Building Services- V

Acoustical Terminology

ACOUSTICS:
The scientific study of sound, its production, transmission, and effects.
ACOUSTICAL
The properties of a material to absorb or reflect sound (adjective),
Acoustically (adverb).
ACOUSTICAL ANALYSIS
A review of a space to determine the level of reverberation or reflected
sound in the space (in seconds) influenced by the building materials used to
construct the space. Also the amount of acoustical absorption required to
reduce reverberation and noise.
ACOUSTICAL CONSULTANT
A professional who is experienced in providing advice on acoustical
requirements, and noise control in a variety of situations.

ACOUSTICAL ENVIRONMENT
The acoustical characteristics of a space or room influenced by the amount
of acoustical absorption, or lack of it in the space.
AIRBORNE SOUND
Sound that reaches the point of interest by traveling through the air.
AMBIENT NOISE/SOUND
All noise level present in a given environment, usually being a composite
of sounds from many sources far and near. Traffic, HVAC, masking sound
or even low-level background music can contribute to ambient level of
noise or sound.
AMPLITUDE
The nonnegative scaler measurement of a sound waves peak magnitude
during a frequency cycle or peak pressure variation.
ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS
The control of noise in a building space to adequately support the
communications function within the space and its effect on the occupants.
The qualities of the building materials used to determine its character with
respect to distinct hearing.

ARTICULATION CLASS (AC):

A measure of rating building elements such as acoustical ceilings and acoustical
screens for speech privacy purposes. AC values increase with increasing privacy. AC
has replaced Noise Isolation Class (NIC) as the accepted industry standard
performance value. NIC is based on hearing sensitivity rather than discernment of
actual speech, which is the primary concern in open office layouts prevalent in
acoustical design work.
ARTICULATION INDEX:
A measure of speech intelligibility influenced by an acoustical environment, and
rated from 0.01 to 1.00. The higher the number, the higher the intelligibility of the
spoken word in a sentence from 0 to 100%.
AREA EFFECT:
Acoustical materials spaced apart can have greater absorption than the same amount
of materials butted together. The increase in efficiency is due to absorption is due to
more surface area on an acoustical panel, diffraction around the panels, and air space.
ASTM:
Acronym for American Society of Testing and Materials

A-WEIGHTING
A measure of sound pressure level designed to reflect the response of the
human ear, which does not respond equally to all frequencies. To describe
sound in a manner representative of the human ears response it is necessary
to reduce the effects of the low and high frequencies with respect to
medium frequencies. The resultant sound level is said to be A-weighted,
and the units are in decibels (dBA). The A-weighted sound level is also
called the noise level.
A-WEIGHTED SOUND LEVEL
The sound level measured with a sound level meter using A-weighting,
which alters the sensitivity of the sound level meter with respect to
frequency so that the sound level meter is less sensitive is less sensitive at
frequencies where the ear is less sensitive; usually used in specifying
permissible sound levels in buildings.

BACKGROUND NOISE
The sum total of all unwanted residual noise generated from all direct and reflected
sound sources in a space that can represent an interface to, or interfere with good
listening and speech intelligibility. (Hearing impaired persons are especially victimized
by background noise)
BAFFLE
An acoustical sound absorbing unit. Normally suspended vertically in a variety of
patterns to introduce absorption into a space to reduce reverberation and noise levels.
BARRIER
Anything physical or an environment that interferes with communication or listening.
BASS TRAP
An acoustic absorber or sound baffle used mainly in sound-recording studios and home
theaters to absorb sound at low frequencies less that about 100 hertz (Hz). Bass traps,
like all acoustically absorptive materials, function by turning sound energy within the
room into minute amounts of heat through friction.
BOOMINESS
Low frequency reflections. In small rooms, acoustical panels with air space behind can
better help control low frequency reflectivity.

CLOUD
In acoustical industry terms, an acoustical panel suspended in a horizontal position from a
ceiling or roof structure. Similar to a baffle, but in a horizontal position
.
COCKTAIL PARTY EFFECT
The Cocktail Party effect describes the ability to focus ones listening attention on a single
talker among a mixture of conversations and background noises, ignoring other conversations.
This effect reveals one of the surprising abilities of our auditory system, which allows us to
communicate in a noisy place, such as a cocktail party.
COINCIDENCE REGION
The typically high frequency at which sound can pass directly through a partition due to the
partition resonating at that same frequency. Speed of wave traveling through the material
equals the speed if the sound (incident) wave in air.
CONSTRAINED LAYER DAMPING (CLD)
Vibrational energy is dissipated and converted into small amounts of heat as a result of the
extension and compression, or shearing of a damping layer. A viscoelastic damping compound
between two stiff or rigid constraining layers such as drywall or plywood. This conversion of
vibration to heat reduces the resonance of the stiff layers much like placing a hand on a drum
head to stop it from resonating.
CYCLE
In acoustics, the cycle is the complete oscillation of a sound waves pressure above and below
the atmospheric static pressure.

DAMPING
The process by which vibrations are converted into heat over time and distance.
DECIBEL (dB)
A logarithmic unit used to express the difference or magnitude of the level or power of
sound intensity. It is equal to ten times the common logarithm of the ratio of the two
levels. [DECI + BEL] A whisper is about 20 dB, typical conversation is between 60 - 70
dB, and the threshold of pain for the human ear is around 120 dB. Decibels are not
directly related to human ear sensitivity and doubling dB does not equate to a doubling
in perceived loudness since it works as a curve. 10 dB is a typical doubling or halving of
perceived volume. Note that being logarithmic values, they cannot be added.
DEFLECTION
The distance of an elastic body or spring moves when subjected to a static or dynamic
force.
DIFFUSION
The scattering or random reflection of a sound wave from a surface. The direction of
reflected sound is changed so that the listeners may have the sensation of sound coming
from all directions at equal levels. Most rooms are not diffused, and reverberation times
can be different in different parts of the room due to the rooms modes. The amount of
diffusion can be measured by taking reverb measurements in many different locations in
the room and then taking the average of the differences in decay times.

ECHO
A reflected sound producing a distinct repetition of the original sound that
reaches the listener when the delay is > .01 sec after the direct sound. The
reflecting object must be at an average of about 60 ft in order for an echo to
be heard.
ECHO FLUTTER
An echo flutter can be heard as a ringing effect caused when a sound
rapidly bounces back and forth between two hard, flat parallel surfaces
within a room. Echo flutters can be controlled with diffusers and sound
absorbing products. Also known as a Flutter Echo.
EQUAL LOUDNESS CONTOURS
A measure of sound pressure over the frequency spectrum represented by
curves on a graph for which a listener perceives the different frequencies to
be at equal volumes. Human hearing is less sensitive at low frequencies
whereas high frequencies above 2000 Hz at higher volumes can be more
annoying.

FLANKING
An indirect path of sound transmission traveling around a partition or
barrier within a building reducing the STC significantly. Some examples of
flanking paths are noise under doors, electrical conduit penetrations in the
partition, window mullions, back to back electrical boxes, ductwork and
ceiling plenums, as well as shares walls, floors, and ceilings
FREE FIELD
Sound waves not varying in magnitude according to direction of
measurement in a sound environment that is free from all bounding surfaces
or obstructions.
FREQUENCY
The number of cycles per second of a given tone. Acoustical frequency is
normally measured in units called Hertz (Hz). One Hz is 1 cycle per second,
two Hz is 2 cycles per second, and so on.
FREQUENCY ANALYSIS
An analysis of a sound to determine the character (the volume of sounds at
various frequencies) that make up the overall sounds spectrum. i.e.:
higher frequency sound or pitch vs, low frequency sound or pitch. A sound
is rarely composed of a single pure frequency.

HEARING IMPAIRMENT (HEARING LOSS)

Any degree, full or partial, of impairment of the ability to apprehend sound.
Sound waves vary in frequency and amplitude. Hearing loss can be caused
by age, illness, or by exposure to excessively high noise levels.
Environments with longer reverberation times make it harder for those with
hearing loss to understand conversation.
HEARING RANGE
An average young persons hearing range is from as low as 16-20 Hz to
20,000 Hz. With human speech being from 600 Hz to 4800 Hz. Men tend to
lose their hearing range quicker than women as they age with the highest
frequency an average middle aged person being between 12,000-14,000 Hz.
HERTZ (Hz)
The unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second.
IMPACT SOUND (IMPACT NOISE)
Sound generated by the collision of two solid objects and carried through a
structure. Examples are footsteps, dropped objects, and slamming doors.

LIVE END / DEAD END

An acoustical treatment plan usually for performance purposes, where one end of the performance
space is highly absorbent, and the other end is more reflective or diffused. As an example, in a good
theater the stage would be the DEAD END so that the performer could hear the purest sound
produced. The audience would be in the LIVE END of the theater and able to enjoy the warm sound
produced by the reverberation and diffusion of the performance as its sound works with the rooms
acoustic treatments.
LOUDNESS
A subjective measurement of the perception of a sounds intensity, and duration and can be ranked
from soft to loud. Loudness depends on sound pressure, intensity, and frequency. Every 10 dB is
roughly a doubling or halving of loudness. Also known as Intensity.
MASKING
The ability or process in which one sound makes the ear incapable of hearing another sound. Most
commonly used in open office environments to help speech privacy and are more commonly and
less accurately known as white noise" or pink noise".
MASS
The weight of a given material in a given volume. Generally the heavier or denser a material is, the
more sound it will stop and the higher the Transmission Loss (TL) will be. It is harder for a sound
wave to move a heavy (high mass) wall than a light (lower mass) wall.
MASS LAW
For every doubling of mass there is a 6dB improvement of transmission loss. For example, if you
were to measure a stand alone single layer of 5/8" drywall (not attached to a wall of any kind)
compared to 2 layers of 5/8" drywall wall, a TL gain of +6dB would be seen. If you were to double
the mass again, going from 2 to 4 layers of 5/8" drywall (again, not an actual wall, just drywall), the
TL would again improve +6dB.Note that this DOES NOT mean that adding another sheet of
drywall to an existing wall gives you +6dB. You would have to double the weight of the entire wall,
which includes studs and insulation.

NOISE
In acoustics Noise is described as any sound in the acoustic domain both wanted and unwanted. While
music and birds chirping are examples of wanted sounds, noise is more commonly used in reference to
unwanted sounds such as traffic, airplane, industrial, and other annoying sounds. Noise does not have to
be excessively loud to be annoying or cause interference.
NOISE CRITERIA (NC)
NC is determined by NC Curves which are a series of curves of octave-band spectra, used to provide a
single number rating of the noisiness of an indoor space. The rooms octave-band spectrum is compared
with this set of curves to determine the NC level of the room and illustrates the extent to which unwanted
noise such as mechanical or HVAC noise interferes with speech intelligibility.
NOISE ISOLATION CLASS (NIC)
A single-number rating of building elements such as acoustical ceilings and acoustical screens for speech
privacy purposes derived from the measured values of noise reduction between two enclosed spaces that
are connected between one or more paths that can not be isolated such as open office environments. NIC
has been replaced by Articulation Class (AC).
NOISE MITIGATION
Noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce noise pollution.
NOISE REDUCTION (NR)
The average amount of reduced sound pressure level (SPL) measured in decibels (dB) on a logarithmic
basis between two rooms separated by a wall with a sound source in one room and the measurement taken
in the other room. NR is also be used to determine the reduction of SPL caused by an absorbent material
before and after it is introduced into a room with a sound source.
NOISE REDUCTION COEFFICIENT (NRC)
An arithmetic average of an acoustic material to the nearest multiple of .05 of four sound absorption
coefficients at frequencies of 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2000 Hz. An NRC of 0 = perfect reflection
and an NRC of 1 = perfect absorption. NRC is based on human speech frequencies therefore providing a
simple scale of how well a surface material will absorb the human voice.

OCTAVE BANDS
Sounds that contain energy over a wide range of frequencies are divided into sections called
bands. An octave is the interval between two discrete frequencies having a frequency ratio
of two. For instance, frequencies of 50 Hz and 100 Hz are said to be separated by one
octave. The 10 most commonly used octave band are centered at the following frequencies:
31.5 Hz, 63 Hz, 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz, 8000 Hz, and
16,000 Hz.
1/3 OCTAVE BANDS
Though similar to Octave Bands, except that each of the Octave Bands are split into three.
Usually with the most commonly used Octave Bands (See:
OCTAVE BANDS) as the middle frequency. This yields a more detailed description of the
frequency content of the sound source being measured. For example, the 1000 Hz Octave
Band is divided into 800 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 1250 Hz 1/3 Octave Bands to cover the same
frequency range of the original 1000 Hz Octave Band. 1/3 Octave Bands are useful in many
building acoustic and environmental applications as well as the measurement of many noise
control products.
OITC
Acronym for Outdoor Indoor Transmission Class and covers a range from 80 Hz to 4000
Hz. Though similar to STC, this method is used to rate the amount of Transmission Loss
(TL) of a partition or wall from outside to inside such as determining how much traffic
noise an exterior wall can stop. OITC is an A-Weighted number and is expresses in dB as
opposed to STC which uses points.

PHON
A unit measurement of perceived sound or loudness. 1 Phon is equal to 1
dBSPL at a frequency of 1000 Hz.
PINK NOISE
A random signal of every frequency in which each higher octave drops off 3
dB. The lower octaves have more power, and the higher octaves have less
power. Pink noise is used to test loudspeakers and tune" a room for
optimum audio reproduction or masking systems.
PLENUM
An open cavity between a given spaces deck and dropped ceiling or an
enclosed space not for human occupancy purposes in buildings. Most open
office designs have open plenums for electrical and HVAC purposes and are
a flanking path for sound transmission.

REFLECTION
Sound wave energy that strikes and bounces off a surface through which it cannot
pass. Harder and non porous surfaces, such as a painted concrete wall, are more
reflective than soft porous surfaces, such as an acoustical panel. Sound reflection can
be used to enhance the quality (intelligibility) of music and speech.
RESONANCE
Every item has a natural frequency of vibration, which is determined by a combination
of factors such as mass and stiffness. Changing a factor will change the resonance
frequency. It is much easier to get an object to vibrate at its resonance point. In
acoustics, an airborne frequency can be amplified due to the reinforcement of a
partition vibrating at resonance. Also as an example, if a wall is resonating at 100Hz,
frequencies around 100Hz will pass much more readily through that wall.
RESONANCE REGION
The frequency at which the entire partition or wall assembly resonates. This frequency
is dependent on cavity depth, insulation, mass, etc.
RESONANT FREQUENCY
A frequency at which a resonance exists.
REVERBERATION
The perpetuation of sound wave energy in an enclosed space after the original sound
source has stopped. After this original sound source has stopped the sound wave
energy will continue to be reflected, and absorbed until it looses enough energy to die
out. More reverberation can be good for music, but poor for speech intelligibility.
REVERBERATION TIME
The time it takes in seconds for a sound to decay 60 dB or one-millionth of its original
sound level after the source has stopped in an enclosed space. Commonly referred to
as RT60.

SABIN
A measure or unit used to measure the amount of sound absorption of a room or acoustic
material. 1 metric Sabin is equal to the value of 1 square meter of 100% absorbing material.
Named in honor of Wallace Clement Sabine (1868-1919) who developed the formula allowing
for the calculation of reverb time within a space prior to construction.
SEPTUM
In acoustics, a thin layer of material such as foil, steel, or lead that helps prevent sound waves
from passing through an absorptive material.
SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO
The comparison of the level of desired signal such as speech and music to the level of
background or unwanted noise. The higher the ratio the lower the background or unwanted
noise interferes with the desired signal.
SINE WAVE
A continuous uniform (sound) wave having a constant amplitude and frequency.
SOUND
Vibrational mechanical energy that propagates as a wave through matter such as air and water
and is defined by the properties of sound waves which are frequency, amplitude, wavelength,
intensity, period, speed and direction. The speed of sound depends on the temperature, and
medium it travels through. The average speed of sound through the air at sea level and at 20C
(68 F) is 343 m/s (Roughly 767 mph).
SOUND ABSORPTION
The property of materials such as air, walls or acoustic panels that changes sound wave energy
into heat energy. When a sound wave hits a surface, that which is not reflected is absorbed.

SOUND BARRIER
In acoustics, a sound barrier is any material or structure that is placed around a sound
source to impede the transmission of the noise beyond the barrier. A poor acoustical
environment, such as a room with a long reverberation time, can be a barrier" to speech
intelligibility or good hearing.
SOUND LEVEL
A subjective measure of sound or Sound Pressure Level (SPL) expressed in decibels (db)
as a comparison corresponding to familiar sounds experienced in a variety of situations.
SOUND LEVEL METER
An instrument containing a microphone, amplifier, output meter, and various frequencyweighting settings used to measure sound levels or noises at different frequencies.
SOUND PRESSURE
The varying difference between the instantaneous pressure of a sound wave at a point in
space and the static atmospheric pressure at that point.
SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL (SPL)
Expresses in decibels (dB), SPL of a sound is 20 times the logarithm to the base 0 of the
ration of the sound pressure to the reference pressure. The reference pressure shall be
explicitly stated and is defined by standards.
SOUNDPROOFING
Building materials, elements in construction, and design features that make structures
more impervious to sound transmission from room to room or from the outside to inside
of buildings

SOUND ATTENUATION
Reducing the intensity or the sound pressure level of sound, which is transmitted from one point to
another.
SOUND REMEDIATION
Process of abatement, remedying, or other method to contain or remove sound or noise from an
environment.
SOUND TRANSMISSION CLASS - STC
A method for a single number ranking of walls, doors, windows, noise barriers, partitions, and other
acoustic products measured over 16 different frequencies ranging from 125 Hz - 4000 Hz, assuming that
the noise source in generally even across the frequency spectrum. STC involves measuring transmission
loss (TL) at various frequency bands of a generated sound source from one room to another separated by
the median that is being tested. STC is not a very good rating system for most real world situations which
generate sound in frequencies lower than 125 Hz such as traffic noise, machinery noise, and many music
systems like those found in todays home theaters. Again, STC does not consider low frequencies in its
calculation, so a high STC" wall could very well perform poorly in the problematic lower frequencies.
SOUND SPECTRUM
The representation of a sounds wave components of frequency and amplitude. A sound spectrum is a
representation of that sound in terms of the amount of vibration at each individual frequency.
SPEECH INTELLIGIBILITY
The ability for the human ear to correctly understand the spoken word in a given environment such as an
open office plan, and rated from 0.01 to 1.00 as defined by the by the Articulation Index. The higher the
number, the higher the intelligibility of the spoken word in a sentence from 0 to 100%.
SPEECH PRIVACY
The extent that speech becomes unintelligible between rooms or spaces like offices and conference rooms
usually found in an open office plan, The three ratings used are:
Confidential (Very Private), Normal (Non Obtrusive), and Minimal (Poor or Low Privacy).

TIME WEIGHTED AVERAGE (TWA)

The guideline used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
to measure noise levels in the workplace. Exposure to loud noise over a
long time can cause hearing damage. If the TWA noise level, which is the
average sound level over 8 hours, is exceeding 85 dB(A), a hearing
conservation program is required. The table below shows the equivalent
amount of noise and exposure time equal to 8 hours of exposure.
OSHA Permissible Noise Exposure90 dB(A)8.0 Hours92
dB(A)6.0 Hours95 dB(A)4.0 Hours97 dB(A)3.0 Hours100
dB(A)2.0 Hours102 dB(A)1.5 Hours105 dB(A)1.0 Hours110
dB(A)30 Minutes115 dB(A)15 Minutes or less
ULTRASOUND
Sound pressures with frequencies greater than the upper limit of human
hearing which is approximately 20,000 Hz (20 kHz) to 25,000 Hz (25 kHz).

VIBRATION
Mechanical periodic or random oscillations about some specified reference or
equilibrium point. Vibration is expressed in terms of frequency or number of
cycles that occur in a given time period such as Hertz (Hz), cycles per second
(cps), cycles per minute (cpm), rotations per minute (rpm), and strokes per minute
(spm). A few examples are drums, tuning forks, engines, or the imbalance of a
rotating object like in a washing machine.
VIBRATION ISOLATOR
A resilient support which accomplishes the process of isolating an object from the
source of vibrations. An example would be the use of a Vibration Isolator to keep
the vibration of a roof top HVAC unit from transferring to the building.
VOLUME
In acoustics, Volume is similar to Loudness in that it is a subjective measurement
of the perception of a sounds intensity, and duration and can be ranked from soft
to loud. Loudness depends on sound pressure, intensity, and frequency.
In architecture, Volume is the cubic space of a given enclosed space by using the
calculation:
Volume = Space Length x Space Width x Space Height.

WAVELENGTH
The distance between two identical crests in a sound wave or cycle. Wavelength
can be easily pictured as the wave ripples in water from a tossed stone. Sound
wavelengths vary by frequency. The higher the sound frequency, the shorter the
wavelength These frequencies are more quickly dissipated and easier to control
whereas lower end frequencies produce longer wavelengths which take longer to
dissipate and are harder to control. Low end frequencies with long wavelengths
emanate from sound sources that cause most noise complaints such as traffic
noise, and many music systems like those found in todays home theaters.
WHITE NOISE
A random signal in which all frequencies in all bands have equal power.
Impact Insulation Class (IIC) is a single number rating used to compare and
evaluate the performance of floor/ceiling assemblies measured in an acoustic
laboratory. Field Impact Insulation Class (FIIC) is a single number rating used to
compare and evaluate the performance of floor/ceiling assemblies (and
associated structures) derived from field impact sound measurements in
accordance to ASTM E989.