Computer Modeling of Barrel-Vaulted Sanctuary Exhibiting Flutter Echo with Comparison to Measurements
1
Mechanical Engineering, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA
2
Acoustics & Audio Group, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh lEH8 9DF, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Acoustics 2020, 2(1), 87-109; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2010007
Received: 31 December 2019
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Revised: 5 February 2020
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Accepted: 7 February 2020
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Published: 17 February 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Soundscape: Integrating Sound, Experience and Architecture)
Computer modeling in acoustics allows for the prediction of acoustical defects and the evaluation of potential remediations. In this article, computer modeling is applied to the case of a barrel-vaulted sanctuary whose architectural design and construction led to severe flutter echoes along the main aisle, which was later mitigated through acoustical remediations. State-of-the-art geometrical acoustics and wave-based simulations are carried out to analyze the acoustics of this space, with a particular focus on the flutter echoes along the main aisle, before and after remediations. Multi-resolution wavelet and spectrogram analyses are carried out to isolate and characterize flutter echoes within measurements and computer-simulated room impulse responses. Comparisons of simulated responses to measurements are also made in terms of decay times and curves. Simulated room impulse responses from both geometrical acoustics and wave-based methods show evidence of flutter echoes matching measurements, to varying degrees. Time-frequency analyses isolating flutter echoes demonstrate better matches to measurements from wave-based simulated responses, at the cost of longer simulation times than geometrical acoustics simulations. This case study highlights the importance of computer modeling of acoustics in early design phases of architectural planning of worship spaces.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Lai, H.; Hamilton, B. Computer Modeling of Barrel-Vaulted Sanctuary Exhibiting Flutter Echo with Comparison to Measurements. Acoustics 2020, 2, 87-109. https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2010007
AMA Style
Lai H, Hamilton B. Computer Modeling of Barrel-Vaulted Sanctuary Exhibiting Flutter Echo with Comparison to Measurements. Acoustics. 2020; 2(1):87-109. https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2010007
Chicago/Turabian StyleLai, Heather, and Brian Hamilton. 2020. "Computer Modeling of Barrel-Vaulted Sanctuary Exhibiting Flutter Echo with Comparison to Measurements" Acoustics 2, no. 1: 87-109. https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics2010007
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