MODULE 2: Acoustical Tools, Measurements and Materials

• Acoustical Tools and Measurements: Use of SLM (Sound Level

Meter), AI (Articulation Index), STI (Speech-Transmission Index),
Speech Intelligibility. Sound Attenuation. Absorption coefficients
of acoustical materials, NRC value, NC Curves for various
spaces.
• Acoustical Materials: Porous materials, panel absorbers,
membrane absorbers, acoustical plasters, diffusers, cavity or
Helmholtz resonators. Role of functional absorbers, Adjustable
acoustics and variable sound absorbers. Acoustical correction
and retrofits to existing spaces.
 USE OF SLM (SOUND LEVEL METER)

• SLM / Noise Level Meter. A

sound level meter is a measuring
instrument used to assess noise
or sound levels by measuring
sound pressure. A sound level
meter uses a microphone to
capture sound.

• A sound level meter is used for

acoustic (sound that travels
through air) measurements. It is
commonly a hand-held
instrument with a microphone.
The diaphragm of the
microphone responds to
changes in air pressure caused
by sound waves.
NOISE MEASUREMENT USING SLM
• A sound level meter is a measuring instrument used to assess noise or sound
levels by measuring sound pressure. The sound is then evaluated within the
sound level meter and acoustic measurement values are shown on the
display of the sound level meter.

• With a portable sound level meter, industrial hygiene and workplace safety
professionals can measure sound levels in multiple locations to ensure
environmental conditions fall within recommended exposure limits (RELs).
Some sound level meter devices can be permanently installed for continuous
monitoring of sound levels at a work or job site.
• For occupational hygiene purposes, the sound pressure level is measured to
determine noise exposures. Various instruments and techniques may be
used. The choice depends on the workplace noise and the information
needed. However, the first step is to determine if there is a noise problem in
the workplace.
 AI (ARTICULATION INDEX)
• The Articulation Index (AI) is a tool used to predict the amount of speech that
is audible to a patient with a specific hearing loss. It range from zero to one,
representing the average speech signal that is audible.
• The closer the AI is to one, or 100 percent, the better the person should be
able to hear speech.
• It has a value that ranges between 0% (no speech understood) to 100% (all
speech understood).
• The speech range covers from 200 Hertz to about 6000 Hertz. When
Articulation Index is calculated, the background sound levels that occur within
this frequency range are given the highest importance, since they will interfere
with human speech.
• If the level of background noise is high enough, it will mask other sounds,
including human speech--in other words it covers it up, or blocks it.
• The human ear, due to the construction of the hearing organ (called the
cochlea), tends to aggregate sound into these frequency bands. These bands
are called octave bands.
• The sound levels of one third octave bands covering from 200 Hz to 6300 Hz
are used to calculate Articulation Index.
 STI (SPEECH TRANSMISSION INDEX).

• The Speech Transmission Index is an objective, physical measure of

speech transmission quality. The STI is a 0 to 1 index, this means that
perfectly intelligible speech, when transferred with STI of 1, will remain
perfectly intelligible. The closer the STI value approaches zero, the more
information is lost.

• The STI is extensively used in room acoustics, for instance to assess

intelligibility in auditoria, churches and conference rooms.

• The scientific principle on which the STI is based, is that information in

speech is represented acoustically in the form of modulations. A speech
utterance is essentially nothing more than a sequence of modulated tonal
and noisy sounds. Loss of these modulations translates into loss of
intelligibility. The STI is calculated directly from the Modulation Transfer
Function.
 AI, STI, RASTI.
• (AI) Articulation Index a measure of speech intelligibility influenced by
acoustical environment. The higher the number the higher the intelligibility of
words and sentences understood from 0-100%. An articulation index of less
than 0.3, generally suggests unintelligible speech and one over 0.7 indicates
excellent intelligibility.
• (STI) Speech Transmission Index is a measure of speech transmission
quality. The absolute measurement of speech intelligibility is a complex
science. The STI measures some physical characteristics of a transmission
channel (a room, electro-acoustic equipment, telephone line, etc.), and
expresses the ability of the channel to carry across the characteristics of a
speech signal.
• STI is a well-established objective measurement predictor of how the
characteristics of the transmission channel affect speech intelligibility.
• RASTI-method (Room Acoustic Speech Transmission Index) was developed
in 1979. Different instruments were developed for the measurement according
to this standard. A typical measurement time was 10 to 15 seconds. The
RASTI method only considers two octave bands 500 Hz and 2 kHz. Due to
the simplicity in use, the RASTI-instruments were used also for applications
beyond the main design goal – room acoustics. The RASTI-value is often
 STI—RASTI--STIPA

• STI - Speech Transmission Index is a method of measuring speech

intelligibility in noisy and/or reverberant locations. A number between 0
and 1 quantifies the speech intelligibility and is often implemented in two
versions RASTI (Room Acoustic Speech Transmission Index) and STIPA.
(Speech Transmission Index for Public Address)

• RASTI - Rapid Speech Transmission Index is an objective way of

measuring speech intelligibility. It is measured by placing a loudspeaker,
which transmits sound from the location of the person speaking, and a
microphone where the listeners are situated.

• STIPA - Speech Transmission Index for Public Address systems an

alternative to RASTI with public address and other electro-acoustic
devices in mind, was developed more recently resulting in a simple
number between 0 and 1
 SOUND ATTENUATION
• To make slender, fine, or small: The drought attenuated the river to a narrow
channel.
• To reduce in force, value, amount, or degree; weaken: Medicine attenuated
the fever's effect.
• To lessen the density of; rarefy.
• attenuation
• Decrease in intensity of a signal, beam, or wave as a result of absorption of
energy and of scattering out of the path of a detector---the inverse square of
distance effect.
Acoustic attenuation is a measure of the energy loss of sound propagation
in media. When sound propagates in such media, there is always thermal
consumption of energy caused by viscosity.
• When sound travels through a medium, its intensity diminishes with distance.
... Absorption is the conversion of the sound energy to other forms of energy.
The combined effect of scattering and absorption is called attenuation.
 STC
• Sound transmission class (STC) is a rating of sound isolation of a
building wall assembly. The higher the STC rating, the better sound
isolation the wall assembly is to achieve. STC is widely used to rate
interior partitions, ceilings/floors, doors, and windows.
• STC rating of 38-42 is considered good soundproofing for residential.
STC rating of 50-65 is professional, commercial soundproofing for
recording studios, etc. These terms and definitions are related to
Sound Transmission Class and will help provide the full picture of how
sound is measured.
• effective STC rating of 55 is recommended, and 60+ is ideal,
especially in rooms where there is going to be music related noise.
• When people are evaluating building materials and acoustical
products for sound reduction, they rely on the sound transmission
class or STC rating of the product. By understanding this rating of
materials, we know how much sound will be blocked from going through
those materials.
 SOUND REINFORCEMENT SYSTEMS
• A sound reinforcement system is the combination of microphones, signal
processors, amplifiers, and loudspeakers in enclosures all controlled by a mixing
that makes live or pre-recorded sounds louder and may also distribute those
sounds to a larger or more distant audience.
• In many situations, a sound reinforcement system is also used to enhance or alter
the sound of the sources on the stage, typically by using electronic effects, such
as reverberation, as opposed to simply amplifying the sources unaltered.
• A sound reinforcement system(SR) for a rock concert in a stadium may be very
complex, including hundreds of microphones, complex live sound mixing and
signal processing systems, tens of thousands of watts of amplifier power, and
multiple loudspeaker arrays, all overseen by a team of audio engineers and
technicians.
• On the other hand, a sound reinforcement system can be as simple as a small
public address (PA) system, consisting of a single microphone connected to a 100
watt amplified loudspeaker for a singer-guitarist playing in a small coffeehouse.
• In both cases, these systems reinforce sound to make it louder or distribute it to a
wider audience. In some regions or markets, the distinction between the two
terms is important, though the terms are considered interchangeable in many
professional circles
 SOUND REINFORCEMENT SYSTEM

• A basic sound reinforcement system that would be used in a small music

venue for the audience are to the left and right of the stage.

• The main loudspeakers ---A typical sound reinforcement system consists

of microphones, which convert sound energy such as a person singing
into an electric signal, signal processors which alter the signal
characteristics (e.g., equalizers that adjust the bass and treble,
compressors that reduce signal peaks, etc.), amplifiers, which produce a
powerful version of the resulting signal which convert the signal back into
sound energy .

• These primary parts involve varying numbers of individual components to

achieve the desired goal of reinforcing and clarifying the sound to the
audience, performers and other individuals.
 MASKING EFFECT OF SOUND.
• Audio masking is the effect by which a faint but audible sound becomes
inaudible in the presence of another louder audible sound,
• Masking is the process by which one sound is raised by the presence of
another sound. ... The loud sound has a greater masking effect.
• Sound masking is the inclusion of generated sound (commonly, referred to
as "white noise" or "pink noise") into an environment to mask unwanted
sound. ... Sound masking is applied to an entire area to improve acoustical
satisfaction, thus improving the acoustical privacy of the space.
• White Noise and Pink Noise---The technique to address privacy issues in
the open plan and closed office environments and reduce noise pollution is
called sound masking, which uses a mix of "white noise" and "pink noise".
• In sound masking, a precise electronic sound generator, providing shaped
"noise", is fed to an amplifier that supplies an array of specialised wide-
dispersion loudspeakers.
• To most people, white noise sounds high-pitched, but this is because the
number of frequencies (hertz) doubles with each rising octave.
HOW THE SOUND IS ABSORBED
• Ordinary building materials such as wood, brick, stone,
plaster, absorb something less than 5 percent of the
sound energy striking them. To be counted as an
acoustical material, a substance must absorb more
than 50 percent of sound energy. For this, the material
must have a porous, fibrous structure and thicker the
material, better a sound absorber it will be. This is
because the air molecules that carry the sound energy
can migrate deeply into the interior of the material,
where, as they repeatedly strike and bounce off the
surrounding fibers, their rapid, vibratory motion is
converted into heat by friction and the sound is
absorbed.
 SOUND INSULATION
• By sound insulation or absorption, we mean the ability of the wall and
ceiling to absorb impinging sound waves and prevent their being
reflected back into the room. This sound absorption is usually achieved
by the application of acoustical materials of some kind to the walls and
ceiling. These materials are capable of altering the general quality of
sound within the room, as well as reducing the overall sound level.

• ACOUSTICAL MATERIALS

1. prefabricated units.
2. acoustical plaster and sprayed on materials.
3. acoustical blankets.
4. Special sound absorptive materials.
GLIMSE OF ACOUSTICAL MATERIALS
All materials absorb some sound but
proper acoustical control requires use of
materials that have been specially
designed as sound absorptives – known as
“ACOUSTICAL MATERIALS”. Before
selecting , one should study the structural
strength, the amount of light it can reflect,
absorption of water, combustible or non-
combustible, decorative qualities, cost etc.
Sound is absorbed by a mechanism
which converts sound into heat.
blankets Materials such as mineral wool,
blankets have a multiple of small
deeply penetrating intercommunicating
pores. The sound gets converted into
heat by friction & resistance within the
pores and by vibration of fibres of the
material(95% abs). absorption by
porous material is more at high
frequency than at low frequency.
Absorption by panels is less at high
frequency and more at low frequency.
mineral wool
blankets
1. PREFABRICATED UNITS.

These are made of either

compressed cane or wood fibre
or mineral wool and are widely
used since they possess
uniform--------physical and
absorption characteristics
 ACOUSTICAL TILES
Made of mineral wool, compressed
cane, wood fibre or glass fibre. It is
usually suspended on wooden grid but
can be glued or attached to solid
surfaces.
Since these are prone to damages, they
are not recommended for walls that are
within human reach. Most outstanding
feature is it's built in absorptive value.
Since factory made product porosity,
flexibility, density, drilling of holes etc.
could be controlled as per requirements.
It could be used relatively on smaller
surfaces and can be painted to provide
high degree of light reflection with
attractive and decorative appearance.
There are many acoustical tiles
commercially available with different
trade names.
 WHAT IS ACOUSTICAL TILE?

• Acoustical tile is used in building to maximize the quality of

sound produced in the room. It also reduces unwanted
sound transmission coming from outside. These can be
hung from a suspended grid system on the ceiling, or can be
affixed directly to an existing ceiling, or can be fastened to
the surface of a wall.

• Theaters, concert halls and churches use it to make auditory

experience more pleasant. In addition, acoustical tile aims to
completely eliminate exterior noise such as traffic, allowing
audience to focus on what they've come to hear. This
sound-filtering capability is very useful in schools and office
buildings.
ACOUSTICAL TILES (COND.)
ACOUSTICAL CEILING TILES
TYPE –I CEMENT-LIME- GYPSUM-MINERAL AS BINDER

A. All mineral units composed of small granules or finely divided

particles with "PORTLAND CEMENT BINDER
AKOUSTOLITH TILE : R.Gaustavino) Co. Used in monumental types
( Churches). due to their masonry like appearances. Paint reduces
absorption quality.

B. All mineral units composed of small granules or finely divided

particles with "LIME OR GYPSUM BINDER".
MUFFLETONE (12"x12"x1"): ( Celotex Corpn.) These are cast gypsum
products in standard or fissured finish, light wt, rigid sound absorbing tiles
backed by corrugated paper. They have uniform fine textured surface.
Cemented to plaster board or concrete ceiling.

C. Units composed of small granules or finely divided particles of

mineral or vegetable origin with incombustible mineral binder.
SOFTONE: American acousti.inc
GYPSUM SOUNDPROOFING BOARD
ACOUSTIC MINERAL FIBER CEILING TILES
ACOUSTIC MINERAL FIBER TILES

Mineral Fibre Acoustic Tiles-

The Celotex range of mineral fibre
acoustic tiles has the twin advantages
of excellent aesthetics with good
sound absorption properties. The
special features of the mineral fibre
range include excellent sound
absorption, special anti-sag property,
superior moisture resistance, better
fire resistance, good light reflectance
and better relative humidity properties

This range is ideal for certain

applications like IT office, showroom
and shopping malls.
TYPE II--Units having mechanically perforated
surface arranged in a regular pattern.

A. Units having a perforated surface which acts as a covering &

support for the sound absorbent material. The facing
material to be strong, durable & substantially rigid.

• ACOUSTEEL : Celotex,Corpn.
• ACOUSTIMENTAL : National Gypsum & co.
• ARPHON : A.B. Arch ( Stockhome ,Sweden )
• ARRESTONE : Armstrong Cork & co.
• PERFATOTE : U.S.Gypsum & co.

• In this type of unit an absorptive pad, blanket, or rigid element

(compressed mineral wool) is covered by perforated sheet metal or board,
these can be repeatedly painted without impairing absorption, but care
should be taken to not to bridge the holes with paint. Used where they are
subjected to considerable wear & tear . They are incombustible, moisture
resistant --- hence used in swimming pools, kitchen etc.
PERFORATED TILES AND PANELS
 TYPE II-- (CONTD.)
b. Units having circular perforations extending into the sound absorbent
material.
• ACOUST-CELOTEX-Celotex Corpn.
These are made from felted cane fibre by a special process in the form of
light rigid tiles. Tiles may be painted repeatedly without much reduction in
sound absorptive properties. The presence of holes in porous materials with
air space act as HELMHOLTZ RESONATORS , further they increase
superficial area and increase the absorptivity of the material. Perforations
also help in concealing the screws when fixed to wooden backing . Size:
12"x12" & 24"x24" Th-1/2" to 1/4", Perforations - 1/8" dia,holes at 1/2" c/c,
1/8" bevel on all sides or tongue and grooved on all four sides.
c. Units having slots or grooves extending into the holes in the tiles.
AUDITONE : U.S. Gypsum Co. These are slotted wood fibre tiles which are
efficient. These can be painted repeatedly without loss of sound abs. These
can be nailed to joists or fixed with adhesive .Not recommended below
wainscot. 12"x12" or 12"x24".
TYPE III-- Units having fissured surface.

• CORKOUSTIC : Made of selected

cork particles .Cork is ground to a
specific particle size baked under
heat & pressure to form a block
.Natural resins in the cork hold the
particles together (no binder used)
.Blocks are cut to sizes beveled
painted with two coats of white raisin
paint. This tile is extremely moisture
resistant ,heat resistant ( air
conditioning & winter heating).
Though tough, resilient can be
slightly bent to curved shape (arches,
vaulted ceilings) sizes 6"x12" or
12"x12" and 1/2"th.
DECORATIVE CORK SHEET & TILES

Cork Decoration means creation and natural comfort. Pearl Decorative cork
sheets & cork tiles, with its high thermal and acoustic insulation properties, is
considered to be an ideal product against noise and temperatures, at the
same time providing an excellent Wall & Ceiling decorative panel, having
tremendous superiority and advantages when compared with other
materials.
DECORATIVE CORK SHEET & TILES

Natural pattern of cork lends

striking elegance and finish
to a room interior whether it
is used in its flooring or wall.
Our decorative cork line
includes cork wall and floor
tiles and memo boards.
Cork tiles are available in
varied designs and colors.
Apart from aesthetic value
the tiles act as good
acoustic and insulating
material. The tiles are easy
to install and maintain.
FISSURE TONE

Cast gypsum
products made in
fissured finish,
provide light wt.&
rigid sound
absorbing tiles. It
has fine textured
surface with fissures
varying in size &
location in each tile.
Sizes 12"x12"x1".
TYPE IV--

a. Units of this class are made of wood shavings ( or excelsion)

generally pressed together with a mineral binder. The wood fibres
may be fine, medium or course.

ABSORB-A-NOISE & ABSORB-A-TONE----Luse Stevenson co.

b. Units compressed of fine felted vegetable fibres or wood pulp.

ACOUSTLITE : Insulite co. Made out of compressed wood pulp ( sap wood) or
wood fibres Oil, Lead and other non porous paints are not suitable which close
surface pores ,used for control of noise , fixed by screws or nails to wooden
battens at required distance. Low cost and are available in 12"x12"x3/4'th or
4'x8'/10'/12' panels.

c. Units composed of mineral fibres.

QT Duct liner--Celotex co.

THE RAW MATERIALS WOOD FIBERS
ACOUSTIC BOARD
ACOUSTIC PANELS
PERFORATED ACOUSTIC PANEL
ACOUSTIC PANEL ABSORBERS
ACOUSTIC FOAM PANELS
• Wedge sound absorbers
have a profiled face which
increases the surface area
available for absorption.
Wedges can be an effective
treatment for flutter echoes
which can be particularly
problematic in rooms with
hard parallel walls.
 ACOUSTIC FOAM PANELS

Acoustic Weave Wall tiles

Sound proof tiles

ACOUSTIC FOAM PANELS
HIGH-DENSITY ACOUSTIC FOAM
ANECHOIC ACOUSTIC TILES
Commissioned by the
Performance Space and
supported by the Australia
Council for the Arts
Telepathy was exhibited in
the Carriageworks Bay 19.
The original commission
was instigated by Sally
Breen a former curator at
Performance space and
implemented by curator
Bec Dean. Materials
included custom anechoic
acoustic tiles, 16 mm
plasterboard, acoustic
blanket, plywood, timber
frame, 3 channel video
with transmitters.
FIBERGLASS/INSULATING WOOL: (OWEN
CORNING FIBERGLASS CORP TOLEO-OHIO)

• These fabricated thermal and acoustical material from various forms of

“FIBERLASS” insulation ( a mineral wool made of highly resistant glass
fibres) faced on one/both sides with a flexible material like paper, muslin
or glass cloth. Sound absorption depends on thickness and density.
Absorption is optimum for 2” to 3” thick with 4 lbs. density /cft. Thickness
varies from ½” to 4”. These are light in weight and used in broadcasting,
film and television studios.
• FIBERGLASS PF INSULATION BOARD
• It consists of specially processed and compressed fiberglass to which
thermosetting plastic is added to give rigidity. Th ¾” to 4” wt. 4lbs.to 10.5
lbs./cft.

• Sizes 24” X 48” boards which could be cut to any size and shape.
Painting changes considerably its abs. Coe.
FIBERGLASS
DAY LIGHT CEILING
• ACOUSTI-LUX: (Celotex Corpn. U.SA)

• Light weight dual purpose sound absorptive material. By using this

material diffused light is provided without glare. Panels are called
DAY LIGHT CEILING panels which are dry, washable and come in
single or double panels fabricated from 0.015 “th. White vinyl
plastic sheeting

• Size: 24” x24” and 12” x12”. With numerous colours. Generally
fixed on aluminum T’s with suitable hold on chips. (85% light
allowed)
FIBERGLASS- sewn sheets, resins
bonded and quilts.
• These are also glass wool products stitched between layers
of cloth. th: ¾” to2” in rolls. L-27’ and
W- 18” to 36”. Used in factories where look is not important.
(uncovered sewn sheets)
• The resin bonded slabs consists of glass wool lightly bonded
with Phenolic resin to form a semi rigid slab.
• Sizes: 27”X 42” Th; 1”. 11/2”. Used when good surface finish
is required. (studios, auditoriums), Resin bonded slab may
be used with perforated covering of slotted hard board or
metal.
• Quilts consist of mat of glass wool covered on both sides
with water proof paper and stretched through with strong
thread. th3/4” to1” in rolls of 3’x15, density = 5lbs./cft. Used
for floors & ceilings.
GLASS WOOL
FIBRE GLASS CURVED CEILING

CURVED CEILING
PANELS are manufactured
from high density dry felt
resin bonded fiberglass
wool
PERFORATED METAL MESH

Perforated metal mesh refers

to material marked with holes
of different shapes. To meet
different needs.

Perforated metal mesh

material used most are:
stainless steel cold-rolled low
carbon steel galvanized PVC
paper, etc..

can be used for building

stairs, balconies, for
mechanical equipment etc.
2. ACOUSTICAL PLASTER AND
SPRAYED ON MATERIALS:

• " Such materials are in the form of plaster applied to walls or ceilings
with a trowel or sprayed with an air gun."
• These are used 1) Where large surfaces are available
requiring less absorption coefficient.
2) When plain finish is required or curved
ornamental surfaces are to be treated.
• Because of its highly decorative character and less cost it is very
much useful for public buildings where high degree of absorption is
not required but catches smoke and dust .Even cracks may develop.

• It contains porous ingredient (plastic or chemical) mixed with an

adhesive material . Absorptivity is dependant on its thickness &
composition and the way it is applied and dried.
 TYPE 1 : ACOUSTIC PLASTER :
( National Gypsum CO. U.S.A)
• Composed of a
cementitious material
such as gypsum, Portland
cement .

• UNIFIL ACOUSTICAL
PLASTER : Unifil is an
inert (constant) feather
weight, granular substance
manufactured by exploding
a rare mica ore . Other
constituents are gypsum,
lime or cement.
• Could be used to interiors in
place of regular plaster.
ACOUSTIC PLASTER
SPRAYED-ON CEILING
TYPE 2 : Acoustic plaster which are
applied with a travel.

• ACOUSTIPULP: (Havwaiian Cane Products Ltd. ) Composed of asbestos

and cellulose fibre mixed with binders and preserving chemicals. It comes
in dry form, becomes a plastic material when water is added. It can be
applied just like a plaster to a thickness of ½ to ¾ “.
• TYPE 3 : Fibrous materials with a binder agent which are
applied by spraying or with a air gun or blower.
• LIMPET : (Keosbey & mattison co.) it consists of specially prepared dry
asbestos fibres which are conveyed through a flexible hose of 1 ¾ bore to
a spray gun which is surrounded by fine jets of water that makes fibres to
felt together before reaching the surface. Coating is then lightly pressed to
uniform thickness and density.
3. ACOUSTICAL BLANKETS:

• Materials used are wool, hair

felt, wood fibre and glass fibre.
Thickness- “½ to 4” or even
more fro special conditions.
Most absorptive at low
frequencies because of
thickness. Used in studio and
auditoriums for balanced
absorption. Some mineral
wool due to vibration in
buildings settle and to avoid
settling additional strength is
provided structurally with wire
mesh screen or hardcore cloth
on one side of blankets.
ACOUSTICAL CURTAINS
Acoustical curtains are both noise barriers
and noise absorbers. They are quilted fiber
glass blankets designed to absorb sound
and block noise from passing through them.
They are often called acoustical curtain
enclosures, acoustic curtains, acoustic
drapes, acoustical curtains panels,
industrial acoustic curtains, sound curtains,
soundproof curtains, sound blankets, noise
reduction blankets, noise control curtains.
Sound Curtains are a flexible, effective and
economical method of noise reduction in a
wide variety of Industrial noise control
applications and can be used to form
Sound Barrier Walls, Partial Sound Barriers
and Machine Sound Enclosures. The sound
barrier blankets offer both sound absorption
as well as noise reduction.
ACOUSTIC CURTAINS
4. SPECIAL SOUND
ABSRPTIVE MATERIALS
PANEL ABSORBERS:
Materials used: Pressed wood fibre or paper boards,
plywood or plane boards. ----------- used for ceilings,
wainscoting or even the entire walls of a room where low
frequency abs. is required. (Music studios, class rooms
and offices).

“Reduces the amount of additional absorption required for

optimum R.T.” Effectiveness of panel is influenced by the
presence of an enclosed air space back of it which affects
the abs. frequency characteristics of the panel . Abs. of a
thin panel can be increased by placing an absorptive
material such as mineral wool blanket in an enclosed air
space.
 HELMHOLTZ RESONATORS
The name comes from a device created
in the 1850s by Hermann von Helmholtz

• It is possible to produce a tone by blowing

across the mouth of a jug. As the jug is
emptied the resonant frequency will
decrease. The air in the mouth of the
resonator vibrates back and forth hence the
sound energy is absorbed. Air trapped in
the chamber acts as a spring. Absorption
can be increased by placing porous
material in the chamber. These are know as
HELMHOLTZ RESONATORS.

• Uses: In churches (Sweden) 100 yrs ago.

Use in the assembly hall of at the University
of Aarhus (Denmark). Also in the concert
studio of Danish Broadcasting Co. made of
concrete and located in the ceiling.
HELMHOLTZ RESONATER
 VARIABLE ABSORBERS

• Certain rooms especially broadcast studio and music rooms

use variable absorbers such as HINGED PANELS,
ROTATABLE CYLINDERS AND MOVABLE
DRAPERIES.

• In fact the treatment should provide the possibility of varying

the total absorption in the room over a wide range.
HINGED PANELS

They are provided

with absorbers on
one side and
reflectors on the
other. Operation
should be silent.
They cost less
easy to maintain
and could be used
on the flat or
splayed walls.

Hemholtz Resonators combined with perforated panels on hinges. The effect of

varying volume of air behind a perforated panel is to alter the resonant frequency of
vibrating system. The perforations are covered by a layer of porous cloth. The volume
of air space can be varied simply by turning the panel or hinges. Increased absorption
can be achieved by introducing material in the space backing.
HINGED ACOUSTIC PANELS
ROTATABLE CYLINDERS

Incorporate various combinations of absorptives and reflectives. The convex

surface of each cylinder is made up of 3 different materials each extending to
the full length of cylinder and 120 degrees around it which projects through a
suspended plaster ceiling.
2” layer of fiber glass, covered with 1\4” perforated plywood. (Moderate
absorption at low frequencies more absorption at high frequencies).
1/8” unperforated plywood backed with 2” layer of Fiber glass. (Abs. at low
frequencies and less in high frequencies).
½” unperforated plywood. (Uniformly absorptive at all frequencies).
ACOUSTICAL DRAPERY

Draperies are very

absorptive at high
frequencies and less abs.
at low frequencies, hence it
is restricted to doorways
and prosceniums.

For better absorption they

should be made of heavy
material.

Movable draperies provide

convenient means of
altering total absorption in a
room.