VIBRATION AND NOISE CONTROL

Decibel Levels
Octave Bands
Acoustic Spectra
Monopole, Dipole and Quadrupole sources

Submitted by:-
K R Adithya
Kamal Nayan
Karthik Muraleedharan
Karthik Pramod
Kumar Yash 1
 Decibel Levels
DECIBEL – Unit of sound pressure level(abbreviated as dB)
𝑝𝑟𝑚𝑠
• Sound pressure level 𝐿𝑝 = 20 𝑙𝑜𝑔10 dB
𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑓

where,
prms - root mean square of the measured sound
pressure in pascals
pref is the standard reference sound pressure
of 20 micropascals in air or 1 micropascal in water.
• Smallest audible sound : 0 dB -> total silence
• 10 dB is 10 times louder than 0 dB
• Sound levels are measured using Sound Level Meters

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 Octave Bands
• The whole frequency range is divided into sets of frequencies called bands. Each band covers a specific range of frequencies.
• An octave band is a frequency band where the highest frequency is twice the lowest frequency.
• A one-third octave band is defined as a frequency band whose upper band-edge frequency (f2) is the lower band frequency (f1) times
the cube root of two.

Octave Filters
• A sound level meter fitted with Octave Band Filters has the ability
to split the audible spectrum into smaller bands, identifying the
frequency content of the noise.

1/3 Octave Band Filters

• 1/3 Octave Band Filters are very similar in nature to the Octave
Band filters described above. The difference is that each of the
Octave Bands is split into three, giving a more detailed description
of the frequency content of the noise.

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 Acoustic Spectra
• Most sounds are made up of a complicated mixture of vibrations
• A sound spectrum displays the different frequencies present in a sound.
• Acoustic spectrum - the distribution of energy as a function of frequency for a
particular sound source
• It is usually presented as a graph of either power or pressure as a function of
frequency. The power or pressure is usually measured in decibels and the
frequency is measured in vibrations per second (or hertz, abbreviation Hz)
REASONS FOR PERFORMING SPECTRA
• The auditory system sensitivity varies with frequency
• Noise control performance varies with frequency
• Mathematical and numerical prediction of sound field is much easier at a single
frequency (sound field in cars, for example). The broadband and transient
behaviour of the sound field can then be predicted by Fourier synthesis of the
single frequency sound fields.

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 Acoustic Spectra

• FOURIER’S THEOREM- Any (pressure) time series, whether random

broadband, transient or periodic, can be constructed from an infinite
number of appropriately phased single frequency components (tones)
of infinite duration!
HARMONIC SPECTRUM
• A harmonic spectrum is a spectrum containing only frequency
components whose frequencies are whole number multiples of the
fundamental frequency; such frequencies are known as harmonics.
• A standard result of Fourier analysis is that a function has a harmonic
spectrum if and only if it is periodic.
• The fundamental frequency, often referred to simply as the
fundamental, is defined as the lowest frequency of a periodic
waveform.

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 Standard Frequency Bands

• Narrow band frequency analysis is useful for revealing

the details in the spectrum, such as the presence of
discrete frequency tones in a broadband noise floor.
• Often, however, a representation of the spectrum in
course, fairly large frequency bands is sufficient.
• The most usual frequency bands are one-third or
whole octave bands.

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Fundamental Acoustic Source Types

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 Monopoles

• A monopole is a source which radiates sound equally well in all directions.

• The simplest example of a monopole source would be a sphere whose
radius alternately expands and contracts sinusoidally.
• The monopole source creates a sound wave by alternately introducing and
removing fluid into the surrounding area.
• A boxed loudspeaker at low frequencies acts as a monopole.
• The directivity pattern for a monopole source is shown in the figure at
right.

Examples : Fluctuating volume/mass sources  Loudspeakers, exhaust pipe

radiation, air compressors, unsteady combustion

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 Dipoles

• A dipole source consists of two monopole sources of equal strength but

opposite phase and separated by a small distance compared with the
wavelength of sound.
• While one source expands the other source contracts. The result is that
the fluid (air) near the two sources sloshes back and forth to produce the
sound.
• A sphere which oscillates back and forth acts like a dipole source, as
does an unboxed loudspeaker (while the front is pushing outwards the
back is sucking in).
• A dipole source does not radiate sound in all directions equally.
• The directivity pattern shown at right looks like a figure-8; there are two
regions where sound is radiated very well, and two regions where sound
cancels.
Examples : Application of time-varying forces to a fluid without volume
displacement  Whistling car antenna, turbulence acting on rigid surface
such as in fan noise, aerofoil noise

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 Quadrupoles

If two opposite phase monopoles make up a dipole, then two opposite dipoles make
up a quadrupole source.

Examples: Sound radiation by free turbulence, billiard ball collision noise

In a Lateral Quadrupole arrangement the two dipoles do not lie along the same line
(four monopoles with alternating phase at the corners of a square). The directivity
pattern for a lateral quadrupole looks like a clover-leaf pattern; sound is radiated
well in front of each monopole source, but sound is canceled at points equidistant
from adjacent opposite monopoles.

The picture shows the pressure field produced by a lateral quadrupole source. At the
center of the pressure field you can see the quadrupole motion as the particles
alternate motion in the horizontal and vertical directions. back and forth caused by
the dipole motion. The regions where sound is cancelled shows up along the
diagonals (where the grid motion is almost zero). Furthermore, there is a 180 degree
phase difference between the horizontal and vertical wave fronts.
 Quadrupoles

If two opposite phase dipoles lie along the same line they make up a Linear
Quadrupole source. A tuning fork is a good example of a linear quadrupole source (each time
acts as a dipole as it vibrates back and forth, and the two tines oscillate in opposite
directions).

In the near field there are four maxima and four minima, with the maxima along the
quadrupole axis about 5dB louder than the maxima perpendicular to the quadrupole axis.
The near field directivity pattern is shown at right.

In the far field there are only two maxima (along the quadrupole axis) and two minima
(perpendicular to the quadrupole axis) as shown in the figure below right.
THANK YOU

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