Sound transformation

Architectural Acoustic

Dawa Azad Aziz

Masters of Architecture in Design, University of Nottingham, UK
Email: [email protected]
 Attributes of sound

 Sounds are characterized by wavelength (λ in m) or frequency ( 𝑓 in Hz) and

the product of the two, the velocity ( v in m/s). The latter depends on the
transmitting medium. In air it is usually taken as 340 m/s, but it varies with
temperature and humidity (faster in warmer, less dense air).

 vibrating medium
 longitudinal wave
 v=λx𝑓
from which:

340 340
λ= and 𝑓=
𝑓 𝜆

The output (power, P ) of a sound source

is measured in W (watts).

Sound waves: longitudinal compression waves and their sinusoidal representation.

 Attributes of sound

 Frequency is perceived as pitch and the ‘ strength ’ of sound is measured

either by its pressure, p (in Pa) or by its power density or intensity, I (in W/m ²).

 pressure p in Pa
 Intensity I in W/m2

 The relationship of p and I depends on the conveying medium, but in air under
‘standard conditions’ (air density of p = 1.18 kg/m³ and v = 340 m/s) it is
usually taken as

 For ‘standard conditions’ : p = 20 √(I )

 General relation: I = p² / (ρ * v)

 thresholds of audibility and pain (at 1000 Hz)

I𝑜 = 1 pW/m² (i.e. 10−12 W/m²) I pain=1 W/m2

p𝑜 = 20 μPa = 2 * 10−5 Pa p pain= 20 Pa
 Propagation of sound

 When a uniform point source emits a sound, this energy flow spreads in all
radial directions, distributed over the surface of a sphere of increasing radius.
As the surface of a sphere is 4 π r², the sound intensity (power density) at any
distance r from the source will be
Propagation of sound

 Intensity is proportionate to the square

of sound pressure, sound pressure
reduces with the distance (and not with
the square of distance), e.g.: if power, P
= 10 W

 In addition to such reduction with distance, there will be some molecular

absorption of energy in air, which is hardly noticeable at low frequencies(up
to about 1000 Hz) but quite substantial at high frequencies (e.g. at 8 kHz,
over a 300 m distance it would be a reduction of 10−4 W/m²).
 Propagation of sound

 When a wavefront reaches an obstacle (e.g. a wall or a screen) the original

pattern of waves continues above the top of this obstacle, but it will create an
acoustic shadow. This may be quite clearly defined for very high frequency of
sound (similar to light shadow), but at low frequencies a diffraction occurs at
the edge of the obstacle, that edge behaves as a virtual source
 Propagation of sound

 If two sources contribute to the sound field, the intensities are additive, but for
pressure the squares of the contributing pressures must be added and the
result will be the square root of this sum:
 Propagation of sound

 The logarithm of the ratio I / I 0 has been named Bel (after Alexander Graham
Bel), but as this is a rather large unit, its sub-multiple the deci-Bel (dB) is used.

• Decibels: Written as dB in literature, dB is simply a measurement of how loud a

noise is. 50dB is quiet, while 140 dB is so loud that is can immediately injure
your ears. Think of dB as the volume knob on your receiver.
Decrease of soundlevel in dB in the direct
field with distance.

 The sound level decreases with

6 dB per doubling the distance,
no matter if we use the sound
pressure level SPL or the sound
intensity level SIL. But that does
not work for the sound power level
which is emitted constantly from
the sound source.
Voice level at various distance
Talking with

• a normal voice approximates to sound pressure level 70 dB

• a raised voice approximates to sound pressure level 76 dB
• a very loud voice approximates to sound pressure level 82 dB
• a shouting voice approximates to sound pressure level 88 dB
at 1 ft distance.

For every doubling of the distance from the noise source the sound pressure level will be
reduced with 6 decibels:

Distance Voice Level (dB)

(ft) (m) Normal Raised Very Loud Shouting
1 0.3 70 76 82 88
3 0.9 60 66 72 78
6 1.8 54 60 66 72
12 3.7 48 54 60 66
24 7.3 42 48 54 60

In a social situation people often talk with normal voice levels at distances 1 to 4 meters.
In such cases background noise levels should not exceed 55 to 60 dB(A).
 In outdoor play and
recreational areas
people often
communicate with
raised or very loud
voices at distances 5
to 10 meters and
background noise
should not exceed 45
to 55 dB(A).
 Acoustic quantities
 EXAMPLE

• Two sound levels are given: L ’ = 90 dB, L ” = 80 dB. The sum of the two is
NOT 170 dB (!)

Nomogram for adding two sound levels.

 Acoustic quantities
 This nomogram can be used for adding two sound levels.

• Find the difference between the two levels on the upper scale and add this to the larger
of the two levels given. To continue the above example:

• the difference is 90 - 80 = 10 dB. On the nomogram opposite the 10 dB read 0.4, so the
sum will be 90 +0.4 = 90.4.

Nomogram for adding two sound levels.

 Decibel addition approximation.
• 60 dB + 60 dB + 65 dB + 75 dB = (60 dB + 60 dB) + 65 dB + 75 dB
= 63 dB + 65 dB + 75 dB
= (63 dB + 65 dB) + 75 dB
= 67 dB + 75 dB
= 76 dB
 Damping of sound level (decibel dB) vs. distance

 So How is the sound level dependent from the distance to the sound source?
 Damping of sound level (decibel dB) vs. distance

 How is the sound level dependent from the distance to the sound source?

 The sound pressure level shows in the free field situation a reduction of 6 dB
per doubling of distance; that means the sound pressure value is a half and not
a quarter.
 Sound Level L and the Distance

 Distance-related decrease of sound level

• Formulas to calculate the sound level L in dB (sound pressure level or sound
intensity level) in dependence of the distance r from a sound source.

d
d1 d1

d2 d2 d2
d1
d2 = d1
 The Inverse Square Law Problem

 In an open area, sound drops off according to the inverse square law. In an auditorium
where the front seats are 6 meters (20 ft) from the sound source and the back seats are
60 m (200 ft) from the sound source, the sound intensity would drop by a factor of 100 ( =
20 decibels ) between the front seats and the back seats if it followed this pattern.
 The Inverse Square Law Problem

 If a sound level of 90 decibels is produced at the front row of an auditorium and the back
row is 10 times as far away, then the sound intensity will fall by a factor of 100 if the
inverse square law applies. A factor of 100 is a drop of 20 decibels to a level of 70 decibels
on the back row. 90 dB is a loud sound which would be assigned a dynamic level ff , but
70 dB is a medium soft sound, dynamic level mp.
 Inverse Square Law by Ratio
 Expressed as a ratio, the inverse square law takes the form
I = sound intensity level , L = sound level in dB

d1
d2

6
If d2 = 10 x d1 2=
60
then 2 = 1 / (100) = 0.01 1
2=
If 1 =80 dB, then 2 = 60 dB

You can explore numerically to

confirm that doubling the
distance drops the intensity by
about 6 dB and that 10 times
the distance drops the intensity
by 20 dB.
Example
1. What is the Sound level rating of the outside kitchen exterior wall?

10 m

12 m

6m
Sound Transmission through Building Elements
like Massive Walls or Floors
 Sound transmission through a
massive wall or floor depends
primarily on the mass of the
construction.

 Mean attenuation through a

massive construction:

The attenuation for a specific frequency can be calculated by subtracting the value in the table below
from the mean value indicated in the chart above.

Frequency 63 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000

(Hz)
Attenuation -13 -9 -5 -1 3 7 11 15
Correction
(dB)
Sound Transmission through Building Elements
like Massive Walls or Floors

 Example - Concrete Floor and Sound Attenuation

 The mass of a concrete floor with density 2300 kg/m3 and

thickness 0.2 m can be calculated as

(2300 kg/m3) (0.2 m) = 460 kg/m2

 Using the chart above the mean sound attenuation for the
floor can be estimated to

52 db

 The attenuation at 1000 Hz can be calculated as

(52 db) - (3 dB) = 49 dB

Sound Transmission through Building Elements
like Massive Walls or Floors
Building Element Sound Transmission Loss (dB)
230 mm brickwork, plastered both sides 55

230 mm brickwork, plastered one side 48

115 mm brickwork, plastered both sides 47

100 mm timber studs, plasterboard both sides,

46
quilt in cavity

6 mm double glazing, 100 mm air gap 44

75 mm clinker concrete block, plastered both
44
sides
115 mm brickwork, plastered one side 43

75 mm timber suds, plasterboard both sides 36

6 mm single glazing 29
one layer plasterboard 25
 Understanding STC “Sound Transmission Class”

 STC gives you a rough idea how much sound a wall, for example, might stop. STC, Sound
Transmission Class, is the most common sound reduction measurement in use. As common as this
measurement is, it is quite limited and should not be totally relied upon for real world soundproofing
expectations.

 Lets first cover a few concepts.

• Decibels: Written as dB in literature, dB is simply a measurement of how loud a noise is. 50dB is quiet,
while 140 dB is so loud that is can immediately injure your ears. Think of dB as the volume knob on
your receiver.

• Transmission Loss is a measurement of the dB (volume) difference on either side of a wall. Let’s say
we have a 100dB tone on one side of a wall. Pretty loud. We measure this same tone on the other side
of the wall and find we have 75 dB. So we would say that at this tone or pitch, we have 25 dB
Transmission Loss. 25 dB less sound energy made it through the wall to the other side. Interestingly, a
test tone with a different pitch sent through that same wall might only see a 4 dB Transmission loss. The
performance of a wall will vary a great deal depending on the tone (frequency) of the sound.
 Understanding STC “Sound Transmission Class”

• Frequency: Written as Hertz or Hz., this is the measurement of the tone or musical note of the sound.
Is it a really high pitch like a Flute might make (2000 Hz) or a low pitch from a Tuba (as low as 29 Hz)?
Most humans are born with the ability to hear frequencies from about 20 Hz (low) up to 20,000 Hz
(high) but that range shrinks as we get older.

 What is STC?
• Now that we have an understanding of a few basic terms we can describe what STC is. Way back in
1961, STC was introduced as the method for comparing various wall, ceiling, floor, door, and window
assemblies. STC is calculated by taking the Transmission Loss (TL) values tested at 16 standard
frequencies over the range of 125 Hz to 4000 Hz and plotted on a graph. Your curve (what you actually
measured) is compared to standard STC reference curves (see appendix). If your wall graph is closest
to a standard STC 35 curve, your wall is said to have an STC of 35.
 Understanding STC “Sound Transmission Class”

• Sound Transmission Class (or STC) is an integer rating of how well a building partition
attenuates airborne sound. In the USA, it is widely used. Outside the USA, the Sound
Reduction Index (SRI) ISO standard is used.

• The STC number is derived from sound attenuation values tested at sixteen standard
frequencies from 125 Hz to 4000 Hz. These transmission-loss values are then plotted on a
sound pressure level graph and the resulting curve is compared to a standard reference
contour.

• Acoustical engineers fit these values to the appropriate TL Curve (or Transmission Loss)
to determine an STC rating. The measurement is accurate for speech sounds but less so
for amplified music, mechanical equipment noise, transportation noise or any sound with
substantial low-frequency energy below 125 Hz.

• STC is roughly the decibel reduction in noise a partition can provide, abbreviated 'dB'. The
dB scale is a logarithmic one and the human ear perceives a 10dB reduction in sound as
roughly halving the volume - a 40 dB noise subjectively seems half as loud as a 50 dB
one.

• If an 80dB sound on one side of a wall/floor/ceiling is reduced to 50dB on the other side,
that partition is said to have an STC of 30.
Type of Space (and acoustical requirements) PNC curve

Preferred Noise Criterion (PNC)Curves.

Concert halls, opera houses, and recital halls (for listening to 10 to 20 db

faint musical sounds)
Large auditoriums, large drama theaters, and churches (for Not to exceed 20
excellent listening conditions) db
Broadcast, television, and recording studios (close microphone Not to exceed 25
pickup only) db
Small auditoriums, small theaters, small churches, musical Not to exceed 35
rehearsal rooms, large meeting and conference rooms (for good db
listening), or executive offices and conference rooms for 50
people (no amplification)
Bedrooms, hospitals, residences, apartments, hotels, motels, etc. 25 to 40 db
(for sleeping resting, relaxing)
Private or semiprivate offices, small conference rooms, 30 to 40 db
classrooms, libraries, etc. (for good listening conditions)
Type of Space (and acoustical requirements) PNC curve

Living rooms and similar spaces in dwellings (for conversing or 30 to 40 db

listening to radio and TV)
Large offices, reception areas, retail shops and stores, cafeterias, 35 to 45 db
restaurants, etc. (for moderately good listening conditions)
Lobbies, laboratory work spaces, drafting and engineering 40 to 50 db
rooms, general secretarial areas (for fair listening conditions)
Light maintenance shops, office and computer equipment 45 to 55 db
rooms, kitchens and laundries (for moderately fair listening
conditions)
Levels above PNC-60 are not recommended for any office or
communication situation.