Acoustical Engineering Key Terms
Understand acoustical engineering terminology
Acoustical engineering is an important applied engineering science. This engineering branch deals with the improvement of sound quality using different techniques that enhance the quality of the desired sound and reduce the quality of the undesired sound. Acoustical engineering is applicable in many different locations, including home theaters, movie halls and industrial testing laboratories.While consulting acoustical engineers for residential, commercial or industrial applications, you will come across various technical terms. This guide intends to explain some acoustical engineering key terms, such as acoustic treatment, ambient noise, decibel and sabin.
Acoustic treatment
Ambient noise
Ambient noise is the composite effect of all types of sounds that are generally present in a given environment. Evaluating the nature and level of ambient noise is an important step in the acoustic treatment process.Structure-borne noise
Sometimes, mechanical vibrations of structures or mechanisms in a confined space contribute to audible sound. Such noise, which is undesired in acoustical engineering applications, is known as structure-borne noise.Anechoic room
As the name indicates, an anechoic room (or anechoic chamber) is a room that has an internal lining of sound-absorbing materials that reduce the reflections of sound and electromagnetic waves. These rooms are useful for evaluating characteristics of microphone and speaker products.Absorption coefficient
The absorption coefficient of a material indicates its ability to absorb sound waves in a particular octave. For a comparison of sound absorbing materials, you will need to learn about their absorption coefficients.Reverberation
Reverberation is the combined effect of the sound and its echoes, hence the sound persists in the room even after the source has stopped emitting sound waves. Sometimes, reverberation is required to give better sound effect.Decibel (dB)
A decibel is the unit for the measurement of sound energy. One decibel is the minimum change in the volume that can be perceived by a human ear. In the field of acoustics, sound intensity is expressed in decibels.Sabin
A sabin is the unit of measurement of sound absorption. One sabin is the sound absorption of one square foot of a perfectly absorbing surface.Copyright © 2013 Business.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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