NOISE

NOISE
 Unwanted sound reaching the ears- noise
 It may be due to frequency of sound or intensity
of sound or both
 Noise due to high frequency sound is more
unpleasant than the noise due to low frequency
sounds
 Noisy conditions not only result in
uncomfortable living conditions, fatigue,
inefficiency and mental strain, but prolonged
exposure to such conditions may cause
temporary deafness or nervous breakdown
EFFECTS OF NOISE
 It creates discomfort
 It has adverse effect on blood pressure,
muscular strain and on sleep
 It leads to fatigue and decreases the efficiency
of persons
 It takes away essence of music and speech

 It disturbs concentration

 Prolonged exposure to noise may result in

temporary deafness or even nervous breakdown
 Reduction in noise increases output of labour
 If the noise originates in a room, this will be
called the source room
 the room in which the recipient is located will
be termed the receiving room
NOISE CLASSIFICATION

 From the origin point of view, noises may be of

two types
a) Outdoor noises

b) Indoor noises
INDOOR NOISES
 The most common noise produced by people
 originating from people, household equipment,
or machinery within the building.
 Caused either in the same room or in the
adjacent room
 These are due to conversation of people, moving
of people or furniture, crying of babies, playing of
radios or other musical instruments, operations
of cisterns and water closets, noise of type writer,
banging of doors etc.
 Building noises produced by various household
equipment, machinery, etc., represent more
serious sources of interference.
 Extremely high noise levels are produced in
several industrial buildings due to various
manufacturing or production processes.
 Partition walls, floor constructions, doors and
windows inside the building must provide
adequate protection against these noises
OUTDOOR NOISES
 Outdoor noises are harmful contributors to noisy-
buildings
 Caused by road traffic, railways, aeroplanes, lifts,
moving machinery, machines in nearby factory or
building etc.
 A preliminary noise survey always should be
made at sites chosen for buildings in which
quietness is essential (Churches, Studios,
Hospitals, Schools, etc.) in order to make some
preliminary allowance for the required noise
control measures necessitated by outdoor noises
 The advent of jet and supersonic aircrafts, for both
civilian and military purposes, has introduced the
most complex types of noise control problems that
now confront acoustical experts
 Aircraft noises, particularly during ground run-up
and take-off operations, affect not only living and
working conditions around the airport, but also
large areas of densely populated districts,
regrettably located along air routes, are subjected
to objectionable noise levels
 The noise level created by vehicular traffic will
depend on the type of vehicles, their number,
speed and the frequency of their occurrence.
 The reduction of the intensity of outdoor noises
with distance is governed by the inverse square
law; a drop of 6 dB will be noticeable every time
the distance between the source and recipient
is doubled
 In addition, there is attenuation due to
molecular absorption, mainly at frequencies
above 1000 cps
 Besides molecular absorption, other weather
factors, such as wind and temperature
gradients, snow, clouds, and fog will also affect
the propagation of noise in the open air
 An obstruction (wall, embankment, building,
etc.) will contribute to the attenuation of
outdoor noises only if the dimension of the
obstruction is comparable with the wavelength
of the noise; the attenuation provided by
obstructions is, however, rather limited
 Exterior walls and top floors (roofs) must
provide the required protection against outdoor
noises.
Sound can be produced
(a) in the air, such as the human voice or musical
sounds,
(b) by impacts, such as the dropping of objects on
a floor, the slamming of doors,
(c) by machinery vibration, and
(d) by the flow of fluids, such as air in ducts

 The sound thus generated at the source will

travel through various paths in a building
NOISE CLASSIFICATION

Noise may alternatively classified as follows

a) Air borne noises or sounds

b) Structure borne noises or impact noises or

sounds
AIR BORNE SOUNDS
 Generated in air and which is transmitted
through air only, directly to human ear
 Such a sound travels from one part of the
building to the other, or from outside of the
building to inside by
i. Openings such as doors, windows, ventilators, key
holes etc. or by
ii. Forced vibrations set up in walls, ceilings etc.
 Air borne noises possess less power continues
for a long duration and is confined to places
near to origin
 Air-borne sounds are attenuated considerably
by air absorption and also by intervening
enclosures (walls, floors, etc.), so that their
affect is confined mostly to areas near their
origin.
 A speaking person, a singer, the violin, the
trumpet, etc., generate air-borne sounds.
STRUCTURE BORNE SOUNDS OR IMPACT SOUNDS

 Those which originate and progress on the

building structure
 These are caused by structural vibrations
originated due to impact
 The common sources of this sound are: foot
steps, movement of furniture, dropping of
utensils on floor, hammering, drilling, operation
of machinery, etc.
 These are more powerful, propagate over long
distances and persist for a very short duration
 Structure-borne sounds, by setting solid parts of
the building structure ( walls, floors, roofs, etc.)
into vibration, virtually multiply the area of the
sound radiating surface, thereby increasing the
radiated sound pressure.
 Sometimes this growth of the area of the sound
radiating surface is useful, even desirable, e.g.
with musical instruments, such as cello, double
bass, piano, etc. But in many cases it is harmful.
 A structure-borne sound originates in an impact or
vibration producing source that is in contact with a
building component
 The building component works as an amplifier of
the sound generated by the impact or vibrating
source; the impact or vibrating source itself may
not create much sound
 For eg:- a vibrating water tap does not create much
sound of its own, but if it is rigidly connected to a
wall, its sound is amplified several fold because of
the vibrations it produces in the wall
 From the point of view of a recipient, structure-
borne noises cannot be separated from air-
borne noises.
 Structure borne noises transmitted through the
structure will be re-radiated from certain
building elements, such as walls, slabs, panels,
suspended ceilings, furred-out plasters,
building boards, etc., and will eventually reach
the recipient as an air-borne noise.
 The difference between the air borne noise and
impact noise is related to the origin of noise in
relation to the receiver room only.
 In a three storey building, washing of clothes in
the room of the middle floor will be heard as
impact sound for the room below it and as air
borne sound in the room above it
 The means of suppression of air-borne noises
(air-borne sound insulation) are different from
those of insulating structure-borne noises
(structure-borne sound insulation).
 A boundary that provides good protection
against one type of noise may be a poor
insulator against the other.
 It is, therefore, important to find out whether
the noise that has to be combated originates
from air-borne sounds or from structure borne
sounds
TRANSMISSION OF NOISE

 Noise is transmitted in the following ways:

i. Through air
ii. By the vibrations of structural members
iii. Through structural members
 Through air
 Transmission of noise/sound through air is more
common
 In this sound waves travel through openings of
doors, windows, ventilators, key holes, cracks in the
walls etc.
 By the vibrations of structural members
 When the source of sound is very near, sound
waves impinge or strike on the thin structural
members such as door, partition walls, membrane
wall etc.
 These structural members vibrate and in turn set
up secondary sound waves to the other side.
 Through structural members
 Transmission takes place when elastic wave
motions, consisting of compressions and
rarefactions of sound are transmitted from particle
to particle of the structural member, in the form of
pressure impulses.
 Such a node is prevalent where mechanical
vibrations are caused such as in factories,
workshops etc.
 TRANSMISSION OF AIR BORNE SOUND
 Air-borne noises originating in the source room
can be transmitted to the receiving room in the
following ways
A. Along continuous air paths through openings;
such as, open doors and windows; ventilating
ducts and ventilating grilles; shafts, crawl spaces;
gaps and cracks around doors, pipes, conduits,
electrical fixtures, and built in elements, etc.
B. By means of forced vibrations set up in the
boundaries (walls, floor, ceiling) of the source
room and transmitted to the boundaries of the
receiving room; these forced vibrations will
then be re-radiated in the receiving room. If
source room and receiving room have a
common boundary (partition wall or floor), the
re-radiated sound might be particularly
noticeable unless the boundary in question
offers sufficient resistance to flexural vibrations
(i.e., it has adequate mass).
TRANSMISSION OF STRUCTURE-BORNE NOISE
AND VIBRATION
 Since structure-borne noises and vibrations are
readily transmitted with little attenuation and
over great distances in a building, structure-
borne noises and vibrations should be
suppressed right at their source, where
possible, or as close as possible to it.
 This will be accomplished

(a) by the use of adequately resilient flooring

(carpeting, rubber tile, cork tile, etc.) to reduce
impact transmissions to the floor;
(b) by the use of a segment of flexible {metallic,
rubber, or plastic) hose or canvas in pipes,
ducts, etc. to prevent the transmission of
vibrations along them;
(c) by the use of flexible mountings, anti-
vibration pads, floating floors, etc. to prevent
the transmission of vibration and shock from
various machinery or exterior sources into
nearby precision machines; delicate equipment
or into the building itself
 NOISE LEVELS
 The need for effective noise control in buildings
derives from the fact that noise affects people· in
the following ways
(a) it can be so loud as to cause temporary or
permanent damage to the ear;
(b) it can interfere with listening to speech or music;
(c) it may cause deterioration of work performance;
and
(d) it can be annoying and distracting.
DAMAGE TO HEARING

 Noises so loud (about 150 dB) that they cause

immediate damage to hearing do not occur
normally in buildings; they may occur, however,
near Airports.
 In such special cases, precautions are required
to avoid the risk of people accidentally entering
the damage zone without ear muffs
 Noise levels high enough to cause temporary or
permanent deafness occur in industry.
 Various criteria have been produced giving the
maximum noise level& which must not be
exceeded if temporary or permanent deafness
(complete or partial) is to be avoided
 If existing noise levels measured in a very noisy
room exceed the dangerous levels established
in the corresponding criteria, some measure will
have to be taken in order to reduce the noise
and to protect the workers
ACCEPTABLE NOISE LEVEL IN BUILDINGS
 The highest level of noise in a building that neither
disturbs its occupants nor impairs its acoustics is
called the acceptable noise level.
 It depends; to a large extend, on the nature of noise
and the type of customary use of the building.
 The time fluctuation of the noise is one of the most
important factors in determining its tolerability.
 For example, a bedroom with an average noise level
of 35 dB with no instantaneous peak levels
substantially higher, would be much more
conductive to sleep than would be a room with an
average noise level of only 25 dB but in which the
stillness is pierced by an occasional shriek.
 Levels that are annoying to one person are
unnoticed by another.
 It is impossible to specify precise values within
which noise values should fall in order to be
acceptable.
 It is useful to know the range of average noise
levels that are acceptable under average
conditions.
A COMPILATION OF SUCH LEVELS OF VARIOUS TYPES OF ROOMS
IN WHICH NOISE CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO BE A SIGNIFICANT
PROBLEM IS GIVEN IN THE TABLE BELOW:
 RECOMMENDED ACCEPTABLE AVERAGE NOISE LEVELS IN UNOCCUPIED ROOMS:

Rooms Decibels
 Radio, recording and television studios 25-30
 Music rooms 30-35
 Legitimate theaters 30-35
 Hospitals 35-40
 Motion picture theaters, auditoriums 35-40
 Churches 35-40
 Apartments, hotels, homes 35-45
 Classrooms, lecture rooms 35-40
 Conference rooms, small offices 40-45
 Court rooms 40-45
 Private offices 40-45
 Libraries 40-45
 Large public offices, banks, stores etc 45-55
 Restaurants 50-55
*the levels given in this table are “weighed”; that is, they are the levels measured with a
standard sound-level meter incorporating a 40 dB frequency weighing network
 The recommended acceptable noise levels in
this table are empirical values based on the
experience of the authors and others they have
consulted.
 Local conditions or cost considerations may
make it impractical to meet the high standards
inherent in these relatively low noise levels.
 In more than 80% of the rooms in some of the
types listed, the prevalent average noise levels
exceed the recommended acceptable levels.
 However, it should be understood that the
acceptance of higher noise levels incurs a risk
of impaired acoustics or of the comfort of the
individuals in the room.
 The acceptable noise levels of the table given
above are useful in calculating the sound
insulation requirements of walls, partitions and
ventilation ducts under typical noise conditions.
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE NOISE LEVELS

 When the probable or existing noise level of an

exterior noise source has been determined (by
measurement, estimation, analogy, etc;), the
acceptable noise level in the receiving room
has then to be established.
 The difference between probable or existing
level at the source and acceptable noise level
at the recipient is position will suggest the
degree of noise reduction to be achieved.
 Criteria developed in the last decade enable us
to specify those permissible noise levels which
will provide a satisfactory environment for
listening to speech and music.
 The recommended maximum permissible or
desirable noise levels (in the representative
octave bands) in various occupancies can be
specified in terms of Noise Criterion curves (or
NC curves).
 These NC curves are recommended for specification of
the desired amount of background noise levels for
various occupancies wherever a favorable relation
between the low frequency and the high frequency
portion of the spectrum is desired.
 permissible noise levels in various occupancies (with
ventilating system, if any, operating, and with normal
outside traffic conditions) can be specified in terms of
NC curves
 It is assumed that the infiltrating exterior noise is
meaningless, because if intruding noise constitutes
meaningful communication (e.g., speech or music),
other criteria apply their discussion falls beyond the
scope of this study
 If a noise has to be reduced to inaudibility, then
the permissible noise levels are specified in NC
curves figure by the curve representing the
"approximate threshold of hearing for
continuous noise"
CRITERIA FOR OFFICE SPACES
 In speech communication it is mainly the frequencies
between 600 and 4800 cps which affect intelligibility.
 Therefore, a corresponding criterion, called Speech
Interference Level (SIL), has been established that is
used in assessing the effects of noise on speech.
 If the noise level is defined in terms of Speech
Interference Levels, this means the average, in decibels,
of the sound pressure levels of the noise in the three
octave bands 600 to 1200, 1200 to 2400·and 2400 to
4800 cps.
 Table R.2 gives maximum permissible Speech
Interference Levels, in decibels above 0.0002 microbar,
which barely permit satisfactory perception of natural
adult male speech at specified distances and voice
levels
 NOISE CRITERIA
 The noise criteria (sic) (NC) is a single numerical index
commonly used to define design goals for the maximum
allowable noise in a given space.
 They primarily apply to the noise produced by a ventilation
system, but they may be applied to other noise sources.
 The NC criteria consist of a family of curves that define the
maximum allowable octave-band sound pressure level
corresponding to a chosen NC design goal.
 Although alternate contours have been proposed (most notably
the room criterion or RC curves), the NC criteria remain the
most widely accepted.
 Noise Criterion - NC - was established in U.S. for rating indoor
noise, noise from air-conditioning equipment etc. In Europe it is
common to use Noise Rating Curves - NR.
 The method consists of a set of criteria curves
extending from 63 to 8000 Hz, and a tangency
rating procedure.
 The criteria curves define the limits of octave band
spectra that must not be exceeded to meet
occupant acceptance in certain spaces.
 The NC rating can be obtained by plotting the
octave band levels for a given noise spectrum - the
NC curves.
 The noise spectrum is specified as having a NC
rating same as the lowest NC curve which is not
exceeded by the spectrum.
NC CURVES
NOISE CRITERIA CURVES

 A set of contours, roughly corresponding to the

ear’s response to sound pressure level at
various frequencies, which define the
background noise level within a space,
particularly that due to HVAC noise.
 Specifying background noise levels based on
speech interference levels has serious limitations,
since it does not consider other effects of noise
such as annoyance, interference with activity,
listening to music, etc.
 Based on extensive interviews with people in
offices, public spaces, and manufacturing
facilities, a family of octave band sound pressure
level curves has been developed to specify
acceptable background noise levels.
 The curves are called noise criterion curves,
abbreviated as NC curves.
 Each curve is designated by a number, such as
NC 20, NC 30, NC 30, etc.
 The shape of NC curves is similar to the equal
loudness contours and highlights the ear’s
lower frequency sensitivity to low frequency
noise
 The curves were originally developed from the
measurement studies of how much HVAC noise
interferes with speech communication, and
with listening to music, radio or television.
 The curves are now used extensively to specify
acceptable interior noise levels from all types of
sources including HVAC noise but excluding
occupancy-related noise, provided the noise is
of a continuous nature.
 Noise Criterion curves (NC curves) for use with
above table in determining the permissible (or
desirable) sound pressure levels in eight octave
bands, for various occupancies.
 The NC number of each curve also specifies the
corresponding Speech Interference Level.(SIL), in
decibels, used as a criterion in the noise control of
Offices.
 Each NC curve has a loudness level in phon that is
22 units greater than the SIL in decibels.
(Reprinted from Revised Criteria for Noise in
Buildings by L.L. Beranek Noise Control, Jan.
1957).
TRANSMISSION LOSSES

 When sound is transmitted from the source or

origin to the adjoining room/area, reduction in
sound intensity takes place, known as
transmission loss (TL)
 It is numerically equivalent to the loss in the
intensity of sound or sound pressure level
expressed in decibels
 If 60dB and 40dB are the sound levels
measured on either side of the wall, the
transmission loss is 20dB
 The following points are noteworthy in
connection with transmission losses
1. Transmission loss is expresses in terms of loss of
sound intensity (expressed in decibels)
2. The efficiency of sound insulation barrier (such as
wall, partition, door, floor, etc.) is expressed in
terms transmission loss of air-borne sound
passing through the barrier
3. The transmission loss (or sound insulation)
offered by a structure depends upon the materials
used and method of construction
4. Transmission loss depends upon the frequency of
sound. Hence transmission loss of a structure
should be studied over a wide range of sound
frequencies