Products >> Puracoustic >> Understanding Acoustics
Understanding the science of sound is vital when designing any space that will have specialist acoustic requirements. Sound is a sequence of waves of pressure which travels in all directions from its source until it reaches a barrier such as a wall or ceiling. As it hits a surface, three things can happen: it can be reflected back, absorbed or diffused.
Sound reflection is most commonly experienced as an echo where a sound wave is reflected back to its source with sufficient strength and time lag to be separately distinguished. An echo that is reflected again and again from different surfaces is called reverberation and this can be a common cause of poor acoustic performance in any large area with lots of hard reflective surfaces.
Sound absorption is where the primary wave of sound hits a material and is absorbed rather than reflected. The thicker and more fibrous the acoustic material used, the better the absorption.
Sound diffusion is the process by which a sound wave is distributed into a space – the more uniformly distributed sound pressure is, the better the diffusion. This is important in areas such as Concert Halls, Classrooms and Studios to avoid places where the sound is weak (dead spots). Diffusers are used instead of, or in addition to, sound adsorption because they do not remove sound energy but can effectively reduce distinct echoes and reflections.
Quality of sound
Speech intelligibility refers to the accuracy with which a normal listener can understand a spoken word or phrase. Excessive noise and reverberation interferes with this, leading to a lack of understanding and comprehension of speech.
Flanking is airborne or impact noise that is transmitted indirectly from its source through windows, external walls, door and corridors.
Both of these acoustic problems can be avoided by thorough planning at the design stage. It may be as simple as rearranging some of the build materials or may require a complete redesign by a Professional Acoustic Consultant.
