This module offers the student the opportunity to increase their knowledge of Acoustics and Vibration
Breath:
Human hearing, fundamentals of noise, noise travel, acoustic and vibration sources in buildings, acoustic and vibration reduction
Kind:
Detailed analysis of the characteristics of the human hearing system, fundamentals of noise, understanding of the frequency range, acoustic and vibration sources within a building and how to reduce or eliminate them
Know-how & Skill:
The learner shall understand the structure of the human ear, the hearing process, noise fundamentals, frequency range and sources of noise and how to assess and reduce noise in ventilation and air conditioning systems
Acoustics
Fundamentals, velocity of sound, wavelength and frequency, sound intensity and sound power. The decibel scale, sound power level and sound pressure level. Logarithmic addition of sound levels. The frequency spectrum. Octave and 1/3 Octave Band Analysis.
Physiology and Psychology
The hearing mechanism, noise induced hearing loss, temporary and permanent threshold shift, and audiometry. Frequency response of the ear. Quantifying loudness. Noise criteria and noise rating curves. Damage risk curves. The weighting scales. Daily exposure levels.
Free-field Propagation of Sound
Point source, unidirectional spherical and hemispherical radiation. Directivity effects, line sources, Noise control methods, screens and barriers, enclosures, silencers, acoustic louvers.
Sound in Rooms
Sound absorption, reflection and room surface directivity effects. Direct and reverberant components. The room effect, Reverberation time, live dead and semi-reverberant rooms. Sound transmission through partitions. Sound reduction and average sound reduction index. Sound transmission from inside to outside. Acoustic enclosures.
Noise in Ductwork Systems
Assessment of fan sound power level. Attenuation in the duct system. Regenerated duct noise. Room calculations. Flanking transmission. Plant room noise, noise breakout from ducts, cross talk.
The learning and teaching methods will be by lecturers and laboratory experiment. The Learner will complete a cycle of Acoustic laboratory experiments in room 190 and submit laboratory reports
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 80 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 20 |