Investigation of Airflow and Sound Transmission through Vented-Acoustical Panels for Natural Ventilation
Abstract
Between June and December of 2015, VanAir Design, in collaboration with Dr. Murray Hodgson and MApSc Vivek Shankar of UBC’s Acoustics and Noise Research Group (ANRG), studied airflow and sound transmission through vented thin panel partitions. The research is a continuation of separate work done by both VanAir and the ANRG. The focus application was ventilation openings for naturally ventilated buildings. As such, low pressure and low velocity airflow were investigated in more detail than before.
The research was conducted in labs built for directly testing acoustical transmission loss and airflow on the same specimen installation, in full-size. First, four simple partition channel shapes were tested and evaluated; they were named ‘straight’, ‘L’, ‘U’, and ‘Z’. These tests provided justification for continuing detailed research into mainly the Z shape. By varying the dimensions of the Z channel and the arrangement of sound absorbing materials, many permutations were tested. The performance data was then organized into a test inventory spreadsheet, which can be used to design a vented partition for size, sound transmission, and ventilation requirements.
The wings of the Center for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) building at UBC are naturally and mechanically ventilated, and therefore very low pressures drive airflow. In the original design, large open areas were left above the movable wall partitions for airflow, but these openings transmit sound which causes a distracting work environment. The operating conditions of these wings were studied, and six finish-quality vented partition prototypes were designed and installed in the openings of four meeting rooms. Finally, in situ measurements were taken to find the installed performance of the vented partitions and the new operating conditions of the meeting rooms.
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Author Licensing Addendum
This Licensing Addendum ("Addendum") is entered into between the undersigned Author(s) and Canadian Acoustics journal published by the Canadian Acoustical Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Publisher"). The Author(s) and the Publisher agree as follows:
-
Retained Rights: The Author(s) retain(s) the following rights:
- The right to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display the Work on the Author's personal website or the website of the Author's institution.
- The right to use the Work in the Author's teaching activities and presentations.
- The right to include the Work in a compilation for the Author's personal use, not for sale.
-
Grant of License: The Author(s) grant(s) to the Publisher a worldwide exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and display the Work in Canadian Acoustics and any other formats and media deemed appropriate by the Publisher.
-
Attribution: The Publisher agrees to include proper attribution to the Author(s) in all publications and reproductions of the Work.
-
No Conflict: This Addendum is intended to be in harmony with, and not in conflict with, the terms and conditions of the original agreement entered into between the Author(s) and the Publisher.
-
Copyright Clause: Copyright on articles is held by the Author(s). The corresponding Author has the right to grant on behalf of all Authors and does grant on behalf of all Authors, a worldwide exclusive license to the Publisher and its licensees in perpetuity, in all forms, formats, and media (whether known now or created in the future), including but not limited to the rights to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, store, translate, create adaptations, reprints, include within collections, and create summaries, extracts, and/or abstracts of the Contribution.