Acoustics in Brief history,

definition,
a) Introduction to acoustics importance of acoustics in the building design
Buildings and auditory range
nature of sound,
for humans.
its Propagation
Displacement ofamplitude
sound
Wavelength,
Unit I : Introduction and Behavior of b) Basic terminologies Frequency
Speed of bands
sound
Pitch
Frequency
Tone
Sound pressure
Intensity scale,
of soundAcoustical power
Integration Sound. Decibel Loudness
Threshold of audibility andlevel,
Pain,
Impaired of sound
hearing,
Behavior in an enclosed space ,
with Inverse Square
Reflection from Law.
plane
Diffusion, ,curved surfaces,
and
c) Room acoustics Refraction
Architectural Diffraction,
Reflection,
Acoustical shadows.
Design Acoustical materialsSound
Panel
and various types like Prefabricated
absorption,
absorbers, Diffusers
Acoustical plaster units,
and sprayed
a) Acoustical Materials Acoustical blanketson materials
curtains,
porous materials,
fiberglass
Special and variablefoam
sound absorptive materials like
panels
Whispering resonators,
Helmholtz
galleries, draperies
Echoes,
roomultrasonic
resonances,
andsound foci,flutter
dead echoes,
spots,
Unit II : Acoustical Materials and b)Theoretics
Reverberation
Absorption openand
coefficients of
infra range
reverberation
important
window
sound.
time,used for
unit, materials
Equipment. RT Effect
recommendation
calculations
of RT onusing
acoustical
for Acoustical
AI (Articulation
buildingIndex),
Sabine’s
treatment.
speech
examples
formula.
and music.
design
STI,with
(Speech
RT calculations.
c) Introduction to Acoustical Tools and RASTI (Room Acoustic Speech
Transmission Transmission Index),
Index).
Use of SLM
sound attenuation and(Sound Level
STC ratings Meter),transmission
—(sound
Measurements
class)
sound reinforcement systems.
History of Greek and Roman theaters.
a) Open air theater: Articulation test,
Design of an open-air theater with orchestra shell.
Design details of anvolume, auditorium like floor area,
b) Closed Auditoriums hall shapes,
ceiling,
Unit III : Acoustical Design of Built raking of seats for
balcony
side recess,
walls,
auditorium and balcony.
of seminar/lecture halls,
Spaces c) Acoustical design audio visual room
cinema halls
Need and use
background of sound
noise, reinforcement
masking effect and systems,
masking
d) Acoustical devices and related
importancesystems,
of speech privacy,
terminologies speech intelligibility,
sound amplification systems.
Definition, outdoor and indoor sources of noise,
acceptable noise levels
NRC value (noise reduction coefficient),
a) Introduction to noise: air borne and structure borne (impact) noise,
noise from ventilation system,
Noise transmission,
Unit IV : Noise Reduction and methods of Transmission loss.
Noise Control of noise control
Enclosures, screens, of air Barriers,
borne and structure
sound locks borne noise.
soundproof
doors and
Sound insulation windowsand plants
in A.C.Ducts
b) Construction measures acoustical filters, generator rooms, machine isolation
Construction details of composite walls, double(cavity)
walls,
floating floors, wood joist floors and plenum barriers
Introduction, Air traffic, Rail traffic, Road traffic,
industrial noise,
a) Environmental Noise recreational activities, background noise .
Prasad . P . Kulkarni Unit V : Environmental Noise and its Various methods of controlling environmental noise.
Assistant Professor, Control By Site Planning urban noise design considerations,
Dept of sustainable design (green building) strategies in
b) Noise control in Urban Soundscape : building acoustics,
Architecture,
KLS GIT, BELAGAVI. Noise reduction and control by site planning.
Acoustics in
Buildings and
its
Integration
with Brief history
Architectural
Design

Definition

Unit I : Introduction
a) Introduction to Importance of acoustics in the
and Behavior of acoustics building design
Sound.

Nature of sound

Auditory range for humans

Acoustics in
Buildings and
its Brief history,

Integration
definition,
with
Architectural
Design a) Introduction to acoustics importance of acoustics in the building design

nature of sound,

auditory range for humans.

Unit I : Introduction and
Behavior of Sound.
Propagation of sound
Displacement amplitude
Wavelength,
Pitch
Frequency
Tone
Frequency bands
b) Basic terminologies Speed of sound
Sound pressure
Acoustical power
Intensity of sound
Decibel scale,
Loudness level,
Threshold of audibility and Pain,
Impaired hearing,
Inverse Square Law.
Behavior of sound in an enclosed space ,

Reflection from plane and curved surfaces,

Diffusion,

c) Room acoustics Refraction,

Diffraction,

Reflection,

Acoustical shadows.
Acoustics in
Buildings and
its
Integration
with Brief history
Architectural
Design

Definition

Unit I : Introduction
a) Introduction to Importance of acoustics in the
and Behavior of acoustics building design
Sound.

Nature of sound

Auditory range for humans

Prehistoric

Political discussions. Military proposals.

330 BC
• Greco Hellenistic theatre Epidaurus
330BC
12 BC

Odeia in ancient Greece and Rome 12BC.

72 AD

Flavian amphitheater,
Rome.
 ASPENDOS ROMAN THEATRE TURKEY
EARLY ROMAN
180 AD
Markus Vitruvius Pollio
Book: De Architectura 27BC

Mentioned that seating should not face the sun, it should not
face the south also

Unrestricted sightline must be maintained was also mentioned in

Vitruvius Pollio’s book.

Vitruvius Pollio mentioned of open-mouthed large sounding

vessels to be placed below the seating area that would help in
improving sound quality.
EARLY CHRISTIAN Religious people started congregating in closed
400-800 structures, first examples of St. Peters Rome of 330 AD.
AD religious structures like the Basilican churches
characterized by
• the high central nave and parallel aisles on either sides
• Aisles separated by colonnade which supported upper
walls
• Low pitched roof ending In an apse. Preceded by
atrium.

Early Basilican church

Highly Reverberant

The pace and form of the music had been adjusted

considering the internal architecture of each of the
churches

Simple melodic lines blending from chants in these

Basilican church: typical section spaces were beautiful.
EASTERN ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

537AD

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (537AD)

Enormous dome, spanning 33 meters (107 feet) in

diameter: Set in the center of a 76 meter (250 foot)
long central nave.

Dissipative forms adopted to disperse the sound.

Stalactites at the corners to disperse sound.

Use of tow, a plant fiber, in plaster to absorb some

and rebound sound.
ROMANESQUE AND THE GOTHIC CATHEDRALS
800-1100
AD

Notre dame Cathedral.

• Art and engineering of working in stone.

• Vaulted naves over 30metres high.
• lightened with windows and open
colonnades.
• Rose windows with stained glass finishes
helped in absorbing low frequency sound.
• Plain chants of the music of religious order
that suited perfectly to the cathedral.
ROMANESQUE AND THE GOTHIC CATHEDRALS
400-800 The Suleymaniye Mosque of Istanbul 1558 AD.
AD
Series of openings present in domes to absorb sound.

Mimar Sinan the architect, avoided using regular forms like

perfect squares or cubes and used niches and corners,
buttresses, galleries to spread the sound in a very uniform
manner within.
 RENAISSANCE PERIOD
1400-1700
AD

Rise of towns and commerce, public

entertainment became more secular
less of religious in focus.

Plays and theatres

Semi-elliptical seating plan of

Romans was pushed back into a 'U'
shaped seating.

Little acoustical support in halls

Italian Opera Houses Truncated

elliptical seating
 BAROQUE PERIOD
1700-1800
AD

Teatro Farnese,
Parma (1618)
 BAROQUE PERIOD
1800-1900
AD

Theatre Santi Giovanni paolo, Venice, Italy.

CLASSICAL PERIOD a revival of the visual and performing arts and music concerts
1800-1900 when Haydn, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, all started their music
AD concerts.

Hanover Square Room, London

Altes Gewandhaus house in Leipzig, Germany

Beginning of
architectural
acoustics

• Knowledge of the acoustical behavior of rooms

had not yet been set out in quantitative form.
• Successful halls were designed using incremental
changes from previously constructed rooms.
• It was all experimental- termed as 'bizarre science'
by the Architect of Paris Opera House.

Acoustical correction of Fogg Lecture Hall(1896)

• Theoretical beginnings of architectural acoustics

started by the physics professor at Harvard College
• Father of Acoustical sciences: Wallace Clement
Sabine (1868-1919)
• Key discovery was that the product of the total
absorption and the reverberation time was constant.
Definition
"Acoustics" is derived from the Greek word
akoustikos, meaning" of or for hearing, ready to
hear" .

It is a branch of physics that also deals with study

of all kinds of mechanical waves in any medium.

Architectural Acoustics: The scientific knowhow to It was Aristotle

achieve a good sound within a space (building) . who first
established the
Involves the study of speech intelligibility, speech relation that
privacy, music quality, noise control and vibration anything that
reduction within the built environment. vibrates can
produce sound
Any project is deemed incomplete without dates back to
acoustics (384-322 BC).
 Importance of acoustics in the building design
• The subject of acoustics besides being fascinating is also complex Good acoustic design can serve
one. Its application must combine knowledge of theory as well as multiple purposes, including the
practical experience. following:

• Whether it is a theater, cinema hall, school, conference hall,

parliament, assembly hall, recording or broadcasting studio • Decreasing stress and anxiety
wherever sound is produced and listened to must undergo what is levels
called as “ SOUND CONDITIONING “ OR “ACOUSTICAL • Preserving hearing
TREATMENT” before they are rendered for the purpose which • Aiding in concentration
they are meant. • Reducing or minimizing
hypertension
• Architect must know which material to use, advantages and • Improving speech
disadvantages of various materials so as to make a choice. Like communication
all other sciences “ACOUSTICS” has spread itself into all activities • Maximizing the enjoyment of
of life and has important role to play in modern building and musical performances
architectural practices.

• Professionals can work on architectural design of the best halls for

artistic performances, the speech perception and transmission,
etc. Whether it is speech or music, they seek to maximize their
ability to convey information and minimize the effects of noise.
NATURE OF SOUND

Sound is generated by vibrating source and will travel in all

directions from the source In a manner somewhat
comparable with effect of water waves around the point
where the stone is dropped.

These are spherical waves which diminish with increasing

distance from the source. Sound does not travel in vacuum.
It travels faster in solids and liquids than in the air.

SPEED OF A SOUND : 1130’-0”/SEC or 340.00 M /SEC

SPEED OF A LIGHT : 300000.00 KM/SEC.
SPEED OF SOUND IN WATER : 5000’/SEC,
WOOD : 13000’/S(along fiber)
STONE: 12000’/SEC,
STEEL : 166500’/SEC
• AUDITORY RANGE FOR
HUMANS: The frequency
range for the human ear
extends from 20Hz. To
20,000Hz.(human audible
range )
• Human speech ranges
between 125 and 4,000
Hz.
Acoustics in
Buildings and
its Propagation of sound
Integration Displacement amplitude
with
Architectural Wavelength,
Design
Pitch

Frequency

Tone

Frequency bands
Unit I : Introduction Speed of sound
and Behavior of b) Basic terminologies
Sound pressure
Sound.
Acoustical power

Intensity of sound

Decibel scale,

Loudness level,

Threshold of audibility and Pain,

Impaired hearing,

Inverse Square Law.

PROPAGATION OF SOUND
Sound can be generated by striking a tuning fork. As it moves
in one direction, it compresses Air molecules (particles) next
to it. They, in turn, passes on the reaction to adjacent particles
of air. As the tuning fork vibrates in the other direction, it
leaves a void or rarefaction creating alternately
“COMPRESSED AND RAREFIED “ fields due to “TO and
FRO” movement.

This rarefaction follows behind the compression. Then, in turn,

is followed by another compression, and then another
rarefaction and so on.

This cycle is passed on to the next adjacent molecules

traveling outwardly from the source. (Chain reaction of
vibration). Originally disturbed molecules do not continue to
move away but make back and forth movement within
limited zone and simply transfer their energy to next
molecules.
This pressure disturbance created by tuning fork can not be
seen by naked eye but finally sound reaches a human ear
drum to vibrate and through complex mechanism creating a
sensation of hearing in the brain.
DISPLACEMENT APLITUDE
DISPLACEMENT AMPLITUDE
Max. distance the individual particles moved form
their equilibrium position.

PARTICLE VELOCITY:
The velocity with which particles move back and forth
about their equilibrium position.
Particle velocity = Displacement Amplitude x
Frequency.
DISPLACEMENT, PARTICLE VELOCITY
WAVELENGTH
This is the distance traveled by the sound during
the period of one complete vibration and is denoted
by Greek letter Lambda (i.e., Distance between similar
phases crests or troughs). Higher the frequency shorter
the wavelength and vica versa.
 PITCH
• The number of vibrations completed
per second is termed FREQUENCY.
Frequency is measured in terms of
hertz (Hz). One Hz is equal to one
cycle per second.
• Musicians refer to this as PITCH.
Frequency is an objective (fact) measure
whereas PITCH is subjective
(imaginary). Unit is Hertz (Hz) or
cycles/second or cps.or by symbol Hz.
• (The hertz is named after the German
physicist Heinrich Hertz, who made
important scientific contributions to the
study of electromagnetism cycles per
second was largely replaced by hertz by
the 1970).
• Musical note is a combination of many
pure notes, whereas common sounds
like speech, music, noise etc. are much
more complex than pure tone.
https://academo.org/de https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxT
zOpbVaHU&ab_channel=RandomHacker
mos/spectrum-analyzer/ 9Z
FREQUENCY: The number of vibrations completed
per second is termed Frequency.
TONE

• TONE, in acoustics, sound that can be

recognized by its regularity of
vibration.
• A simple tone has only one frequency, A
complex tone consists of two or more
simple tones, called overtones.
• The tone of lowest frequency is called
the fundamental; the others, overtones.

• The frequencies of the overtones may

be multiples of the fundamental
frequency, in which case they are called
the second, third, fourth, etc.,
harmonics of the fundamental tone.

• A combination of harmonic tones is

pleasant to hear and is called a musical
tone.
FREQUENCY BAND

• For measurement purposes the audible frequency range Is divided

into convenient (20 to 20,000 Hz.) sub-divisions like octave
bands—1/2, 1/3,1/10 of octave band.
• What is "frequency band"?
• Frequency bands are groupings of radio frequencies that are used
by mobile networks to communicate with mobile phones. The
frequency bands that a phone supports determine to a large
degree where and on which networks it can be used. For example,
T-Mobile USA uses the 1900MHz band for its GSM network, while
AT&T uses both 1900MHz and the newer 850MHz frequency
bands. Europe and most of the rest of the world use the 900MHz
and 1800MHz frequency bands for GSM.
• Designation Name Frequency
• LW----- long wave153 - 279 kHz
• MW---- medium wave531 - 1620 kHz
• SW-----short wave2310 - 25820 kHz
Frequency range from 20 to 20,000 Hz-- Although it is
possible to analyze a source on a frequency-by-
frequency basis, this is both impractical and time
consuming. For this reason, a scale of octave
bands and one-third octave bands has been
developed. Each band covers a specific range of
frequencies and excludes all others. The word
"octave" is borrowed from musical nomenclature
where it refers to a span of eight notes.
As in music, an octave band convention was chosen.
Each progressive band has double the bandwidth of
the previous. The center frequencies assigned for
the bands for the full range of human hearing are:
31.5, 63, 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, and
16000 Hz.
It is called an octave because in music, an octave
contains 7 lettered notes so at the 8th note it is
exactly double the frequency.
Harmonic partials on strings

Illustration of harmonic overtones on the wave set up

along a string when it is held steady in certain places,
as when a guitar string is plucked while lightly held
exactly halfway along its length.
Count them, there are 8 musical intervals (or 12
semitones, if you count the accidental notes).
As seen above, each key of an octave is represented by a letter. All 7 white keys are represented by
upper case letter S,R,G,M,P,D,N. All 5 black keys are represented by lower case letters r, g, m, d and n.
NOMOGRAM OF FREQUENCY AND WAVELENGTH
VELOCITY OF SOUND
It is a speed of a sound in a specified direction. (vector
quantity)
Velocity = Frequency x Wavelength .
Velocity of a sound depends upon the elasticity and
density of the medium in normal air temperature which Is
approx. 1130’-0” or 340m/second. This is extremely
slow compared to light which is 186000 miles or
3,00,000.00km./second.

SPEED OF SOUND:
Speed of sound and velocity of sound are often used
interchangeable though they are not same. Velocity of
sound includes both SPEED AND DIRECTION whereas
SPEED OF SOUND is independent of frequency
intensity and changes in atmosphere.
WAVELENGTH IN ACOUSTICS
If wavelength is greater than the obstacle it is bent around the obstacle known as DIFFRACTION.
‫= גּ‬ V Where ‫ = גּ‬Wavelength in meters
f V = Velocity of sound in air
f = Frequency in Hertz
What is the wavelength of a sound of 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz.?

‫ = גּ‬340 = 17.00 M ‫ = גּ‬340 = 17 mm

20 20,000
DIRECTIONALITY OF SOUND SOURCES:
•When the wavelength of sound is very large in relation to the dimension of
the source energy it is radiated uniformly in all directions ( low pitched
vowels- spread uniformly)
•When the wavelength of sound is small (high pitched sounds) it is confined
to relatively a narrow beam (like light)
 SOUND PRESSURE
• Propagation of sound is due to pressure fluctuations
causing neighboring air pressure to change but no
movement of air takes place.
• Sound vibrations travel through elastic mediums in the form
of small pressure changes alternating above and below
the static (at rest) nature of the conducting material.
• The Sound Pressure is the force (N) of sound on a
surface area (m2) perpendicular to the direction of the
sound. The SI-units for the Sound Pressure are N/m2 or
Pa.
• Sound pressure in air can be measured using a
microphone, and in water using a hydrophone. The unit
for sound pressure p is the pascal (symbol: Pa).

• Sound pressure level (SPL) is a logarithmic measure of

the effective sound pressure of a sound relative to a
reference value. It is measured in decibels (dB) above a
standard reference level. The commonly used "zero"
reference sound pressure in air is 20 Pa which is usually
considered the threshold of human hearing.
ACOUSITICAL POWER
All the common sounds like music, speech and noise are complex because they contain sound
energy over considerably wider ranges of human audible spectrum ( 20 Hz to 20 Kz ) Most
sounds contain energy to some degree. (sound energy is partially converted into thermal energy
known as DISSIPATION i.e., wasted or separated) Sound power (w) in watts describes the
energy of a sound source.
PEAK POWER IN WATTS
Conversation speech female 0.002
Conversation speech male 0.004
Piano 0.27
Drum 25.00
Orchestra 10.70
Air raid siren 37.00 K.watt.

Auditorium – 80’ x 50’x25’ (1.00.000.00cft.) requires 10,000.00

microwatts. (one millionth of watt).
 SOUND INTENSITY
• Expressed in watts/cm2 (symbol I). It is a power
(energy) radiated (transmitted) through unit
area perpendicular to the specified direction.

• If a sound originates at a point in a homogeneous

& undisturbed Medium away from all reflecting
and diffracting surfaces the sound is propagated
radically in all direction with spherical wave front.
Since intensity of waves falls off inversely as
the square of distance, sound pressure also
falls off in the same manner.
• (A=4πr2 :AREA OF SPHERE)

• Sound intensity is defined as the sound

power per unit area. The usual context is the
measurement of sound intensity in the air at a
listener's location. The basic units are watts/m2
or watts/cm2.
DECIBEL SCALE
Sound pressure near an airplane propeller at top speed is million
times more than pressure near lips of a person producing a faint
whisper. Since acoustics deals with quantities extending over a wide
range of sound, a convenient method of measuring these quantities
on logarithmic scale is used which is known as decibel scale. Unit
is bel and 1/10 of it is decibel.

The Decibel is not an absolute measure but a relative one- i.e. it

always gives ratio of TWO pressures.
A- 2 & 3 units
B- 20 & 30 units ratio is 2:3 This is the basis of decibel scale which is
used to reduce the range of numbers. “It is defined as 20 times the
logarithm (to the base of 10) of the ratio of two pressures. i. e
decibel ratio = 20 log P1/P2 where P1 & P2 are pressures being
compared.
It is customary to compare pressures of all sounds with 0.0000Pa
(This is arbitrary choice, but it approximates closely the minimum
sound pressure that is audible to normal human ear.)
LOUDNESS LEVEL
Loudness is the subjective response of the human hearing
(imaginary ) mechanism (sensation) to changing Frequency
spectrum ( sound pressure)
It is an observer’s auditory impression of the STRENGTH of a sound.
It is measured in SONES.
In acoustics, loudness is the subjective perception of sound
intensity. a loudness of 1 sone is equivalent to the loudness of a
signal at 40dBs(40 phons ).
1 SONES=40PHONS OR 40dBs
LOUDNESS LEVEL:
Loudness level of a sound is measured by the “sound pressure
level” of a standard pure tone of specified frequency which is
assessed by normal observer as being equally loud.

Loudness level in PHONES (unit of loudness level) of a sound is

equal to the sound pressure level in decibels of 1000 cps.
“REFERENCE PURE TONE” which is judged by listener to be equal in
loudness. "PURE TONE” OF 1000 CPS. (As reference).

Then adjusting” sound pressure level” of tones of various frequencies

until they are adjudged to be of some loudness as that of arbitrarily
chosen pressure level of “reference tone”.
THRESHOLD OF AUDIBILITY

“A sound wave must have a minimum value of

pressure in order to be heard” And this value for
selected observer who have good hearing, facing
the source plane progressive waves and listening
with both the ears is called “MIN.AUDIBLE
THRESHOLD” for a free field.

The threshold of audibility at any specified

frequency is the min. value of sound pressure of
a pure tone of that frequency which is just
AUDIBLE.

A whisper is about 20 dB.

A normal conversation is typically from 60 to 70 dB
A noisy factory from 90 to 100 dB.
Loud thunder is approximately 110 dB, 120 dB
borders on the threshold of pain.
THRESHOLD OF AUDIBILITY AND PAIN
Humans can hear frequencies as low as 20 Hz and as
high as 20 kHz. Our ability to hear the highest frequencies
is lost as we age. Hearing damage, due to injury or
exposure to excessive levels of noise, affects what we can
hear.
All frequencies are not heard equally.
• Between 500 Hz and 5 kHz, sounds at sound pressure
levels of about 0 dB are audible to young, healthy ears.
At lower and higher frequencies, sounds must be louder
to be audible.
For example, a sound pressure level of 40 dB is needed
for sound to be audible at 50 Hz. The bottom curve of the
area “Audible range” shown in orange is the threshold of
hearing.
Source:2017-2022 International Commission for Acoustics

At much higher sound pressure levels, at about 120 dB,
sound is not so much heard as felt. These levels, indicated
by the top bounding curve of the orange area, constitute
the threshold of feeling. At even higher levels, say 140
dB, the “feeling” becomes quite uncomfortable and we
reach the threshold of pain.
The grey area shows the range of
frequencies and sound pressure levels
used in human speech communication.
The blue area shows the range
encompassed by music.
 IMPAIRED HEARING
• The threshold of pain is the Sound pressure level (SPL)beyond
which sound becomes unbearable for a human listener.
• Prolonged exposure to sound pressure levels in excess of the
threshold of pain can cause physical damage, potentially leading to
hearing impairment.
• In brief, threshold of pain is the MINIMUM sound INTENSITY at
which an individual starts to feel pain. One main component of pain
is its subjectivity, meaning that a stimulus to two individuals can
result in two different reactions. So what could be painful to one
person, can be less so to another. It is an entirely subjective
The international symbol of deafness and hearing loss
phenomenon.
• In sound, the pressure at which a particular sound becomes painful
to the listener is called the pain threshold of sound. The range
could be said to be from the threshold of hearing to the threshold of
pain. Sound provides highly protective mechanism during young
age. However, this efficiency decreases with age, and constant
exposure to high volumes of sound can lead to hearing impairments.
INVERSE SQUARE LAW.
The loudness with which the sound is heard in the
second room will be weaker than the original sound
for several reasons. First, all sound waves attenuate
in strength as they travel away from the source of the
sound.
For example, whatever the strength of the original
sound, 10 ft from the source the sound waves will be
about one-half as energetic as they were originally;
20 ft from the source they will be about one-quarter
as energetic; 30 ft away they will be about one-eighth
as energetic, and so on, until the sound becomes too
weak to be heard.

Have you ever heard the sound of a car as it drives

past you down the street? The sounds of the engine
and the tires on the road seem loud as it passes, but
soon become difficult to hear, even after just a few
seconds. The sounds of the car quickly fade because
of the inverse square law.
This simple mathematical relationship states that if
you double the distance between you and a sound,
the sound will only be one-fourth as loud.
 ULTRASONIC

• Bats fly at night because there

are more insects out at night and
less competition for the bats as
well as fewer predators out at
night. they are able to fly at night
because of echolocation. which
allows them to see in complete
darkness.

• Bats use sound waves to locate

their prey, so they don't have to
be able to see the insects they're
hunting. Flying at night gives
them an advantage over their
prey because it's harder for the
insects to see them coming.
Solution 1: Echolocation The bat emits a loud sound
(represented by the orange lines) that
travels out into the environment until it
hits something (such as the insect in
this picture).

When the sound hits, it is reflected

back as an echo (the gray lines in the
figure).

The bat can hear the echo and use that

to tell a lot about the obstacle, such as
how far away it is, its size and shape.
BIOLOGICAL SONAR CALLED ECHOLOCATION

This allows many of these bats to

capture flying insects by hunting them
down like a radar-guided missile.

These types of bats tend to have large

ears and small eyes, vision is not as
important to these bats
• Some bats have solved this
problem using their eyes.
• These bats have large eyes that
are capable of seeing well even
in almost total darkness, but
sounds are not as important.
The lowest frequency of an elephant rumble is
14 to 35 hertz.

From research in Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya, researchers learned elephants use
infrasound for communicating over many miles. Elephant calls are outside the pitch of
most human ears
Acoustics in
Buildings and
its
Behavior of sound in an enclosed
Integration space ,
with
Architectural
Design
Reflection from plane and curved
surfaces,

Diffusion

Unit I : Introduction
and Behavior of c) Room acoustics Refraction

Sound.
Diffraction

Reflection

Acoustical shadows
WHEN A SOUND WAVE STRIKES ON
ANY SURFACE IN A ROOM
1. Part is reflected
2. Part is transmitted
3. Part is absorbed
4. Rest is dissipated (wasted) as heat.

Most of the surfaces or structures vibrate

as a whole or in parts under the pressure
of sound of waves (incl. masonry walls-not
visible to naked eyes) like diaphragms and
radiate sound energy. As such effective
means of providing a high degree of sound
insulation is affected by the combination of
rigid partitions and porous materials.
DIFFUSION
Diffusion is described as the
process of spreading or
dispersing sound energy, so that,
it is less direct or coherent.
Breaking up echoes into
innocuous reflections, without
introducing excessive absorption.
Nearly full band diffusion of
sound requires a reflection phase
grating.
(Schroeder Diffuser)
 REFRACTION

• This is the bending of sound

when it travels from one
medium into another
medium.

• The difference in the

composition of the two
different media bends the
sound i.e. the angle of
incidence changes into an
angle of refraction as it
travels into the new medium.
• DIFFRACTION

• When the wavelength of a sound wave is smaller or equal to

the size of the obstacle, the sound rays tend to bend round
the edge of the obstacle thereby turning the edge to a sound
source.
• Disturbance of the sound field due to object
or the change in direction of propagational
sound waves around an obstacle is called
DIFFRACTION.
• Sound has an ability to flow around
obstruction or through openings with little
loss of energy. Because of diffraction which
causes the sound to be bent around the
corner, obstacles do not cast a complete
acoustical shadow. Sharp images and
shadows can be formed by light.
• Wavelength of light = 0.0004mm to
0.00075mm
• Wavelength of sound = 17.00mm to
18.00meter
• “Diffraction will be marked for the low
frequency sounds with long wave lengths
than for the short-wave lengths of high
frequency.”
• Because of the large disparity in the
wavelength of light and sound the light
travels in straight line through openings
and past obstacle whereas sound spreads
out very much in similar conditions.
 • This occurs when the wavelength of a sound wave is smaller than
the surface of an obstacle. In the case of an enclosed space, the sound

REFLECTION
waves hit every side of the enclosure continuously until the sound energy
reduces to zero.
• The number of waves reflected depends on the smoothness, size, and
softness of the materials of enclosure. The angle of incidence of sound
rays is equal to that of the reflected rays only if the surface of the reflector
is flat. But when it is curved, the angles are different.
 REFLECTION OF SOUND

• Sound Waves proceed outwards from the

source in ever increasing concentric spheres and
that the energy at any point becomes
progressively weaker as the distance from the
source increases. Room shape and surfaces act
on sound waves in such a complicated manner
that an exact understanding of what is happening
in any room is virtually impossible.

• Sound is reflected in a similar manner as light

i.e., Angle of Incidence = Angle of reflection. If
source S is placed on one side of reflecting surface it
may be considered to have an image at an equivalent REFLECTION OF SOUND FROM HARD SURFACE
distance on the other side of reflecting surface along
the perpendicular projection from S to the place
analogous (similar) to the familiar optical image.
If a sound after reflection reaches an observer more
• Hence study of Geometric and statistical than 0.058 second (sound travels approx.65’ in this
method is a must. interval) they can be distinguished as echoes.
• Transmission
In this phenomenon, sound wave is carried by
molecules of the obstacle through vibration and re-
emitted at the other side irrespective of the medium.
It can be structure borne, air borne or impact sound
• Sound shadow - Any barrier interrupting a sound wave will create a
shadow, synonymous to light rays. However, because of edge diffraction
some sound will creep into this, but such penetration is frequency
dependent - high frequencies are less diffracted than low frequencies.
• Such problems can occur in auditorium with balconies.
• Primary reflection depends on the angle of incidence which is equal to
the angle of reflection. Also, the nature of sound reflector is important.
REFLECTION FROM CURVED SURFACES
DIFFUSING AND FOCUSSING EFFECT OF CONVEX AND CONCAVE SURFACES
SOUND DISTRIBUTION