Affiliation:
1. Department of Architectural Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Acoustic standards for classrooms around the world are still being studied, but the placement of sound-absorbing materials to meet these standards is still unclear. The present study examined an appropriate location for applying sound-absorbing materials inside an elementary classroom to ensure speech intelligibility while meeting the RT criterion using three scientific experimental methods, namely, computer modeling, a 1/10-scale model, and field acoustic measurement. A sound-absorbing material was applied to the rear wall or ceiling, and the ceiling was further divided into front, center, and rear sections. The acoustic performance was predicted using a 3D computer model of a standardized classroom based on the location of the sound-absorbing material. Subsequently, a 1/10-scale model following the law of similarity was used to compare the acoustic performances based on the location of the sound-absorbing material. Finally, field measurements were performed in an actual classroom to verify the acoustic performance based on the location of the sound-absorbing material. The findings revealed that the sound-absorbing material was most effective when applied to the rear wall, followed by application at the center, front, and rear of the ceiling.
Funder
National Research Foundation of Korea
Subject
Building and Construction,Civil and Structural Engineering,Architecture
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