Course syllabus for Sound and vibrations

Course syllabus adopted 2021-02-16 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameLjud och vibrationer
  • CodeBOM230
  • Credits6 Credits
  • OwnerTKSAM
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyCivil and Environmental Engineering
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 58136
  • Open for exchange studentsNo

Credit distribution

0115 Project 1.5 c
Grading: TH		 1.5 c
0215 Examination 1.5 c
Grading: TH		 1.5 c
0315 Project 3 c
Grading: TH		 3 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Buildings functions and design
Introductory course in calculus
Computational mathematics

Aim

Sound and vibration attribute are important for perceived quality and for the functioning of products, buildings and urban environments. Civil engineers involved in planning, design and development should have a basic understanding about sound and vibrations to be able to create products, buildings and urban environments with appropriate sound and vibration properties.

The student will in the course Sound and Vibration achieve knowledge about sound and vibrations fundamental properties. From a selection of typical problems, challenges and applications in sound and vibration, the focus is on understanding of basic concepts, behaviour and phenomena in sound and vibrations and the description of these with physics and simple models. The student will get the opportunity to learn to understand and describe physical phenomena and appearance within the field of sound and vibration, and the opportunity to learn to manage and solve a variety of problems in sound and vibration, as well as the ability to perform basic dimensioning calculations in sound and vibration.

This course is a continuation of the course of Buildings functions and design where the topic sounds and vibrations have been introduced in a larger system. In the course Urban space and functioning, that runs parallel, sound and vibrations are introduced in a larger system. A ink is made to this course by a project work about community noise in an urban area. The course Sound and vibration has links to the course Mechanics.

The acquired knowledge and skills will provide a basis for further courses dealing with the topic of sound and vibrations, such as dealing building acoustics or community noise. The course is also preparing the students for the master's program Sound and Vibration.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

- explain the physical properties and processes that results in oscillatory motion (e.g. mass-spring system) and wave motion (e.g. wave propagation in air)
- explain the derivation and solution of the equation for a single degree of freedom system (undamped and damped) in the time and frequency domains
- explain wave types and wave propagation in structures, ground, water and air
- explain in general terms the regulations, standards, guideline values and classifications for sound and vibrations in buildings and built environment that exist in a national and international perspective
- describe and deal with the basic concepts used in sound and vibration (e.g. sound pressure, rms value, level, reverberation time, sound insulation, sound absorption and A-weighting)
- describe and interpret acoustical signals in the time and frequency domains
- describe how humans perceive sound and vibrations (hearing, subjective experience)
- describe sound propagation from acoustical sources and phenomena that affect sound propagation
- identify typical deficiencies in the soundscape of built environment and suggest common treatments to reduce outdoor noise exposure
- identify typical deficiencies in the acoustical properties of technical solutions of buildings and suggest common treatments to reduce indoor noise exposure
- estimate the effect of different treatments to reduce noise exposure
- perform simple calculations for road traffic noise and ground vibrations
- explain vibrations on structures and perform simple calculations for vibrations isolation
- perform simple calculations in building acoustics and room acoustics
- describe the parts of the process when an acoustics consultant approaches a problem and suggest a solution

Content

- oscillatory motion, wave motion, one degree of freedom system, mass-spring system, damping,
- wave types and wave propagation in structures, ground, water and air,
- regulations, standards, guideline values and classifications for sound and vibrations,
- basic concepts (e.g. sound pressure, rms value, level, reverberation time, sound insulation, sound absorption and A-weighting),
- reduction index, single wall, double wall
- frequency spectra, octave bands, 1/3 octave bands
- humans hearing and subjective experience of sound
- acoustical sources (monopole and line sources), sound propagation (plane wave, cylindrical wave, spherical wave), and phenomena that affects wave propagation (e.g. absorption, reflection, diffraction, refraction, inversion)
- describe typical treatments to reduce outdoor noise exposure
- describe typical treatments to reduce indoor noise exposure
- treatments to reduce noise exposure (planning of traffic and localization of functions, distance, screens, city block planning, planning of places for recreation)
- treatments to reduce noise exposure indoors (building design, facade design, balconies, vents, windows)
- bendings waves in structures and sound radiation from vibrating plates and walls
- vibration isolation
- calculations models for road traffic noise
- simple models for estimation of ground vibratoins
- calculation of reduction index for single wall and double wall
- dimensioning of reverberations time in rooms using absorbers
- how an acoustic consultant work

Organisation

Lectures, field study and project work.

Literature

Material procuced at Applied Acoustics that is available at the course webpage.

Examination including compulsory elements

Examination is based on a written exam, grading TH, written reports about the project work, grading TH, and compulsory attendance in field study.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.