Experimental and numerical investigations of rain fall induced noise from roofing sheets

Abstract

Rainfall creates noise as it strikes roofing sheets and most of the time it causes a lot of disturbances and distractions to the occupants. Wide variety of roofing sheets with different materials, thicknesses, profiles and other specifications are available in the market now. Metallic roofing sheets provide high durability, long life, and greater protection with good reliability and value for money. Their effective life expected is about 40-70 yrs. They are free from cracks and pest attacks and can withstand in rain, snow, winds etc. However, they have a major drawback of generating large noise during rainfall. But, one can be control the noise to a great extent by wise and effective selection and installation of roofing sheets. The main aim of the present work is to study the effects of various parameters on rainfall induced noise from roofing sheets. The parameters considered are material, profile, thickness and angle in which the sheets are placed. Both experiment and numerical simulations (using COMSOL software) are carried out. Results obtained from the present work can greatly help the manufactures to adopt methods to make modifications in the existing sheets so as to cause minimum rainfall induced noise.