THE BEHAVIOUR OF SOUND

IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE.

Compiled by,

AR. KAMLESH KUMHAR

(Assistant Professor)
Department of Architecture & T.P.
TABLE OF CONTENT

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Physical properties of sound

3.0 Behaviour of sound in an enclosure

3.1 Reflection

3.2 Absorption

3.3 Refraction

3.4 Diffusion

3.5 Diffraction

3.6 Transmission

3.7 Reverberation and echo

4.0 Factors that affect the behaviour of sound in an enclosed space.

5.0 General Requirements for Speech Intelligibility

5.1 Some standard architectural-acoustical measures

6.0 Conclusion

7.0 References
1.0 INTRODUCTION

Sound can be described as a disturbance or turbulence which passes through a physical

medium in the form of longitudinal waves from a source to a receiver causing a sensation
of hearing. This medium could be solid, fluid or gas. The speed of sound through these
different media differs due to their molecular composition.

Bearing in mind the properties of sound, this paper attempts to study the behaviour of
sound within an enclosure, factors that stimulate this behaviour and general requirement
for speech intelligibility within the space.

1.1 Physical properties of sound

Some of the physical properties of sound are:

• Wavelength of sound – This the distance between two pressure peaks or
valleys, measured in metres (m) and represented with the Greek alphabet ‘l’
(lambda).
• Period – This is the time taken for on complete oscillation. This is measured
in seconds(s) and represented with the letter ‘T’.

T
• Frequency – This is the
number of oscillations
Amplitude per second. This is
represented with ‘f’ and
measured in Hertz
Wavelength
(Hz).
• Velocity of sound – This is the rate at which a sound wave travels from a
source through a medium to the receiver. The unit is m/s.
• Amplitude – This is the distance between a crest (the highest point) and a
valley (the lowest point)
• Pitch – it is the highness or lowness of a tone determined by the rapidity of
the oscillations producing it.
The above mentioned properties of sound determines the behaviour of sound genearally
either in an open or enclosed space. These factors are used to describe sound especially in
music, in its study, arrangement of sounds, the music scale, tunes and others.
3.0 BEHAVIOUR OF SOUND IN AN ENCLOSURE

An enclosed space is a room or area bounded on every of its sides. The materials for
enclosure may be classified into two:
• Those that allow sound rays to pass through and
• Those that do not allow sound rays to pass through.
Areas bounded with materials that allow sound rays to pass through tend to enjoy good
acoustic as the effect of indirect sound from reflection is reduced within the space. In this
space, sound from external source can pass through the material into the enclosure as
background noise. The vibration of some of the materials can be a source of noise within
the space and this can be a bane to the achievement of clear and audible speech and music.

The effect of indirect sound may be pronounced in spaces enclosed with materials that do
not allow the passage of sound rays through them. Adjustments to the material to aid
diffusion will improve the acoustic of the space. Some of these materials can absorb sound,
reducing the effect of indirect sound.

On encountering barriers posed by the enclosure, sound waves are likely to behave in the
following ways:
• Reflection
• Absorption
• Refraction
• Diffusion
• Diffraction
• Transmission

3.1 Reflection

This occurs when the wavelength of a sound wave

is smaller than the surface of an obstacle. In the
case of an enclosed space, the sound waves hit
every side of the enclosure continuously until the
sound energy reduces to zero. The amount of
waves reflected depends on the smoothness, size, and softness of the materials of enclosure.
The angle of incidence of sound rays is equal to that of the reflected rays only if the surface
of the reflector is flat. But when it is curved, the angles are different.
3.2 Absorption

When sound waves hit the surface of an obstacle,

some of its energy is reflected while some are lost
through its transfer to the molecules of the barrier.
The lost sound energy is said to have been
absorbed by the barrier. The thickness and nature
of the material as regards its softness and hardness
influences the amount of sound energy absorbed.
3.3 Refraction

This is the bending of sound when it travels from one medium

into another medium. The difference in the composition of the
two different media bends the sound i.e. the angle of incidence
changes into an angle of refraction as it travels into the new
medium.

3.4 Diffusion
This is the scattering of waves from a surface. It
occurs as a result of the texture and hardness of the
obstacle is comparable to the wavelength of the sound.
The direction of the incident ray changes when it
strikes the surface of the obstacle. Satisfaction is
achieved when sound is heard in all direction at equal
level.
3.5 Diffraction

When the wavelength of a sound wave is smaller or equal to the

size of the obstacle, the sound rays tend to bend round the edge
of the obstacle thereby turning the edge to a sound source.

3.6 Transmission

In this phenomenon, sound wave is carried by

molecules of the obstacle through vibration and re-
emitted at the other side irrespective of the
medium. It can be structure borne, air borne or
impact sound.

3.7 Reverberation and Echo

Reverberation: This is the persistence of sound in an enclosed space as a result of

continuous reflection or scattering of sound after the source has stopped. It is one the most
prominent behaviours of sound in an enclosure. It occurs when sound waves hits a surface
and are reflected toward another surface which also reflects it. Some of the sound is
absorbed with this continuous reflection which gradually reduces the energy of the sound
to zero. The phenomenon can affect the audibility of sound in an enclosure, especially if
the reverberation time, which is the time taken for the sound pressure level to diminish to
60 dB below its initial value is considerably long.

Echo: this occurs when the reverberation time is long enough to cause a distinct repetition
of the direct sound. This condition is an advanced form of reverberation where the sound
is heard clearly and repeatedly after some time until it fades.
4.0 FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE BEHAVIOUR OF SOUND IN AN
ENCLOSED SPACE.

The way in which sound behaves in an enclosed space depends on many factors which
include:

• Reduction in its intensity of sound – This can results due to the distance between its
source and the receiver.
• Absorption of direct sound by the audience – The listeners of the sound absorb some
of the sound in the process of hearing.
• Absorption of direct and reflected sound by surfaces – The walls, ceiling and floor of
the enclosure absorbs and reflect sound waves thereby controlling the way the
sounds behave.
• Reflection of sounds from right-angled corners - Sound incident to a right-angled
corner of room will be reflected back towards source if surfaces are acoustically
reflective. This can in turn produce echoes especially in large spaces.
• Dispersion of the sides of an enclosure - Reflections can be controlled by making one
surface dispersive i.e. not at right angle to each. This would have affected the
reflection of the sound thereby affecting its behaviour.
• Edge diffraction of sound - Edge diffraction results in the curvature of part of a
sound wave around the edge of a barrier. This causes the obstacles to scatter the
sound waves making it behave like a source of sound.
• Sound shadow - Any barrier interrupting a sound wave will create a shadow,
synonymous to light rays. However, because of edge diffraction some sound will
creep into this but such penetration is frequency dependent - high frequencies are
less diffracted than low frequencies. Such problems can occur in auditorium with
balconies.
• Primary reflection – This depends on the angle of incidence which is equal to the
angle of reflection. Also, the nature of sound reflector is important.
• Panel resonance - Sound waves can propagate "through" a solid material by panel
vibration. The sound does not actually penetrate the material but rather causes this
to vibrate and act as a sound source itself. The panel will be vibrated by both direct
and reflected sound waves.
 When a sound is encountered in the open air, in a horizontal plane, the sound that reaches
a listener proceeds by a direct path from the sound source. But for sounds in an enclosed
space, the listener
will receive not
only the direct
sound but also
the sound energy

Fig.1 Potential apparent changes in direction of sound reflection distance from that is reflected
sources
from the surfaces
of the enclosed space. The boundaries of the space will have three principal effects on the
experience of sound; sound intensity is likely to increase, sound duration is likely to
increase, and apparent sound direction may be altered. This can be seen in Fig. 1 above
showing the effect of reflection, the distance between the source and the listener and the
change in intensity. It can be seen that there is only one direct sound wave experienced by
the listener while indirect sound waves of varying intensities are as a result of reflection by
the boundary of the enclosure which are at different distances from the source and the
listener.

The super-imposition of both

the direct and indirect sounds
creates an increase in sound
level which may result to a
distortion the sound in turn
affecting audibility. Fig. 2

Fig.2 Increase in sound levels arising from the summation of indirect

(reflected) sound energy and direct energy from source

It is also noticed that indirect

sound reaches the listener a little later after the listener as experienced the direct sound.

This cause an increase in the duration of the sound caused by the distance between the
source of sound, the listener and the reflector. (Fig. 3)
 The above conditions results
into reverberation.

Fig.3 Extension of apparent duration of sound because of a longer

length path (hence later) arrival of indirect sound relative to
direct sounds.

The two major factors that affect sound transmissions are:

• Increased weight per unit area of panel decreases sound transmission,

• Increased frequency of incident sound decreases sound transmission.

Besides the mass of the panel, other factors that can affect sound transmission include:

• Panel stiffness - at very low frequencies the stiffness (i.e. resistance to

deformation) may have more effect than its weight. In this part of the frequency
range insulation is termed stiffness controlled.
• Rigid panels - if a rigid panel is struck it will continue to vibrate at frequencies
determined by its size, shape, and thickness - this is its "natural frequency" (natural
mode of vibration).

All subsequent frequencies which produce such vibration are called resonant frequencies
and sound insulation will be reduced. This is termed resonance controlled insulation.
5.0 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SPEECH INTELLIGIBILITY
The requirements for speech intelligibility are basically the same for un-amplified as for
amplified speech. The most important factors are:
• Speech level versus ambient noise level - Every effort should be made to minimize
noise due to air handling systems and outside interferences. In general, the noise
level should be 25 dB or greater below the lowest speech levels which are expected.
However, for quite high levels of reinforced speech, as may be encountered
outdoors, a noise level 10 to 15 dB below speech levels may be tolerated.
• Reverberation time - Speech syllables occur three or four times per second. For
reverberation times of 1.5 seconds or less, the effect of reverberant overhang on the
clarity of speech will be minimal.
• Direct-to-reverberant ratio - For
reverberation times in excess of
1.5 seconds, the clarity of
speech is a function of both
reverberation time and the ratio
of direct-to-reverberant sound.

Direct-to-reverberation ratio graph

In an important research set forth, a method of estimating speech intelligibility was found
to be considerably applicable in sound system design. These findings were compiled on the
basis of data gathered over a period of years.
The conclusions can are as follows:
• In practice, the articulation loss of consonants can be used as a single indicator of
intelligibility.

Analyzed intelligibility chart

 • As would be expected, the researchers found wide variations in both talkers and
listeners. However, a 15% articulation loss of consonants seems to be the maximum
allowable for acceptable speech intelligibility. In other words, if articulation loss of
consonants exceeds 15% for the majority of listeners, most of those people will find
the intelligibility of speech to be unacceptable.
• Articulation loss of consonants can be estimated for typical rooms. Articulation loss
of consonants is a function of reverberation time and the direct-to-reverberant
sound ratio.
• As a listener moves farther from a talker (decreasing the direct-to-reverberant sound
ratio) articulation loss of consonants an increase. That is, intelligibility becomes less
as the direct-to-reverberant ratio decreases. However, this relationship is maintained
only to a certain distance, beyond which no further change takes place. The
boundary corresponds to a direct-to-reverberant ratio of -10 dB.

5.1 Some standard architectural-acoustical measures

The standard measures that may be applied provide information about specific dimensions
of the experience of sound in enclosed spaces (specifically, loudness, duration and spatial
impression). Note that loudness, duration and spatial impression are all psychological
attributes of sound in enclosed spaces.
Standard objective measures address the physical aspects of sounds in spaces that correlate
with these psychological attributes; hence loudness would be assessed by means of
measurements of intensity, duration in terms of measurements of temporal ex-tension and
spatial impression by measurements of the directions from which reflected sound reaches a
listener. These objective measures include: total sound level; objective clarity of speech or
music; reverberation time; early decay time; and objective envelopment.

5.1.1 Intensity
Total sound level: is a measure of the increased intensity of the acoustic signal that occurs in
any enclosed space with reflective surfaces. This corresponds to the total sound level at the
measurement position minus the sound level of the direct sound measured at 10m from
the sound source. It is expected that different locations in any given site are likely to yield
different total sound level values, and on each site a range of measurements would have to
be taken.
 5.1.2 Temporal Effects
Objective clarity: is a measure of the ratio of direct sound to indirect sound in an enclosed
space; high levels of clarity indicate high levels of direct sound relative to indirect sound. It
can be measured so as to correlate with perceived speech intelligibility, where the direct
sound is defined as including all indirect sound occurring within 50m sec of the direct
sound or with the perceived ‘distinctness’ of music’s structure in time, where the direct
sound incorporates all indirect sound occurring within 80m sec of the direct sound.
Again, clarity can be expected to vary across a space so multiple measurements will be taken
at each site.
Reverberation time: is the classical measure of the effect of an enclosed space on the
perceived duration of a sound, and is defined as the time taken for the acoustic signal to
decay by 60 dB from the cessation of the direct sound. Though similar to clarity, it provides
an index of the ‘liveliness’ of a space, and hence its suitability for types of activities
involving sound that proceed at different paces. Measurements of reverberation time
should be supplemented by measurements of Early decay time, which provides an index
similar to reverberation time but one that appears to correspond more directly to the
subjective judgments of reverberation when the decay in a space is not completely linear (a
feature that is likely to vary between sites).

When reflected sound reaches the listener before 30 When reflected sound reaches the listener later than
– 35m sec of the direct sound, both inputs are likely 30 – 35m sec of the direct sound, both inputs will not
to be experienced at the same time. be integrated and not experienced at the same time.
Spatial Effects
Objective envelopment or early lateral energy fraction: is a measure of the ratio of early
energy arriving at a point from lateral directions to total early energy arriving at that point
(early energy being defined as within 80m sec of the direct sound). This gives an index of
the perceived spatial configuration of a space on the basis of acoustical cues and is likely to
relate to the degree to which a listener can, or cannot, orient themselves in that space on
the basis of sound alone.

From measurement of clarity in its two forms one can legitimately make inferences about
the suitability of a space or site for speech, or for activities involving ‘heightened speech’ (as
in declamation) or music. Such inferences can be buttressed by measures of reverberation
time, as a long RT (or long Early decay time) will seem to ‘smear’ or ‘blend’ sound over time,
making it more suitable for sound sequences that are either slow in pace or that require a
degree of blending it time to achieve their efficacy.

4.2 Effects of Indirect Sound

Some of the effects of indirect sound include:
• Increase in intensity of sound – this is as a result of the super-imposition of both the
direct and indirect sounds.
• Direct sound – indirect sounds are very close to direct sound that it is hard to
differentiate them.
• Termination of direct sound – indirect sound is heard even when the direct sound
has faded away.
• Termination of first reflection
• Equilibrium reached between input power and loss
• First reflection
6.0 CONCLUSION
Sound is characterised by many uniqueness as a wave especially within an enclosed space.
The study of these characteristics is of great importance in architecture. This is more
pronounced in the design of large enclosed spaces designed for speech, music or quiet.
Having carefully studied the behaviour of sound within an enclosed space, it can be said
that the importance of the adequate knowledge of this subject cannot be over-emphasised.
It is imperative that the understanding of the behaviour of sound and related issues within a
confinement is a foundation in achieving acoustically sound spaces by architects and this
must be taken into consideration right from the conception stage of a design to the very
finishing of the construction.
7.0 REFERENCES

M. Barron, Auditorium Acoustics and Architectural Design, London: E. & F. N. Spon, 1993.
W.C. Sabine, Collected Papers on Acoustics, New York: Dover Publications, 1921.
J. Eargle, Electro-acoustical Reference Data, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1994.
H. Haas, The Influence of a Single Echo on the Audibility of Speech, J. Audio Engineering
Society, volume 20, number 2 (1972).
O.O. Ogunsote, Lecture Notes, Arc 507: Environmental Control III (Acoustics and Noise
Control), Federal University of Technology, Akure, 2007.