct rumble.
Practical Methods to Reduce Duct Rumble
Frequently, facilities do not have sufficient floor-
to-floor heights to allow for proper duct design with
good aspect ratios.10 As a result, primary ductwork gets
designed with high aspect ratios, a shallow duct height,
and large, flat horizontal dimension, which is an aerody-
namically poor duct fitting (TAF). These conditions are a
recipe for duct rumble.
Since duct rumble is actually a low-frequency duct
vibration issue, sound traps and in-duct active attenua-
tion (sound canceling) are not useful in eliminating the
ductwork vibration that causes duct rumble.
With the advent of variable speed fans, one may be
tempted to adjust the fan speed to control the input, forc-
ing frequency at the vibrating duct. However, changing
the fan speed does not necessarily reduce duct rumble.
Rumble is also a product of the TAF pressure drop, aero-
dynamics, and duct stiffness. In Case 4, the duct rumble
level was actually increased when the fan speed was
lowered. The task of predicting whether duct rumble will
occur is complex because of the interaction of many vari-
ables such as duct size and construction, TAF aerodynam-
ics, and fan characteristics. However, several practical
design considerations can help control duct rumble:
•• Avoid TAFs near the fan or a series of duct fittings
in remote duct mains that would cause high pressure
drops. Therefore, ductwork at the fan inlet or outlet
should be aerodynamically smooth and void of el-
bows and tee fittings. Provide good aerodynamics near
centrifugal fans as noted in the 2015 ASHRAE Handbook—
HVAC Applications, Chapter 48. Especially avoid square-
edge take-offs from supply air plenums by providing
45 degree take-offs at plenums. Square edged take-offs
result in a greater airflow separation at the boundary
layer.3
•• Avoid RTU supply and return air ductwork with turns
directly below RTUs consisting of high pressure drops,
drastic changes in cross section, and large, flat duct-
work.10 Avoid single-wall rectangular or flat oval ductwork
with large aspect ratios.10 Double-wall ductwork provides
more stiffness and prevents duct rumble as noted later.
•• Ensure that roof deck openings for RTU ductwork

under the RTU are sealed with heavy
mass materials. If openings are left
around duct penetrations through
the roof deck, the vibration of the
bottom RTU panels and curb-space
ductwork will generate duct rumble,
and the rumble will pass through the
roof openings to the occupied spaces.
•• To help avoid duct resonant
vibration, ensure that large duc-
twork near the fan has improved
stiffness to resist duct vibration
and is rigid with heavy gauge steel
duct and reinforcements on close
centers. Providing round or double-
wall rigid rectangular ductwork
will significantly improve the duct
stiffness. Experience in recent duct
designs has shown that double-wall
duct construction will eliminate
duct rumble. Round ductwork also
has much greater stiffness and pre-
vents duct rumble, but experience
has shown that round duct must also
extend 40 ft to 50 ft (12 m to 15 m) in
length from a fan before transition-
ing to rectangular ductwork. If the
transition occurs close to the fan, the
transition and rectangular duct can
produce duct rumble.
Where space is limited in retrofit
situations, ensure that the ductwork
is stiffened or enclosed as noted in
the 2015 ASHRAE Handbook—HVAC
Applications, Chapter 48.11 Adding dry-
wall directly to the duct wall stiffens
the ductwork to change the natural
frequency of the duct and reduce
duct rumble amplitude by 7 dB to 10
dB at low frequencies. Ensure that
drywall lagging with sheet metal
screw attachment to ductwork does
not use joint compound and taping
that provides wet or moisture condi-
tions on supply air systems providing
55°F (13°C) or colder air. This condi-
tion allows for mold growth, and with
TECHNICAL FEATURE 
externally insulated supply ducts the tion Standards, Metal and Flexible, 2nd Edition.
Chantilly, Va.: SMACNA.
external insulation can aggravate the 5. Thomson, W. 1965. Vibration Theory
mold growth by encapsulating the and Applications. Upper Saddle River, N.J.:
wet drywall. Prentice-Hall.
6. Thompson, C. 1987. “Stability of the
•• The fan speed (rpm/60 = Hz) can Stokes boundary layer.” J. of the Acoustical
be compared to the estimated natu- Society of America 81(4).
ral frequency of the horizontal and 7. Wambsganss, M. 1976. “Understand-
ing flow-induced vibrations, Part 1—Basic
vertical flat duct surfaces.12 Since concepts; fluid forcing functions. Sound and
duct vibration is nonlinear, some Vibration (11).
error would exist in these calcula- 8. Wambsganss, M. 1977. “Understand-
ing flow-induced vibrations. Part II—Fluid/
tions. In general, if a TAF is present, structure coupling; design considerations.”
and if the fan speed (Hz) is within Sound and Vibration (4).
10 Hz of the calculated duct resonant 9. Vanderburgh, R., J. Paulauskis. 1994.
“The causes and unwanted results of aerody-
frequency, a potential exists for duct namic system effect.” ASHRAE Journal 36(2).
vibration resulting in duct rumble. 10. Ebbing, C., W. Blazier. 1993. “Avoid-
Revising the ductwork dimensions ing low frequency noise in packaged hvac
equipment.” ASHRAE Journal 35(6).
for a lower aspect ratio to improve 11.  2015 ASHRAE Handbook—HVAC Applica-
duct stiffness, eliminating the tions. Chap. 48, pp. 48.50 – 48.51.
TAF, shorter stiffener spacing, and 12. Ebbing, C., et. al. 1978, “Control of low
frequency duct-generated noise in building
increasing duct gauge to change the air distribution systems.” ASHRAE Transac-
duct natural frequency can help tions 84(2):191 – 202.
reduce the duct vibration.
•• The streaming Reynolds num-
ber of the side and bottom duct
configuration near primary duct
branches at supply or return air
fans can be easily calculated for the
anticipated design airflow require-
ments to see if there is a potential
for airflow separation in the flat
section of a primary duct main. If
the streaming Reynolds number at
the TAF for the horizontal or vertical
duct dimension is near 3.5 × 105, the
ductwork may require dimensional Advertisement formerly in this space.
modifications or additional stiffness
to prevent duct rumble.
References
1. Salt, A., J. Lichtenhan, J. 2014. “How
does wind turbine noise affect people?”
Acoustics Today 10(1).
2. Schomer, P. 2013. “Comments on
recently published article, ‘Concerns about
infrasound from wind turbines.’” Acoustics
Today 9(4).
3. Schlichting, H. 1968. Boundary Layer
Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.
4. SMACNA. 1995. HVAC Duct Construc-
D ECEM BER 2016  ashrae.org  A S H R A E J O U R N A L 45