Prinama Lecture 5-6

W5-6
SOUND INDOORS
When sound hits a hard surface/wall,
1. some sound energy is reflected,
2. some is absorbed,
3. some of this absorbed energy is transmitted through the surface/wall.
Sound Absorption Coefficient (unitless) is the fraction (roughly the

percentage) of sound absorbed by a material, equal to the amount of sound energy
absorbed divided by the original amount of energy that hit the surface.
It is a 2-digit decimal number denoting the sound absorption characteristic of a
surface material.
This coefficient is denoted by the Greek letter alpha, α.

SOUND ABSORPTION!
Sound Treatment (acoustic treatment): the process of applying certain

materials inside a room (or any indoor venue) to adjust how the room will sound.
2 common ways of applying sound treatment:

1. Absorption – reduces reverb and resonance by absorbing reflections from surfaces.
2. Diffusion – scatters or breaks up sound waves to reflect into different directions.
Soundproofing: the process of constructing walls, floors and ceilings that

would greatly minimize, or prevent sound from being transmitted through the said
surfaces.
Soundproofing = Sound Isolation
> Soundproofing aims to prevent external noise from entering the room, and
prevent sound inside the room from being transmitted outside.
Room mode – a frequency that is emphasized or resonates much more, based on the
room’s dimensions.
- a resonant frequency directly correlated to the room’s dimensions.
Standing wave – an occurrence where a sound wave going one direction is reinforced by
another sound wave going the opposite direction, resulting in what looks like a
stationary waveform. This reinforcement increases loudness in certain parts of the room.
> A room mode is a standing wave.
> A room can have many room modes or standing waves.

3 MAIN TYPES OF ABSORBERS
1. Frictional – absorbs by rubbing (friction)
2. Flexural – absorbs by bending
3. Resonant – absorbs at openings and in cavities
FRICTIONAL ABSORBERS
- porous absorbers; sometimes called “fuzz”
- Works by allowing sound to pass through them
- Air molecules pass through microscopic voids and rub against the fibers, causing
friction which converts sound to heat.
- Most absorptive at middle and high frequencies
- Typical examples include acoustic tiles, carpet, stuffed furniture
- Increasing the thickness increases low frequency absorption
FLEXURAL ABSORBERS
- panel or membrane absorbers
- Thin panels bend or flex when hit by low frequency sound energy.
- Are usually less than ¾ inch thick.
- Primarily absorbs low frequencies
- Typical examples include gypsum board, thin plywood, large windows
RESONANT ABSORBERS
- Most absorptive in a narrow range of frequencies depending on the volume of
enclosure, the surface area of the opening, and the opening length.
- Can be tuned to any frequency range, but are usually tuned for low frequencies,
since frictional absorbers already work well in absorbing the high frequencies.
BROADBAND ABSORBERS
- materials or constructions that can absorb fairly well in all octave bands.
NOISE REDUCTION COEFFICIENT (NRC) (unitless)
- average of the sound absorption coefficients in the mid range frequencies (250 Hz,
500 Hz, 1000 Hz and 2000 Hz)
- Intended as a single simplified absorption rating of materials when the acoustical
objectives of the space are less sensitive; usually just for concerns of speech range
frequencies.
Ex1. What kind of absorbers are the ff:

a. heavy carpet on concrete (#20) Frictional Absorber
b. ¼” plywood (#6) Flexural Absorber
Ex2. Find the NRC of:

a. Leather-covered seats, unoccupied (#32) .5 + .6 + .6 + .6 = 2.3
2.3/4 = .575
b. α125= .3 α250= .4 α500= .6 α1k= .8 α2k= .85 α4k= .85
.4 + .6 + .8 + .85 = 2.65
2.65/4 = .6625
Definitions/formulas:
Absorption of a Material
a = sα
where: a = absorption of a material, expressed in Sabines (ft2)
s = surface area of each material (ft2), L x W
α = absorption coefficient (unitless)
Ex1. At 4000 Hz, find the absorption of a painted concrete wall (#3) measuring
12’ long and 8’ high.
Solution: a = sα
a = (12’)(8’) (.06) = 5.76 ft2 or 5.76 Sabines //
2. Find the absorption of suspended mineral tiles (#28) ceiling 21’ by 22’ at 500
Hz.
Solution: a = (21’)(22’) (.6)
a = 277.2 Sab. //
Total Absorption of a room
A = Σ sα, or A = Σa
where: A = total absorption, in sabines (ft2)
Σa = sum of the absorptions of all materials.
Ex1. A room with dimensions 14’(l), 12’(w), and 8.5’(h), was constructed with
the following materials: walls-1/4” plywood (#6), floor – wood on joists (#18),
and ceiling- half-inch thick GWB (#23). Find A at 250 Hz.
Solution: remember: a = sα, and A = ∑ sα

Floor: a = (14)(12) (.1) = 16.8 Sab.
Ceiling: a = (14)(12) (.15) = 25.2
Small Walls: a = (12)(8.5)(2) (.2) = 40.8
14’
Big Walls: a = (14)(8.5) (2)(.2) = 47.6 8.5’
A = 130.4 Sab. 12’

REVERBERATION (REVERB)
Sound outdoors propagates freely without obstructions.
Sound indoors is reflected repeatedly.
These reflections allow the sound to persist for a short time before being completely
absorbed or die down naturally.
This persistence of sound is called reverberation.

Reverb is the decay of sound after the sound source has stopped.
Reverb is the thousands of echoes, or delays, or reflections, occurring so close to
each other that they sound like one continuous decay of the original sound.
Reverberation Time (RT60) is defined as the time it takes (in seconds)

for sound to decay or die down by 60 dB after the original sound incident has
stopped.
Generally, the reverberation time increases as the room volume increases.
Also, the reverberation time decreases as the amount of absorption increases.
RT60 = .𝟎𝟓𝑽
_______________________
𝑨
where: RT60 = reverb time in seconds
V = volume of the room in cubic ft. (ft3)
A = total room absorption in sabines (ft2)
Ex2. A room with dimensions 25’ (l), 20’ (w), 10’ (h), has the following
materials: Floor: smooth concrete (#16), Walls: painted concrete block (#3),
Ceiling: ¼” plywood (#6). At 250 Hz, find A and T60.
Solution:
Floor: a = (25’)(20’) (.01) = 5 Sabines
Ceiling: a = (25’)(20’) (0.2) = 100
Small Walls: a = (20)(10) (2)(0.08) = 32
Big Walls: a = (25)(10) (2)(0.08) = 40
A = 177 Sabines
.05V
RT60 = Remember, V = LxWxH
A
.05(25′ )(20′ )(10′ )
=
177 𝑆𝑎𝑏
.05(5000 𝑓𝑡3) 250

= =
177 Sab 177
= 1.41 sec
Ex3. The room in Ex2 was modified. Carpet (#20) was added to one-third of the floor, one
big wall was completely covered with mediumweight curtains (#12), half of the other big
wall was covered with glass-fiber panels (#15), and two-thirds of the ceiling was covered
with directly-adhered mineral tiles (#25) . At 250 Hz, find A and T60.
New Floor: a = (25’)(20’)(1/3) (.1) = 16.67
Old floor: a = (25’)(20’)(2/3) (.01) = 3.33
New ceiling: a = (25’)(20’)(2/3) (.3) = 100
Old Ceiling: a = (25’)(20’) (1/3) (.2) = 33.33
Small Walls: a = 32
Big Wall #1: a = (25)(10) (0.3) = 75
Big Wall #2 old: a = (25)(10)(.5) (.08) = 10
Big Wall #2 New: a = (25)(10)(.5) (.55) = 68.75
A = 339.08 Sabines
.05V .05(25′ )(20′ )(10′ )

T60 = =
A 339.08 sq.ft.
.05(5000) 250
= =
339.08 339.08
= 0.74 s
1,000
NOISE REDUCTION (NR) Indoors
- Indoor noise reduction depends on the change in total absorption A.
- NR indoors is also frequency dependent.
NRindoor = |10 log (𝑨𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆/𝑨𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓)|

Where NR = noise reduction in dB (absolute value)
Abefore = total absorption before modifying absorption, in sabines or ft2
Aafter = total absorption after modifying absorption, in sabines or ft2.
Ex4. Find the NR incurred from modifying the room in previous example.
𝐴𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒
NR = |10 log |
𝐴𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟
177 𝑆𝑎𝑏.
= |10 log |
339.08 𝑆𝑎𝑏.
= |10 log (.52)|
= |10 (-0.28)|
= 2.8 dB

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W5-6

Sound Absorption Coefficient (unitless) is the fraction (roughly the

This coefficient is denoted by the Greek letter alpha, α.

Sound Treatment (acoustic treatment): the process of applying certain

2 common ways of applying sound treatment:

Soundproofing: the process of constructing walls, floors and ceilings that

> A room mode is a standing wave.

> A room can have many room modes or standing waves.

1. Frictional – absorbs by rubbing (friction)

2. Flexural – absorbs by bending

3. Resonant – absorbs at openings and in cavities

Ex1. What kind of absorbers are the ff:

Ex2. Find the NRC of:

b. α125= .3 α250= .4 α500= .6 α1k= .8 α2k= .85 α4k= .85

a = (12’)(8’) (.06) = 5.76 ft2 or 5.76 Sabines //

Solution: remember: a = sα, and A = ∑ sα

A = 130.4 Sab. 12’

This persistence of sound is called reverberation.

Reverberation Time (RT60) is defined as the time it takes (in seconds)

.05(5000 𝑓𝑡3) 250

.05V .05(25′ )(20′ )(10′ )

NRindoor = |10 log (𝑨𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆/𝑨𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓)|

= |10 log (.52)|

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