A Physical Analysis of Distortion Produced by the Nonlinearity of the Medium

L. J. Black

Citation: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 12, 266 (1940); doi: 10.1121/1.1916101
View online: https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1916101
View Table of Contents: https://asa.scitation.org/toc/jas/12/2
Published by the Acoustical Society of America

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OCTOBER, 1940 J. A. S. A. VOLUME 12

A Physical Analysis of Distortion Produced by the Nonlinearity of the Medium

L. J. B•.AcIc
Departmentof ElectricalEngineering,Universityof California,Berkeley,California
(Received April 12, 1940)

HE distortionintroduced
by the non- The sound pressure in the wave is given by
linearity of the air is an important con- the expression
sideration in the designof horn type loudspeakers
P=P0(1 +O•/Ox)-•-Po = -Pov. O•/Ox+. . .
for large outputs. The magnitude of the distortion
can be obtained from the solution of the more =P0•s+.... (3)
exact differential wave equation. This solution
has been presented in a previous numberI of this Making the same order of approximation as was
journal. The subject has also been investigated made in obtaining Eq. (2), only the first term of
by Goldstein and McLachlan 2 and by Rocard.3 Eq. (3) need be considered.
In this paper, the subject is treated by quanti- Equations (2) and (3) show that maximum
tatively following the career of a plane pro- condensation in a wave is at the point of maxi-
gressivewave. Such a treatment has the distinct mum pressure and that this portion of the wave
advantage of giving a physical picture of the has the greatest phase velocity. This difference
phenomenonand at the same time yielding the in phase velocity of various parts of the wave
correct quantitative results. results in the well-known change in wave form
The exact differential equation of wave propa- during propagation of a wave of largeamplitude.
gation is given by Rayleigh,4 and Lamb :5 The magnitude of the second harmonic
generatedasa resultof the changein formof the
o•/ot•=c•(• +o•/ox)-(•+•). o•/Ox• wave, in traveling a distance x, can be obtained
= without the necessityof solving the exact dif-
ferential equation. This alternative method
where c=(vPo/po) • is the phase velocity of a avoids mathematical involvement in which the
wave of small amplitude, • is the displacementof physicalpicture is often lost.
the air particle from its equilibrium position, and Figure 1 shows a progressivepressurewave
• is the ratio of the specificheats. which at t=0 is sinusoidal. After a time •Xt, the
Equation (1) can be consideredas the usual wave has changedform becausethe velocity of
wave equation in which the phase velocity is not propagationis a functionof the condensation, s.
the same for all parts of the wave. This phase The relative positionof maximum pressureof
velocity, c', is' the sound wave has shifted by an amount
c'=c(l+O•/ox)-(•+•)/•=c 1 ...... o•/Ox+ . . . . (z•X2-- Z•Xl) .
2

Considering only the first two terms Ox= (•Xx•--•Xxx)=c lq- Sm •Xt--c'•Xt
2

1
= •(•'q-1)SmC'•Xt
c=c
(•q-1 )(•q-ls)
1--
2
O•/Ox =c 1+
2
, (2)
= «(V+ 1)(P•u/Pov).•Xx cm
where s is the condensation at any point in the = «(v+ 1)(P•u/poC2)2•r(•Xx/X)
radians
wave.

• A. L. Thuras, R. T. Jenkinsand H. T. O'Neil, J. Acous.

Soc. Am. 6, 173 (1935).
2 S. Goldsteinand N. W. McLachlan, J. Acous.Soc.Am.
6, 275 (1935).
a y. Rocard, Comptes rendus 196, 161 (1933).
4 Lord Rayleigh, Theoryof Sound,Vol. 2, secondedition
(Macmillan, 1929), p. 31.
* H. Lamb, Dynamical Theory of Sound, secondedition
(Edward Arnold & Company, 1931), p. 182.
266
=«(v+l)(w/ooca)P•:u•Xx radians, (4)
where s,• is the maximum condensationof the
sound wave, cois 2,r times the frequency,and
•Xx=c.•Xtis the averagedistanceof propagation
of the wave during time
To expressthis changein wave form in terms
 DISTORTION DUE TO NONLINEARITY
FIG. 1 (upper). Diagram showing the change in wave
form during propagation of a sound pressurewave of large
amplitude.
FIG. 2 (lower). Solid curve shows the wave form obtained
by the addition of a fundamental and a second harmonic.
The latter two are shown dotted.
of harmonic distortion, it is necessaryto deter-
mine the magnitude of the second harmonic
which, when added to the fundamental, will
shift the position of the maximum by the angle 0•.
In Fig. 2 is shown a wave formed by the addi-
OF THE MEDIUM 267
tion of a fundamental and a second harmonic,
P =P•u cos Oq--P2u sin 20.
The shift in the position of the maximum can be
determined by equating dP/dO-O. For relatively
small values of shift, i.e., 0• small'
0•= 2 (P2:u/Pi:u) radians
or
P=:u= «P •:uO•= -}0'-I- 1) (co/ooca)P
1M• øAX.
Expressing the result in terms of r.m.s. values
and replacing zXxby x (since the distortion is a
linear function of the distance of propagation)'
v-+-i co
P=/P•= -- P•x. (5)
2V2 ooC
•
Equation (5) is, of course, the same equation
that is obtained from the solution of the more
exact differential equation. The usual mathe-
matical treatment involves the same approxima-
tions• as are made in the analysis presented in
this paper. The analysis from the physical view-
point leads at once to the correct numerical
result and at the same time builds up a picture
of the processesinvolved. This physical picture
allows a straightforward interpretation of the
results. For instance, it shows clearly why the
distortion is proportional to the frequency.
Reference to Eqs. (4) shows that the shift ex-
pressedin cm is independent of the frequency
but is directly proportional to the frequency when
expressedin radians.