TECHNICAL TRAINING

UNIT CODE : DP11 34

BUILDING SERVICES ENGINEERING
SCIENCE

SUPPORTIVE ASSIGNMENT 5
ACOUSTICS

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Q.1 What is noise ?

a) Sound
b) Acoustic power
c) Unwanted sound
d) Age-related sound
e) Traffic, aeroplanes, pneumatic drills, refrigeration plant, etc
Q.2 List the sources of noise which may be found within an air-conditioned building.
Q.3 What is sound ?
a) Electromagnetic radiation
b) Molecular vibration of solid materials
c) Radio frequency waves
d) Anything that causes an ear response
e) Pressure waves
Q.4 State which items of mechanical services plant, equipment and systems within an occupied
building are not likely to create noise.
Q.5 Discuss the significance of frequency with respect to the generation/reception of noise.
Q.6 Hearing range is ?
a) 20 Hz to 20 kHz
b) 2 Hz to 20 MHz
c) 200 Hz to 200 MHz
d) Infinitely wide
e) 2 kHz to 20 MHz
Q.7 Explain how sound travels from one location to another.
Q.8 How do we judge sound ?
a) With absolute measurement
b) Comparing sound with absolute zero sound level
c) Relatively
d) Absolutely
e) Qualitative judgement
Q.9 State what is meant by sound power and sound pressure level. State the units of measurement
for sound power, sound pressure, sound power level and sound pressure level.
Q.10 Explain why any decimal fraction of a decibel is not used in engineering design.
Q.11 The reference point for sound level measurement is :
a) Absolute zero sound
b) Lowest audible level by a domestic animal
c) Smallest sound detectable by the human ear
d) Zero atmospheric pressure as found in space
e) Inaudible level created in a test laboratory
Q.12 List the ways in which mechanical and electrical services plant, equipment and systems
generate sound.
Q.13 Identify and explain the factors which affect the propagation of sound within a space.

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Q.14 Explain with the aid of sketches and examples, how sound is transferred or can be , through a
normally serviced multi-storey occupied building.
Q.15 How can the structure of a building transmit noise ?
a) Concrete-framed structures cannot, as noise is dampened
b) Steel and concrete structures absorb all acoustic energy
c) Structures always absorb acoustic energy and dissipate it as heat
d) Molecular vibration
e) Physical movement
Q.16 Explain how sound energy is dissipated into the environment
Q.17 How is noise transmission from plant reduced ?
a) Cannot be reduced, only contained within plant room
b) Select quieter plant
c) Seal plant room doors
d) Locate plant away from occupied rooms
e) Flexible rubber and spring mountings
Q.18 Explain what is meant by direct and reverberant sound fields
Q.19 What is a reverberant sound field?
a) Sound transmitted over a large distance
b) Sound passing through a structure
c) What remains within a structure after source energy is absorbed by the building
structure
d) Reflected sound
e) Sound pressure level measured in an anechoic laboratory chamber
Q.20 A plant room for a refrigeration system is 6m4m in plan and 3m high. It has four brickwork
walls, a concrete floor and a concrete roof. Select the surface absorption coefficients for the
frequency range 125 4000 Hz from Table 14.1. Calculate the room absorption constant and
the reverberation time for the plant room at each frequency.
Q.21 Which of these is not correct about absorbing sound energy?
a) Dense materials absorb acoustic energy efficiently
b) Highly porous materials are good sound absorbers
c) The denser the material mass, the greater the sound absorption
d) A 75mm air cavity behind a sheet of plasterboard is a good sound absorber
e) A plastered brick wall has a low sound absorption coefficient
Q.22 Which is not correct about reverberation time?
a) When short, below a second, room seems lively
b) Long reverberation time cause room to sound noisy, and echoes
c) A lecture theatre needs a short reverberation time
d) A large volume car-manufacturing building has a long reverberation time
e) When short, below a second, room seems dull
Q.23 An air-conditioning centrifugal fan has an overall sound power level SWL of 75 dBA. The
fan is to be installed centrally within a plant room that has a room absorption constant R of
12m2. Calculate the sound pressure level that will be produced close to the fan in the plant
room at 1000 Hz, and also generally within the room.
Q.24

A 900mm diameter axial fan is to be installed on the concrete floor of an 8m4m3m high
plant room. The fan sound power level at 1000Hz is 89 dB. The room absorption constant R

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at 1000 Hz is 8m2 and the reverberation time is 0.4s. Calculate the room sound pressure level
at a radius of 300mm from the fan, and the reverberant sound pressure level.
Q.25 A reciprocating water chilling refrigeration compressor has an overall sound power level of
92dBA. It is to be located within a concrete and brick plant room that has a reverberation time
of 1.8 s and a volume of 250 m3. Calculate the plant room reverberant sound pressure level.
Q.26 An air handling plant has an overall sound power level of 81 dB. The plant room has an
external wall of 10m2 that has an acoustic attenuation of 35 dB and ventilation openings
having a free area of 3m2. The windows of residential and office buildings are at a distance
of 12m from the plant room wall. Calculate the external sound pressure level at the windows,
and recommend what, if any, attenuation is needed at the plant room.
Q.27 A forced-draught gas-fired boiler has an overall sound pressure level of 96 dB. The boiler
room has an external wall of 60m2 that has an acoustic attenuation of 25 dB and two louvre
doors to admit the combustion air. Calculate the external sound pressure level at a distance of
20m from the plant room wall. Provide any recommendations for the attenuation of the
boiler and the plant room.
Q.28

A single-story office building has floor dimensions of 40m30m and a height of 3m to a

suspended acoustic tile ceiling. The average height of the ceiling void is 1.5 m. A plant room
is adjacent to the roof void. There is a common plant room wall of 10m 1.5 high in the roof
void. The sound pressure level in the plant room is expected to be 61 dB. The reverberation
time of the roof void is 0.6s. The plant room wall adjoining the roof void has a sound
reduction index of 13 dB. Calculate the sound pressure level that is produced within the roof
void as a result of the plant room noise. Comment upon your answer.

Q.29

A hospital waiting area has floor dimensions of 8m 12m and a height of 3m to a

plasterboard ceiling. A packaged air-conditioning unit is housed in an adjacent room. There
is a common wall of 15m2 and a sound reduction index of 35 dB to the two rooms. The sound
pressure level in the plant room is expected to be 72 dB. The reverberation time of the
waiting room is 1.3 s. Calculate the sound pressure level in the waiting room.

Q.30

A meeting room has floor dimensions 8m 6m and a height of 2.7m to a suspended tile
ceiling, having a sound reduction index of 8dB. The reverberation time of the room is 0.7s.
A fan coil heating and cooling unit creates a sound pressure level of 43 dB in the ceiling
space. Calculate the sound pressure level in the meeting room.

Q.31

An hotel bedroom, 6m 5m 2.8m high, has reverberation time of 0.4s. The airconditioning plant generates a sound pressure level of 56 dB in the service space above the
ceiling of the bedroom. This ceiling has a sound reduction index of 16 dB. Calculate the
sound pressure level in the bedroom.

Q.32 What does NR stand for?

a) Noise resonance
b) Normal rating
c) No resonance
d) Noise ratification
e) Noise rating
Q.33 Explain how noise rating curves relate to the response of the human ear and are used in the
design of mechanical services plant and systems

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Q.34 Produce your own set of noise rating curves for NR35 through to NR55, for the frequency
range of 31.5 Hz to 8 kHz. { Make these curves as carefully and accurately as possible, as
they shall be used in ensuing questions.}
Q.35 The centrifugal fan in an air-handling plant produces the following noise spectrum:
Frequency (Hz)

31.
5

Room SPL (dB)

30

63
35

12
5

25
0

32

40

50
0
42

1k

2k

4k

31

28

20

8k
10

Plot the room sound pressure levels ( on your NR Curves) and find which noise rating is not
exceeded.

Q.36 A multi-story commercial building has ground floor plant room, which includes pumps, fans,
boiler, air-handling plant and also refrigeration compressors. Discuss possible noise
transmission paths from the plant room and any actions (construction and/or services) which
may be required to reduce such noise transmission through the building.

Q.37 A water chiller is to be located within the plant room (12m 10m 3m high)on the roof of a
city-centre hotel. The room directivity index is 2 and a plant operator will normally be 1m
from the noise source. The floor is concrete, the walls 115mm brickwork, and the roof lined
internally with a 50mm thick polyester acoustic blanket with a metallised film surface.
There are no windows.
The manufacturer provided the following information for the water chiller:
Overall sound power level ................ 100 dB
Frequency (Hz) 63
SPL (dB)
74

125
89

250
95

500
97

1000
99

2000
97

4000
90

(a) Decide on the Noise Rating of the plant (i.e. the noise rating hat is not exceeded in the
plant room)
(b) The plant room has three external walls, and the distance to the nearest openable window
in nearby buildings is 15m. There is no acoustic barrier between the plant room and this
window. The directivity index for the outward projection of sound is taken as 3dB. Find
the noise rating at the recipients window and state what the result means.
(c) A corridor adjoins the plant room. The target sound space, an office, is on the opposite
side of the corridor, the corridor being 10m long, 1m wide and 3m high. It has a room
directivity index of 2, a carpeted concrete floor and a plasterboard ceiling. The common
wall between the plant room and the corridor is 10m long , does not have a door, nor
window and is constructed of 115mm plastered brickwork. Find the noise rating which
would be found at a distance of 0.5m from the plant room wall while within the corridor.

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(d) The target office is 10m long, 10m wide and 3m high. The room directivity index is 2.
The nearest sedentary occupant of the office will be 1m from the corridor wall. The floor
has pile carpet, the walls are plastered brick and there is a suspended ceiling of 15mm
acoustic tile and 50mm glass fibre matt. The office has four 2m2m single-glazed
windows on two external walls. The office wall that adjoins the corridor is 115mm
plastered brickwork and it has one 2m2 door into the corridor. Find the noise rating, NR,
and the sound pressure levels, SPL (dB), that are experienced in the target office. State
what effect the office and plant room doors will have on the noise rating in the target
room. Recommend appropriate action to be taken with these doors.

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