ME 884 SEMINAR
ACOUSTICS and NOISE
CONTROL
Gourav Kotriwar
202MD005
M Tech Mechanical Design
Department of Mechanical Engineering
National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal
• Noise can be defined as "unwanted sound", and an audible acoustic
energy that adversely affects the physiological and/or psychological
well-being of people, or which disturbs or impairs the convenience
or peace of any person. We can generalise by saying that sound
becomes unwanted when it:
• hinders speech communication;
• impedes the thinking process; • interferes with concentration;
• obstructs activities (work or leisure); or
• presents a health risk due to hearing damage.
It is important to remember that whether a given sound is "noise “
depends on the listener or hearer. The driver playing loud rock
music on their car radio hears no noise, but the person in the traffic
behind them hears nothing but noise.
ACOUSTICS
• "Acoustics" is a science of sound, which deals with origin,
propagation and auditory sensation of sound, and also with design
& construction of different building units to set optimum conditions
for producing &listening speech, music, etc.
APPLICATIONS OF ACOUSTICS
ACCEPTABLE NOISE LEVELS
NOISE AND ITS IMPACT ON HEALTH
• Hearing impairment and loss : For most people, a life time’s
continuous exposure to an environmental average noise level of 70 dB will
not cause hearing impairment, but any continuous level above 70 dB will
adversely affect one’s hearing ability.
• Interference with communication : Noise can mask important
sounds and disrupt communication between individuals in a variety of
settings.
• Loss of sleep :Noise is one of the most common forms of sleep
disturbance, and sleep disturbance is a critical component of noise related
annoyance.
• Effects on performance and behaviour :Impulsive or sudden loud
sounds can produce a startle response that one does not completely grow
accustomed to with repeated, predictable exposures. Simple tasks remain
unaffected at noise levels as high as 115dB, while more complex tasks are
interrupted at much lower noise levels.
ACOUSTICAL PHENOMENON IN AN
ENCLOSURE:
• SOUND DIFFUSION:
• If the sound pressure is equal in all parts of an auditorium and
it is probable that sound waves are traveling in all direction,
the sound field is said to be homogeneous, in other words,
sound diffusion or sound dispersion prevails in the room.
Adequate sound diffusion is necessary acoustical
characteristic of certain types of rooms
• (Concert halls, radio stations, etc.) Because it promotes a
uniform distribution of sound, accentuates the natural
qualities of music & speech, and prevents the occurrence of
undesirable acoustical defects.
SOUND DIFFRACTION:
REVERBERATION:
ROOM RESONANCE:
• An enclosed space with sound reflective interior
surfaces undesirably accentuates certain
frequencies, called the normal modes of vibration
of the room. Rooms have large number of normal
modes, depending on their shapes and
dimensions. The deleterious effect of the normal
modes is particularly noticeable at the lower
frequencies, where these modes are unequally
distributed. This is known as resonance, which is
unwanted for good acoustics.
REFERENCES
•
• ASF (1977). Noise control (in Swedish) ed. by Arbetarskyddsfonden, Stockholm, now Rådet för
Arbetslivsforskning (Swedish Council for Work Life Research).
•
• Bell, L.H. (1982). Industrial Noise Control Fundamentals and Applications. Marcel Dekker Inc.
•
• Bies, D.A. and Hansen, C.H. (1996). Engineering noise control: theory and practice. London: E &FN
Spon.
•
• Cremer, L., Heckl, M. & Ungar, E.E. (1988). Structure-borne sound. 2nd ed. New York: Springer-
Verlag.
•
• Eriksson, L.J. and Allie, M.C. (1989). Use of random noise for on-line transducer modelling in an
adaptive active attenuation system. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 85, 797-802.
