ACOUSTICS

The branch of science which deals with the planning of a building to provide the
best quality audible sound to audience is termed as architectural acoustics or
acoustics of the building. A building or the hall designed for the large audience
should take care of certain features so the audible sound is exact replica of the
source. Any hall having the good acoustics should have following features:

 The quality of the speech and the music remains unchanged in each
and every portion of the Hall.
 The sound produced must be sufficiently loud.
 There shouldn't be any echo.
 The reverberation should be proper.
 There should not be any focusing of sound in any part of the hall.
 The walls should be sound proof to avoid the external noise in the
hall.

What is Acoustics?

Acoustics is defined as the scientific study of sound which includes the

effect of reflection, refraction absorption diffraction and interference. It also
deals with the properties of the sound waves, their origin, propagation and
their action on obstacles.

What is Sound?

Sound is an alteration of pressure that propagates through an elastic

medium such as air which produces and auditory.

Why Do We need Acoustics?

Acoustics are fundamentally important to learning environments. Learning

is intrinsically linked with communication, and aural (sound) communication
is acoustics. Similarly, learning is about concentration, and external noise is
a major distracting factor in education. The importance of acoustics is not
limited to classrooms. Noise in corridors and public spaces can soar if they
are too reverberant (too much echo), with voices raised louder and louder
to overcome the background echo, just like shouting conversations at a
noisy cocktail party or restaurant. So to come over this problems of sounds
we need acoustics.

1. Terminologies related to Acoustics: Airborne sound — Sound or

noise radiated directly from a source, such as a loudspeaker or
machine, into the surrounding air. Ambient noise — Total noise level
in a specified environment. Audible frequency range — The range of
the sound frequencies normally heard by the human ear. The audible
range spans from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, but for most engineering
investigations only frequencies between about 40 Hz and 11,000 Hz
are considered. Decibel (dB) — (1) Degree of loudness. (2) A unit for
expressing the relative intensity of sounds on a scale from zero for
the average least perceptible sound to about 130 for the average pain
level. Diffraction — The process whereby an acoustic wave is
disturbed and its energy redistributed in space as a result of an
obstacle in its path. Direct sound — Sound that reaches a given
location by direct, straight-line propagation from the sound source.
Frequency — Repetition rate of a cycle, the number of cycles per
second. Noise — Unwanted sound. Noise Reduction (NR) — The
difference in sound pressure level between any two points along the
path of sound propagation.
2. Terminologies related to Acoustics: Reflection — Redirection of
sound waves. Refraction — Change in direction of sound waves
caused by changes in the sound wave velocity. Reverberant
sound/reverberation — The sound in an enclosed space, which
results from, repeated reflections at the boundaries. Sabin — Unit of
acoustic sound absorption, equivalent to the absorption by one
square meter of perfect absorber. Sound absorption — (1) The
process by which sound energy is converted into heat, leading to the
reduction in sound pressure level. (2) The sensation perceived by the
sense of hearing. Sound insulating material — Material designed and
used as partitions in order to minimize the transmission of sound.
Sound insulation — The reduction or attenuation of sound by a solid
partition between source and receiver. This may include a building
wall, floor, barrier wall or acoustic enclosure. Sound intensity — The
 sound flowing per unit area, in a given direction, measured over an
area perpendicular to the direction of flow; units are W/m2.

How is Sound Measured? Sound energy travels in waves and is measured

in frequency and amplitude. Amplitude measures how forceful the wave is.
It is measured in decibels or dBA of sound pressure. 0 dBA is the softest
level that a person can hear. Normal speaking voices are around 65 dBA. A
rock concert can be about 120 dBA. Frequency is measured in the number
of sound vibrations in one second. A healthy ear can hear sounds of very
low frequency, 20 Hertz (or 20 cycles per second), to a very high frequency
of 20,000 Hertz. The lowest A key on the piano is 27 Hertz. The middle C
key on a piano creates a 262 Hertz tone. The highest key on the piano is
4186 Hertz.

How do we Hear Sound? Sound waves travel into the ear canal
until they reach the eardrum. The eardrum passes the vibrations
through the middle ear bones or ossicles into the inner ear. The
inner ear is shaped like a snail and is also called the cochlea.
Inside the cochlea, there are thousands of tiny hair cells. Hair
cells change the vibrations into electrical signals that are sent to
the brain through the hearing nerve. The brain tells you that you
are hearing a sound and what that sound is.

Good Acoustics Involve? • Good distribution of sound to all the seats, which
depends on proper shaping and finishes of all interior surfaces. • Natural
sound diffusion and envelopment. • A sense of intimacy for the audience
and a sense of ensemble for both performers and audience. • Proper
reverberation times through out all frequencies, which depend on room’s
volume and the total sound absorption of all materials. • Freedom for the
acoustical faults of echoes, flutter, and focus. Factors affecting architectural
acoustics: • Reverberation time • Loudness • Echelon effect • Structure
Borne sound • Echo • Focusing due to Walls and Ceilings
Factors affecting architectural Acoustics

Reverberation time: • When the reverberation time is too high, the sound
produced by the speaker will persist for a long period of time. • Similarly
,when the reverberation time is low, sound dies quickly and becomes
inaudible in a short amount of time. • In order to improve the sound,
reverberation time of a hall should be increased to an optimum value.
Loudness: • Reverberation time of a hall is directly proportional to loudness.
• Low loudness results in existence of sound for a shorter period while high
loudness results in existence of sound for a longer period. • Therefore
sound produced by the speaker should be within audible range. Structure
Borne sound: • Sound waves generated inside a hall are known as
structure-borne sound. • They are produced due to apparent motion of
benches & footsteps & propagated through walls and floors.
Echelon effect: • Unwanted sounds are produced when people walk on
staircase or floors or hard paved paths due to poor finishing of the floor
surface, structural effects, etc. • The above mentioned unwanted sound are
termed as ‘echelon effect’ . Echo: • If the time interval between direct sound
and reflected sound is less than 1/15 of a second, the reflected sound is
helpful in increasing loudness. • But if the time interval is less than that,
then the sound arrives later and will cause confusion . Focusing due to
Walls and Ceilings: • Sound produced by speaker undergoes
multiple reflections at ceilings and walls. • Reflected sounds from
ceilings and walls should not be focused on particular point, rather
it should be distributed throughout a hall. • Generally a plane
surface reflects sound uniformly but a curved surface does not.
So reflection of sound from a curved surface produces a
harmful effect

Acoustical Materials

1. Sound Reflectors: It is very important to provide as much

natural reinforcement for the unamplified voice as possible.
This applies equally in smaller rooms, classrooms, meeting
rooms etc, but is particularly important for larger spaces where
the distance between the speaker and the listener is greater.
Natural reinforcement is achieved by the strategic placement of
reflective surfaces. For example in theatres it is common to
place reflectors above the stage, and to angle these to give
 useful reflections, particularly to the back of the auditorium.
Hard flat surfaces can be considered to reflect sound in a
similar manner to they way that a mirror reflects light (i.e the
angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.
2. Sound Diffusers: These devices reduce the intensity of sound
by scattering it over an expanded area, rather than eliminating
the sound reflections as an absorber would. Traditional spatial
diffusers, such as the polycylindrical (barrel) shapes also
double as low frequency traps. Temporal diffusers, such as
binary arrays and quadratics, scatter sound in a manner similar
to diffraction of light, where the timing of reflections from an
uneven surface of varying depths causes interference which
spreads the sound. TYPES: • Quadra pyramid Diffuser •
Pyramidal Diffuser • Double duty Diffuser • Quadratic Diffuser

What is sound insulation?

To prevent you from being disturbed by the activity in the next
room, whether the room is upstairs or in line, the construction
has to prevent sound from being transmitted. This doesn’t have
to be a massive concrete slab or wall. Soundproofing relates to
the overall ability of a building element or building structure to
reduce the sound transmission through it. Two types of sound
insulation might be referred to – airborne sound insulation and
impact sound insulation.

Types of Soundproofing Materials

These are the most used soundproofing materials; each category has
different best use scenarios. Each of these acoustic materials falls into
one of these categories: Sound Absorbing, Sound Insulation, Sound
Dampening, and Decoupling.

 Acoustic Foam – This material, commonly called Studio Foam,

has a distinctive wedge or pyramid shape that is highly effective at
 absorbing sound. They attach to walls as panels, hang from
ceilings as baffles, or sit in corners as bass traps.
 Sound Insulation – Sound insulation are batts made of mineral
wool, rock wool, and fiberglass, designed to fit in between the
studs of walls. The batts fit snugly between studs to take up
airspace that can transmit sound.
 Acoustic Panels/Boards – These are decorative versions of sound
insulation and sound absorbing foam. They can come in many
appealing colors, patterns, and fabrics to serve a dual purpose in
the home and workplace.
 Acoustic Fabrics – Acoustical fabrics are thicker and heavier than
other fabrics and used in theater curtains, blackout curtains, and
studio blankets.
 Acoustic Coatings – Materials like Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) is
a dense rubber like material, used in many different situations such
as car soundproofing, machinery, appliances, and as an
underlayment. The mass of the material acts as a sound barrier.
 Floor Underlayment – Soundproofing a hardwood or tile
floor requires the decoupling of the flooring surface and the
subfloor to reduce the noise transmission. Cork, felt, and polymers
are commonly used as underlayment materials.
 Architectural Soundproofing – This group includes anything
used in the structure of a building, such as soundproof windows,
soundproof walls, doors, and decoupling products used to install
them.
Sound Absorbing Materials

Rather than reflecting noise, sound waves are absorbed into this type of
material, softening echo and reverberation to improve the sound in a
room.

One useful material is fabrics, used for heavy acoustic curtains and
blankets. The most popular though is acoustic foam, a special material
designed with special cell structure and density to deflect, dampen, and
absorb unwanted sounds. They are commonly used in studios, theaters,
and entertainment centers.

1 .Acoustic Foam (Auralex Studiofoam Wedges)

Best Use: For improving the sound in small to medium rooms, like recording
studios, control boardrooms, and even small home theaters.

 NRC: 0.8
 Size: 12”x12”x2”

 Colors: Charcoal, Burgundy

Auralex is a well know acoustic foam brand that has dozens of foam shapes and
sizes that are perfect for musicians, recording artists, podcasters, and home theater
lovers. Studiofoam is their most popular product, and the 2” wedges are the best
sellers.

Studiofoam Wedges have an NRC rating of 0.8 and the anechoic wedge can
significantly cut down reverberation, slap, and flutter. The 2” panels are Class-A
fire rated per ASTM E-84.

Use 3M Command strips, hook and loop strips, or spray adhesive to mount the
foam to your room’s walls and ceiling. If you ever plan on moving them, it’s
highly recommended to use the removable type of adhesive strips to make removal
easier.
 2 Sound Absorbing Foam (Pro Studio Acoustics Tiles)

Best Use: Use as an alternative to the Auralex panels. They offer

multiple attractive colors to break up with the charcoal that looks great
in any room.

 NRC: 0.65
 Size: 12”x12”x2”

 Colors: Charcoal with Blue, Red, Teal, and Purple

Pro Studio wedges are made in the USA from a high-quality acoustic
foam. The wedges can be installed on walls where noise reflection is a
problem, or as ceiling tiles to cut down echo and reverberation. Pro
Studio foam is no comparison to the cheap “egg crate” variety foam.

Most people use the Pro Studio Acoustic foam panels for absorbing
sound in both home and professional use. The bright colors liven up
theater rooms, gaming rooms, voice booths, and studios while absorbing
sound and killing echoes.

3. Acoustic Panels (ATS Acoustics)

Best Use: Acoustic panels are best for rooms where the appearance of wedge and
pyramid foam is undesirable. The wood framed panels look more like a decoration
or large picture frame than a sound absorbing panel.

 NRC: 1.0
 Size: 24”x48”x2”
 Colors: Beige, Black, Burgundy, Ivory
For rooms where foam just won’t cut it visually, acoustic panels are there to fill the
void. ATS panels are constructed with Roxul ABF mineral wool and a solid wood
frame. They finish off the panel with an all jute fabric cover to make it a great
looking piece.

All that’s left is to hang them on the wall with the included hardware. It’s
important to note the ATS Acoustic panels are sold as single panels, but you can
always buy multiple panels at one time to save on shipping costs.
 4. Acoustic Curtains (Utopia Thermal Blackout Curtains)

Best Use: Blackout curtains are good for reducing the noise coming in or getting
out from windows and doors. Use them in a bedroom, home theater, nursery, or
wherever a little quiet is needed.

A typical acoustic curtain uses quality, heavyweight, plush fabrics combined

soundproofing materials like mass loaded vinyl to dampen sound and reduce echo.
While these curtains are usually special-order products, the best alternative for
home is to buy quality, heavyweight blackout curtains

For the home, acoustic curtains are meant to improve the sound in a room, as
opposed to blocking sound from leaving or entering. Our favorite acoustic curtains
are the Utopia Bedding Blackout Curtain.

Industrial noise can be controlled with the installation of sound curtains. These
curtains are made of quilted fiberglass or Rockwool layers, sandwiched over mass
loaded vinyl. These curtains are stiffer than most and hung on frames making them
mobile and easy to surround a particularly noisy piece of equipment or area.
 Reverberation
When a sound is produced inside a building, it expands and gets
reflected from all the surfaces, viz; walls, ceiling and floor of the hall.
Audience will receive a direct sound from the source followed by
series of sounds reflected and traveling towards him. These
successive sounds will be of diminishing intensity. Therefore listener
will continue to receive the sound even after the source of sound has
stopped emitting. This is called as reverberation. In other words
reverberation is defined as persistence of audible sound after the
source has been switched off. The duration for which sound persist is
called as reverberation sound. The reverberation time depends on
the volume of the hall and the surface area of various surfaces (walls
ceiling etc.) and the absorption coefficient of the surfaces.

Absorption of sound

Absorption of the sound is very important from the surfaces to reduce the
reverberation time. It depends on the material of the surface. Highly
absorbing materials are required to be used on the surfaces for a good
acoustic halls so as to reduce the reflection and hence reverberation time.

Absorption coefficient for sound

The absorption of the sound for a material is measured in terms
of Absorption coefficient 'a'. It is defined as

Sound absorbing materials

Normally sound absorbing materials can be put into one of the following
categories:

Porous materials: Porous absorbers are the most commonly used sound
absorbing materials. Commonly used porous materials are Wood wools,
soft plaster, asbestos fibre, glass wool, Fibre boards carpet ect. Generally,
all of these materials allow air to flow into a cellular structure where sound
energy is converted to heat. Thickness plays an important role in sound
absorption by porous materials. Thin film of Fabric applied directly to a
hard, massive substrate, such as plaster or gypsum board does not make
an efficient sound absorber. Thicker materials generally provide more bass
sound absorption or damping.

Panel absorber : Panel absorbers are non-rigid, non-porous materials

which are placed over an airspace that vibrates in a flexural mode in
response to sound pressure exerted by adjacent air molecules. When the
sound wave strikes the pannel due to vibration of the panel the energy is
absorbed and finally converted into heat. Common panel (membrane)
absorbers include thin wood paneling over framing, lightweight impervious
ceilings and floors, glazing and other large surfaces capable of resonating
in response to sound. Panel absorbers are usually most efficient at
absorbing low frequencies.

Resonators: Resonators typically act to absorb sound in a narrow

frequency range. Resonators include some perforated materials and
materials that have openings (holes and slots). When sound waves enters
into the resonator, due to multiple reflection insde the resonators waves are
absorbed. The classic example of a resonator is the Helmholtz resonator,
which has the shape of a bottle. The size of the opening, the length of the
neck and the volume of air trapped in the chamber govern the resonant
frequency . Typically, perforated materials only absorb the mid-frequency
range unless special care is taken in designing the facing to be as
acoustically transparent as possible. Slots usually have a similar acoustic
response. Long narrow slots can be used to absorb low frequencies. The
resonators are suitable for certain frequencies for which they are designed.
Therefore resonators have to be designed for specific purpose for example
to absorb noise from air conditioner or from pumps etc.

Distribution of sound absorbing material

The efficiency of a sound absorbing material depends upon its distribution

and location with in the given room. If a sound absorbing material is
distributed in a chessboard pattern as shown in Fig 1 its efficiency is
improved drastically compared to the uniform coverage pattern of fig 2.

Fig 1 : Chess board pattern for efficient absorption of sound

 Fig 2 : Uniformly distributed absorbing material

The improved efficiency for the absorption of the sound in check board
pattern is due to the diffraction of sound waves across the perimeter of the
sound absorbing material. More over the sound reflected from the hard
surfaces adjacent to chessboard absorbing surfaces tends to spill over the
sound absorbing surfaces and so the absorption of sound further improves.
This kind of surface can also be used to make a diffuse sound field
normally required for music practice rooms, studios etc.

4. Transmission of sound

Sound waves emerging from a point source inside a hall proceed in a

spherical wave. When it strikes the boundaries of a hall, it undergoes
reflection, absorption and transmission. All these thre process depends on
the boundaries of the hall (e.g: material, surface structure etc)and the
frequency spectrum of sound waves

Factors effecting the architectural acoustics

In an Acoustically good hall the loudness of sound and its clarity at every
point in side the hall is audible. The sound dies out quickly with time to
make room for next syllable. The following factors affect the architectural
acoustics:
 Reverberation time: reverberation time has to be optimize for
a given hall. If the time is too large then there will be loss of
clarity due to overlapping of successive sound signals and if it
is too small then the loudness of the sound will be less. The
optimized time is given by eq 1. Reverberation can be
controlled by

1. Keeping the windows and ventilators open.

2. Using heavy curtains
3. By using the wooden or carpeted floor.
4. Making the walls surface rough

Focusing of sound wave s: Sound waves on reflection from a

curved surface will get focused at some point just like a lens focuses
the light. In the focused region intensity of sound will be large where
as in other regions will have poor audibility. In order to avoid the non
uniform distribution of sound intensity due to focusing, the curved
ceilings/surceases should be avoided.

Adequate loudness : For the good audibility the loudness should be

sufficient. The low ceiling helps the reflected sound to reach the
audience with sufficient intensity. To improve the uniformity of the
distribution of intensity of sound waves as well as to improve the
loudness, behind the speaker speaker a parabolic sound reflector as
shown in Fig 3 can be placed such that speaker is at the focus of the
reflector. The reflected sound waves will be parallel and will yield
better uniformity.
Fig 3 : Parabolic reflector