Lecture 5 Acoustical Materials & Methods (cont.

)
All materials have acoustical properties, some obviously much better than others. Most materials used for building have inherent acoustical properties that are used for other purposes (wall & roof components, glazing, insulation, etc.), while other materials are made specifically for acoustical purposes. Three Sound Boundary Events: Incident Sound Refracted and absorbed sound

Reflected Sound Material X-Sect.

Transmitted Sound

1. Reflection Reflection can be thought of as sound bouncing off a material. The shape and the surface texture greatly affect the sound reflection. In a polished smooth, dense surface, sound strikes the surface with its angle of incidence, i and reflects off the surface by an equal angle of reflection, r. This is referred to as pure specular reflection.

Specular Reflection i r Smooth, dense surface

If the surface is rough and dense, the incoming sound bounces off the irregular surface with a multitude of specular and diffuse reflections as shown below: Diffuse Reflection i Rough, dense surface

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 1 of 13

Sound can be focused into a point by shaping the surface into a concave form as shown below, or dispersed if striking a convex surface:

2. Absorption Defined as the materials ability to dissipate sound energy into heat or mechanical energy (i.e., vibration). Generally, porous materials are more absorptive than non-porous materials (i.e., carpeting versus sheet metal). The sound absorption coefficient (alpha) is used to describe the materials ability to absorb sound energy. Absorption can be thought of as friction that a sound wave must overcome in order to pass through the material. Big = absorptive. Refer to lecture 4 notes for various values of sound absorption coefficient :

0.02

0.06

0.14

0.37

0.60

0.65

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 2 of 13

3. Transmission The amount of sound that passes through a material that has not been reflected or absorbed. The opposite of attenuation. Usually the amount of sound energy transmitted through an object is small, comprising only about 1% of the total energy (reflection & absorption account for the remainder).

Transmitted sound may be refracted, as shown below:

Source

Refracted sound zone

Floor

Sound can actually reflect off of cantilevered balconies into occupancy

Transmission Loss (TL) is defined as the sound difference due to the physical barrier between two spaces, and is NOT attributed to other factors. The relationship between noise reduction (NR) and TL is the following: NR = TL 10 log S + 10 log A2 Where: NR = noise reduction, dB S = surface area of barrier, ft2 A2 = Amount of acoustical absorption in receiving room, ft2 If S = A2, then NR = TL, however, S and A2 are rarely equal, but are usually close.
Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 3 of 13

As mentioned earlier, transmission loss (TL) noise reduction (NR) and attenuation are all dependent upon the sounds frequency. The Sound Transmission Class (STC) is an average of TL from different frequencies over the frequency ranges of 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz.

60

Material C
50

Material A
40

Material B

TL (dB)

30

20

10

63

125

250

500

1000

2000

4000

Frequency Hz For illustrative purposes, all 3 materials have an STC = 40. Material A = Lead sheet Material B = concrete block Material C = wood stud wall w/ gypsum drywall As can be seen, the materials have different levels transmission loss at different frequencies. In general, heavy materials such as concrete and masonry perform better at lower frequencies than lighter weight materials.

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 4 of 13

Attenuation:
Attenuation is the opposite of transmission. It can be thought of as the ability to reduce sound energy from one room to another, as shown below: Source Room
Sound Level Principle sound barrier

Receiving Room
Attenuation Sound Level

Table of Building Component Assemblies:

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 5 of 13

Acoustical Shielding:
Providing a partial-height barrier to diminish some sound energy between two spaces is considered acoustical shielding. The effectiveness of shielding is almost totally dependent upon the materials absorptive qualities. An excellent example is the use of movable partitions within an office. Their use is not very effective most of the sound energy makes its way over the barrier or is flanked. As a general rule, acoustical shielding must be within line-of-sight between the sound source and receiver in order to be at all effective.

Sound

Ineffective

Acoustical shielding is effective for line-of-sight

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 6 of 13

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 7 of 13

Special Acoustical Materials:

1. Acoustical Metal Deck Similar to ordinary corrugated metal deck, except there is additional fibrous acoustical material placed within the corrugations, as shown below. Acoustical metal deck is VERY effective for reducing noise and reverberation is roof construction assemblies.

Coefficient of absorption

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 8 of 13

2. Acoustical Tile Widely used as a material usually made of mineral or cellular fibers. Sold in panels ranging from 12 x 12 up to 24 x 48.

Acoustical ceiling tiles

Acoustical ceiling tiles

Acoustical wall tiles

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 9 of 13

3. Acoustical Soundproof Drywall Made by proprietary companies, (such as Serious Materials), these panels are made of conventional gypsum and additional sound-absorbing materials. Fairly expensive, approx. $40.00 per 4x8 sheet.

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 10 of 13

4. Acoustical Foam Can either be open-cell (air can be blown into material< or closed-cell (air tight), usually made of polyurethane. The noise reduction coefficient ranges from about 0.25 ( thick) up to 0.90 (2 thick). Typical uses include padding for theatre seating, and other uses for reducing reverberation. 5. Carpet Usually made of synthetic materials, but also made from wool, cotton or other fibers. Absorptivity is good only in high frequencies, and is based on the thickness. Carpet absorbs sound, but can also attenuate impact sounds since it prevents hard contact with floor surface. NRC ranges typically between 0.20 to 0.55. 6. Curtains & Fabrics Curtains absorb sound if fairly heavy, weighing at least 1 lb. per yd2. Depending upon the weight, material used and method of draping, NRC ranges typically between 0.20 to as much as 0.70. www.acoustic-curtains.com

Industrial usage of acoustical fabric

7. Fiberglass Available in batts, rolls, blankets or boards. Effective in absorption due to its very fine porosity. Typically used in wall cavities and
Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 11 of 13

ceilings, but may also be used as duct liners. Also serves as effective thermal insulation.

Acoustical fiberglass board arrangement in ceiling

8. Laminated Glass Since there is an added air space, laminated glass has much better sound attenuation than an equal thickness of monolithic glass. For example, a thick laminated glass has STC 40, whereas a thick monolithic glass has STC 30.

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 12 of 13

9. Lead Sheets Excellent sound attenuation because it is very heavy (700 pcf). Also, lead is very soft and malleable and can conform to a multitude of shapes.

10. Sealants These flexible adhered compounds are used to stop sound leaks from under walls, wall openings, at wall/ceiling interfaces, etc. Their acoustical effectiveness is based on their ability to provide airtightness.

Acoustics Lecture 5 Page 13 of 13