Acoustics

35 pages, 14568 KiB

Open AccessTechnical Note

Determination of Acoustic Compliance of Wind Farms

by Steven Cooper and Christopher Chan

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 416-450; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020024 - 22 Jun 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5500

An issue exists around the world of wind farms that comply with permit conditions giving rise to noise complaints. Approval limits are normally expressed in A-weighted levels (dB(A)) external to residential receivers. The distance from the wind farm to residential receivers can result [...] Read more.

An issue exists around the world of wind farms that comply with permit conditions giving rise to noise complaints. Approval limits are normally expressed in A-weighted levels (dB(A)) external to residential receivers. The distance from the wind farm to residential receivers can result in difficulty in establishing the dB(A) contribution of the wind farm, as the overall noise includes background noise that can provide masking of the wind turbine noise. The determination of the ambient background at a receiver location (without the influence of the wind farm) presents challenges, as the background level varies with the wind and different seasons throughout the year. On-off testing of wind farms does not normally occur at high wind farm output and limits this approach for acoustic compliance testing of a wind farm. The use of a regression analysis method developed more than 20 years ago is questioned. Anomalies with respect to compliance procedures and the regression method of analysis based on real-world experience are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wind Turbine Noise)

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17 pages, 4819 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Resonant Vessels in Russian Churches and Their Study in a Concert Hall

by Nikolay Kanev

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 399-415; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020023 - 16 Jun 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 6640

Abstract

Resonant vessels in ancient and medieval buildings are the subject of some historical and acoustic research today. There have been a number of detailed surveys of European churches, where acoustic pots remain in the buildings. Despite the fact that in medieval Russia the [...] Read more.

Resonant vessels in ancient and medieval buildings are the subject of some historical and acoustic research today. There have been a number of detailed surveys of European churches, where acoustic pots remain in the buildings. Despite the fact that in medieval Russia the use of built-in vessels was very common in the construction of churches, they have been hardly considered in recent publications. Therefore, the first goal of this paper is to give a brief overview of the Russian experience. Some of the most interesting examples of Russian churches are presented, and among them there may be a world record for the number of the vessels in a single room. The Church of St. Nicholas in Pskov has about 300 pots inserted into the walls, apse and pendentives. The second goal is to study the efficiency of acoustic vessels in an ordinary room. Acoustic measurements were carried out in the Rachmaninov Hall, which is part of the Moscow Conservatory. This chamber concert hall built over 100 years ago has 29 vessels. The first conclusion is that the vessels behave like resonators, their natural frequencies have been identified. The second conclusion is that we found no considerable changes of the acoustics due to the vessels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Historical Acoustics)

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17 pages, 3741 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Use of Soundscapes to Monitor Fish Communities: Meaningful Graphical Representations Differ with Acoustic Environment

by Rita Carriço, Mónica A. Silva, Manuel Vieira, Pedro Afonso, Gui M. Menezes, Paulo J. Fonseca and Maria Clara P. Amorim

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 382-398; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020022 - 13 Jun 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4261

Abstract

Many marine animals produce sounds in several phases of their life cycles, either actively or as a byproduct of their activities, such as during mate attraction or when moving. Recent studies of underwater soundscapes have proved passive acoustic monitoring to be a cost-effective, [...] Read more.

Many marine animals produce sounds in several phases of their life cycles, either actively or as a byproduct of their activities, such as during mate attraction or when moving. Recent studies of underwater soundscapes have proved passive acoustic monitoring to be a cost-effective, non-invasive tool to understand ecological processes, especially when sampling in adverse conditions or at great depth. Four days of sound recordings at three seamounts from the Azorean archipelago were examined to assess the suitability of different sound graphical representations to characterize different acoustic environments that contrast in the contribution of vocal fish communities. Long-term spectrograms, sound pressure level, spectral probability densities and the Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI) were computed for two shallow seamounts (Formigas and Princesa Alice, c. 35 m) and one deep seamount (Condor, 190 m) using graphics with different time spans. Only in Formigas, which presented the highest occurrence of fish sounds, was it possible to observe temporal patterns of fish vocal activity in the graphical representations. We highlight that habitats with a higher diversity and abundance of sounds are the most suitable targets for these methods, while in locations with a low prevalence of fish sounds a combination of several methods would be recommended. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underwater Acoustics)

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16 pages, 4720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Contactless Liquid Height and Property Estimation Using Surface Acoustic Waves

by Hani Alhazmi and Rasim Guldiken

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 366-381; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020021 - 06 Jun 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3342

Abstract

The propagation of surface acoustic waves over a solid plate is highly influenced by the presence of liquid media on the surface. At the solid–liquid interface, a leaky Rayleigh wave radiates energy into the liquid, causing a signification attenuation of the surface acoustic [...] Read more.

The propagation of surface acoustic waves over a solid plate is highly influenced by the presence of liquid media on the surface. At the solid–liquid interface, a leaky Rayleigh wave radiates energy into the liquid, causing a signification attenuation of the surface acoustic wave amplitude. In this study, we take advantage of this spurious wave mode to predict the characteristics of the media, including the volume or height. In this study, the surface acoustic waves were generated on a thick 1018 steel surface via a 5 MHz transducer coupled through an angle beam wedge. A 3D-printed container was inserted on the propagation path. The pulse-echo time-domain responses of the signal were recorded at five different volumes (0, 400, 600, 1000, and 1800 µL). With the aid of parametric CAD analysis, both the position and distance of the entire traveling wave in the liquid layer were modeled and verified with experimental studies. The results indicated that the average drop in the reflected wave amplitude due to liquid loading is −62.5% compared to the empty container, with a percentage of error within 10% for all cases. The localized-time frequency components of the reflected wave were obtained via a Short-Time Fourier Transform technique. Up to 10% reduction (500 KHz) in the central frequency was observed due to the liquid volume increasing. The method discussed herein could be useful for many applications, where some of the liquid’s parameters or the ultrasonic wave behavior in the liquid need to be assessed. Full article

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Graphical abstract

23 pages, 37937 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigations on Low Frequency Noises of On-Shore Wind Turbines

by Esther Blumendeller, Ivo Kimmig, Gerhard Huber, Philipp Rettler and Po Wen Cheng

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 343-365; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020020 - 26 May 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6763

Abstract

The expansion of renewable energy usage is one of the major social tasks in Europe and therefore requires acceptance and support from the population. In the case of onshore wind turbines, the complaints of local residents are often interpreted as infrasound disturbances conceivably [...] Read more.

The expansion of renewable energy usage is one of the major social tasks in Europe and therefore requires acceptance and support from the population. In the case of onshore wind turbines, the complaints of local residents are often interpreted as infrasound disturbances conceivably caused by wind turbine operation. To improve the acceptance for wind energy projects, national standards and regulations need to incorporate such low frequency effects. This contribution presents long-term acoustic measurement data of low frequency noise recorded directly near wind turbines (emission) and inside of residential buildings (immission) with the objectives to identify the signal characteristics and main influential parameters. Different locations (wind farm and individual turbine), wind conditions, and time ranges are evaluated. It is shown that various frequency content below 150 Hz (harmonics of blade passing frequency, etc.) is connected to the rotation of the rotor blade and the operation of the generator. Furthermore, stable atmospheric conditions are determined to be of high importance for the transmission of the characteristic signals. For future research, this work also serves as an example for low frequency sound pressure data during operation and shutdown of wind turbines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wind Turbine Noise)

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13 pages, 2776 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Extension of the Virtual Rotating Array Method Using Arbitrary Microphone Configurations for the Localization of Rotating Sound Sources

by Simon Jekosch and Ennes Sarradj

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 330-342; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020019 - 15 May 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3431

Abstract

The characterization of rotating aeroacoustic sources using microphone array methods has been proven to be a useful tool. One technique to identify rotating sources is the virtual rotating array method. The method interpolates the pressure time data signals between the microphones in a [...] Read more.

The characterization of rotating aeroacoustic sources using microphone array methods has been proven to be a useful tool. One technique to identify rotating sources is the virtual rotating array method. The method interpolates the pressure time data signals between the microphones in a stationary array to compensate the motion of the rotating sources. One major drawback of the method is the requirement of ring array geometries that are centred around the rotating axis. This contribution extends the virtual rotating array method to arbitrary microphone configurations. Two different ways to interpolate the time signals between the microphone locations are proposed. The first method constructs a mesh between the microphone positions using Delaunay-triangulation and interpolates over the mesh faces using piecewise linear functions. The second one is a meshless technique which is based on radial basis function interpolation. The methods are tested on synthetic array data from a benchmark test case as well as on experimental data obtained with a spiral array and a five-bladed fan. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Soundscape: Integrating Sound, Experience and Architecture)

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37 pages, 7591 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental and Analytical Investigation of the Tonal Trailing-Edge Noise Radiated by Low Reynolds Number Aerofoils

by Gyuzel Yakhina, Michel Roger, Stéphane Moreau, Lap Nguyen and Vladimir Golubev

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 293-329; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020018 - 14 May 2020

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4237

Abstract

An experimental and analytical study of the tonal trailing-edge noise of a symmetric NACA-0012 aerofoil and of a cambered SD7003 aerofoil has been achieved. It provides a complete experimental database for both aerofoils and improves the understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The analysis [...] Read more.

An experimental and analytical study of the tonal trailing-edge noise of a symmetric NACA-0012 aerofoil and of a cambered SD7003 aerofoil has been achieved. It provides a complete experimental database for both aerofoils and improves the understanding of the underlying mechanisms. The analysis stresses the high sensitivity of the tonal noise phenomenon to the flow velocity and the angle of attack. Several regimes of the noise emission are observed depending on the aforementioned parameters. The contributions of the pressure and the suction sides are found to vary with the flow parameters too. A special attention has been paid to the role of the separation bubble in the tonal noise generation. Hot-wire measurements and flow visualization prove that the separation bubble is a necessary condition for the tonal noise production. Moreover, the bubble must be located close enough to the trailing edge. Several tests with small-scale upstream turbulence confirm the existence of the feedback loop. Analytical predictions with a classical trailing-edge noise model show a good agreement with the experimental data; they confirm the cause-to-effect relationship between the wall-pressure fluctuations and the radiated sound. Finally, previously reported works on fans and propellers are shortly re-addressed to show that the tonal noise associated with laminar-boundary-layer instabilities can take place in rotating blade technology. Full article

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14 pages, 2197 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ultrasounds Used as Promoters of Heat-Transfer Enhancement of Natural Convection in Dielectric Fluids for the Thermal Control of Electronic Equipment

by Carlo Bartoli, Alessandro Franco and Massimo Macucci

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 279-292; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020017 - 12 May 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3188

Abstract

We present an experimental investigation of the effect of ultrasound application to increase the heat-transfer coefficient for natural convection of a dielectric fluid. An experimental analysis is carried out to estimate the increase of the convective heat-transfer coefficient between an electronic board and [...] Read more.

We present an experimental investigation of the effect of ultrasound application to increase the heat-transfer coefficient for natural convection of a dielectric fluid. An experimental analysis is carried out to estimate the increase of the convective heat-transfer coefficient between an electronic board and a refrigerant fluid, the Fluorinert Electronic Fluid FC-72. For this purpose, an experimental apparatus composed of an electronic board, its electronic control circuit, and data acquisition systems have been designed and implemented. The data collected appear to confirm in some situations of practical interest the enhancement effect of the convective heat-transfer coefficient in connection with the use of ultrasound. The most favorable condition was observed with the fluid in quite low subcooled conditions. Full article

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33 pages, 9632 KiB

Open AccessReview

Acoustic Performance-Based Design: A Brief Overview of the Opportunities and Limits in Current Practice

by Elena Badino, Louena Shtrepi and Arianna Astolfi

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 246-278; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020016 - 01 May 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 9244

Abstract

Current development in digital design, combined with the growing awareness of the importance of building performance, had drawn attention to performance-based design (PBD) in architecture. PBD benefits both design workflow and outcome, allowing one to control the performance of the design proposal since [...] Read more.

Current development in digital design, combined with the growing awareness of the importance of building performance, had drawn attention to performance-based design (PBD) in architecture. PBD benefits both design workflow and outcome, allowing one to control the performance of the design proposal since early design phases. The paper aims to explore its current application in the acoustic field, where its potential is still little exploited in architectural practice. A set of built case studies is collected and briefly analyzed with the aim to shed some light on the state of the art of the application of acoustic performance-based design (APBD) in practice. The analysis suggests that in order to encourage the application of APBD it is needed on one side to enhance the integration and interoperability among modeling and simulation tools, and on the other side to improve the acoustic knowledge and programming skills of the architectural practitioners. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Design and Applications of Materials for Acoustically Performative Indoor and Outdoor Environments)

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23 pages, 9620 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Handclap for Acoustic Measurements: Optimal Application and Limitations

by Nikolaos M. Papadakis and Georgios E. Stavroulakis

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 224-245; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020015 - 26 Apr 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 10835

Abstract

Handclap is a convenient and useful acoustic source. This study aimed to explore its optimal application and limitations for acoustic measurements as well for other possible utilizations. For this purpose, the following steps were performed: investigation of the optimal hand configuration for acoustic [...] Read more.

Handclap is a convenient and useful acoustic source. This study aimed to explore its optimal application and limitations for acoustic measurements as well for other possible utilizations. For this purpose, the following steps were performed: investigation of the optimal hand configuration for acoustic measurements and measurements at different microphone source distances and at different spaces and positions. All measurements were performed with a handclap and a dodecahedron speaker for comparison. The results indicate that the optimal hand configuration (among 11) is with the hands cupped and held at an angle due to the superior low frequency spectrum. This configuration produced usable acoustic parameter measurements in the low frequency range in common room background levels unlike other configurations. The reverberation time was measured across different spaces and positions with a deviation less than three and just a noticeable difference of the signal-to-noise ratio within or near the ISO 3382-1 limits for each corresponding octave band. Other acoustic parameters (i.e., early decay time, clarity) were measured with greater deviations for reasons discussed in the text. Finally, practical steps for measurements with a handclap as an acoustic source are suggested. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Historical Acoustics)

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17 pages, 3671 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study of Airfoil Leading Edge Combs for Turbulence Interaction Noise Reduction

by Thomas Fritz Geyer, Sahan Hasaranga Wasala and Ennes Sarradj

Acoustics 2020, 2(2), 207-223; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2020014 - 01 Apr 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3638

Abstract

The interaction of a turbulent flow with the leading edge of a blade is a main noise source mechanism for fans and wind turbines. Motivated by the silent flight of owls, the present paper describes an experimental study performed to explore the noise-reducing [...] Read more.

The interaction of a turbulent flow with the leading edge of a blade is a main noise source mechanism for fans and wind turbines. Motivated by the silent flight of owls, the present paper describes an experimental study performed to explore the noise-reducing effect of comb-like extensions, which are fixed to the leading edge of a low-speed airfoil. The measurements took place in an aeroacoustic wind tunnel using the microphone array technique, while the aerodynamic performance of the modified airfoils was captured simultaneously. It was found that the comb structures lead to a noise reduction at low frequencies, while the noise at high frequencies slightly increases. The most likely reasons for this frequency shift are that the teeth of the combs break up large incoming turbulent eddies into smaller ones or that they shift turbulent eddies away from the airfoil surface, thereby reducing pressure fluctuations acting on the airfoil. The aerodynamic performance does not change significantly. Full article

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Acoustics, Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2020) – 11 articles

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