Acoustic solution - in terms of different frequencies

project development & documentation
1

Hi All,

One thing I want to ask after reading book Architectural Acoustic Illustrated. I am not sure the right approach to deal with the acoustic issue in terms of different frequencies. (For example, is a resilient layer more useful than a thick carpet when dealing with low-frequency sound? How about the high frequency noise? )

Thanks!

2

Hello @whuang -

Thanks for posting such an interesting question. Certain material properties are what makes a material good or bad in regards to soundproofing.

  • Density
  • Porosity
  • Flow resistivity
  • Cell size
  • Tortuosity

Each of these properties either alters the wave or reflects it. For both high and low frequencies the ability to absorb the wave pattern is what stops the frequency. So in terms of thinking about frequency I would reccomend visualizing it as the wave pattern, and then thinking about how that wave is effected based on what soundproofing material you use.

If you check out the diagram that is in the Architectural Acoustic Illustrated on page 52 it graphically illustrates the low vs high frequencies in relationship to different carpet materials.

Hopefully this helps!

-Elise

3

Thanks Elise!

4

One more question, if I understand correctly, more porous/thick/with air gap material will better resolve low-frequency sounds since they can translate acoustic energy into heat.

But what about the treatments for high frequency sounds? Should the strategy be pretty similar but just different cell size/porosity for absorbing different wavelength?

5

Hello @whuang -

You have got it! Depending on the wave length (ie Frequency) the material has different physical properties in order to best absorb the wave.

Let me know if you have anything else that comes up!

-Elise

6

Thanks!