Journal Description
Acoustics
Acoustics
is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal on acoustics science and engineering, published quarterly online by MDPI.
- Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
- High Visibility: indexed within ESCI (Web of Science), Scopus, and other databases.
- Journal Rank: CiteScore - Q2 (Acoustics and Ultrasonics)
- Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 21.7 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 3.5 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the first half of 2026).
- Recognition of Reviewers: reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in any MDPI journal, in appreciation of the work done.
- Journal Cluster of Civil Engineering and Built Environment: Acoustics, Architecture, Buildings, CivilEng, Construction Materials, Infrastructures, Intelligent Infrastructure and Construction, NDT and Vibration.
Impact Factor:
1.5 (2025);
5-Year Impact Factor:
1.7 (2025)
Latest Articles
Single-Step Calibration of Remote Microphone Probes Using Bayesian Inference
Acoustics 2026, 8(3), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8030050 - 16 Jul 2026
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The empirical calibration of remote microphone probes, used to acquire unsteady pressure fluctuations in a wide range of fluid-dynamic applications, often introduces spurious resonance into the estimated frequency response, i.e., the transfer function, of the probe over the multiple steps it requires. To
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The empirical calibration of remote microphone probes, used to acquire unsteady pressure fluctuations in a wide range of fluid-dynamic applications, often introduces spurious resonance into the estimated frequency response, i.e., the transfer function, of the probe over the multiple steps it requires. To prevent this spurious resonance from affecting the unsteady pressure measurements, the transfer functions tend to be manually post-processed. Yet, such a procedure can constitute an additional source of uncertainty that hampers the accuracy of the results. A semi-empirical calibration method based on Bayesian inference was previously developed to tackle this problem: ASSIST (BAyesian proceSsing of SpurIous reSonance in calibraTion data). Through this technique, spurious resonance is removed and replaced with a physically correct alternative in a much less operator-reliant manner. However, its application requires a thorough understanding of the model and the related assumptions. This paper provides the knowledge required to apply ASSIST to the calibration of remote microphone probes. It covers the acquisition of the calibration data, the set-up of the method, the analysis of the results, and the iterative tuning of the input parameters to achieve the optimal fit. These steps are demonstrated on an open-source acoustic finite-element method simulation dataset, allowing the analytic line-cavity model to be compared with a 3D model and the impact of the relevant parameters constituting the method to be discussed. This framework is finally used to propose a novel development of the technique that reduces the calibration process of remote microphone probes to one single step, removing the source of the spurious resonance and enabling their in-situ calibration on non-sealing surfaces.
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Open AccessArticle
A Pipeline Unsteady Micro-Leakage Detection Method Based on Acoustic Internal Inspection Signals
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Qingqing Xu, Hao Liu and Bingcai Sun
Acoustics 2026, 8(3), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8030049 - 9 Jul 2026
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Due to fluctuations in flow rate, pressure, and pump operating states, as well as environmental disturbances such as temperature variations and structural vibrations, pipeline leakage signals exhibit significant nonstationary characteristics. The traditional fixed sensor is limited by the layout position, resulting in suboptimal
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Due to fluctuations in flow rate, pressure, and pump operating states, as well as environmental disturbances such as temperature variations and structural vibrations, pipeline leakage signals exhibit significant nonstationary characteristics. The traditional fixed sensor is limited by the layout position, resulting in suboptimal detection performance. For micro-leakage, it is even more difficult to achieve detection. With the advantages of small size and strong passing ability, the acoustic inner detector is well-suited to the task of comprehensive pipeline detection. Therefore, this paper carried out unsteady micro-leakage detection based on acoustic internal inspection signals. The unsteady micro-leakage simulation experiment of pipeline was carried out, and the leakage acoustic signal was collected for method verification. This paper investigates the integration of variational mode decomposition (VMD), random forest (RF) and least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) for signal processing and leakage classification. An unsteady micro-leakage detection method based on acoustic internal inspection signals was proposed, which is well-suited to the leakage detection task of pipelines. Experimental results indicated that the proposed method achieved a recognition accuracy of 95.31%, outperforming conventional leakage detection methods.
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Open AccessArticle
SECD: A String Ensemble Chords Dataset for Multi-Task Audio Classification
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Angelos Geroulanos, Panagiotis Zervas and Giannis Tzimas
Acoustics 2026, 8(3), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8030048 - 7 Jul 2026
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We introduce the String Ensemble Chords Dataset (SECD), a large-scale controlled compositional audio dataset comprising 287,088 harmonic-interval and chord instances constructed through additive superposition of professionally recorded isolated string notes from the Philharmonia Orchestra into duo-, trio-, and quartet-like four-voice mixtures. Each mixture
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We introduce the String Ensemble Chords Dataset (SECD), a large-scale controlled compositional audio dataset comprising 287,088 harmonic-interval and chord instances constructed through additive superposition of professionally recorded isolated string notes from the Philharmonia Orchestra into duo-, trio-, and quartet-like four-voice mixtures. Each mixture includes exact per-voice metadata for absolute pitch, dynamic marking, and playing technique, and the corpus is organised into six dataset groups covering harmonic intervals, triads, and seventh chords under loose and strict metadata-consistency conditions. To demonstrate dataset utility, we define four representative and reproducible reference benchmarks: ensemble size recognition, triad chord quality identification, per-instrument dynamics classification, and playing technique-family recognition. Baseline Audio Spectrogram Transformer (AST) models achieve test accuracies of 98.67%, 93.73%, 98.19%, and 99.39%, with corresponding macro-F1 scores of 98.64%, 93.73%, 98.01%, and 97.29%, under a complete-instance-disjoint, in-domain evaluation protocol. These results provide reproducible reference performance for the selected SECD tasks and demonstrate the corpus’s utility for controlled analysis of harmonic, timbral, dynamic, and textural attributes in classical string audio. The full SECD corpus is released through Zenodo as constructed audio mixtures with accompanying metadata, while the project GitHub repository provides the EXP1–EXP4 benchmark code, saved split definitions, and the mini-SECD demonstration package for lightweight reproducibility.
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Open AccessArticle
Research on Non-Destructive Evaluation of the “Symmetry” of the Hardening Layer on High-Speed Linear Guide Rail Using Ultrasonic Transverse Wave Back Scattering Technology
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Shenqunli Li, Peiqiang Chen, Lingtong Chen, Mingyang Xue, Yaobin Zhuo and Chenlong Yang
Acoustics 2026, 8(3), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8030047 - 7 Jul 2026
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To address the lack of comprehensive quality evaluation indicators for heat treatment after bilateral induction hardening of high-speed linear guide rails, this study draws on the concept of geometric tolerance to innovatively propose a quantitative evaluation indicator for the “symmetry” of the hardening
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To address the lack of comprehensive quality evaluation indicators for heat treatment after bilateral induction hardening of high-speed linear guide rails, this study draws on the concept of geometric tolerance to innovatively propose a quantitative evaluation indicator for the “symmetry” of the hardening layer depth profile, and conducts non-destructive evaluation research based on ultrasonic transverse wave backscattering technology. Aiming at the complex cross-sectional profile of the guide rail and the problem of anisotropic acoustic scattering, a multi-dimensional symmetry characterization framework driven jointly by “local pair-wise tolerance zone constraints” and a “global equivalent case depth metric” was established. This dual-driven evaluation framework effectively eliminates the evaluation loophole of “false symmetry” caused by the mutual cancellation of opposite positive and negative local deviations. By constructing an equivalent hardened layer model based on discrete feature point mapping, the interference of non-parallel complex curved surfaces on traditional continuous B-scan imaging is successfully circumvented, achieving stable characterization of the overall hardening layer coverage under specific process parameters. A 15 MHz water-immersed point-focusing ultrasonic transverse wave oblique incidence detection system was developed, paired with a self-designed spring-loaded passive conformal tracking clamping mechanism for continuous automated scanning. Experimental results demonstrate that the overall equivalent symmetry of the tested guide rail specimens remains above 98%. Verified by the metallographic Vickers hardness gradient method, the equivalent relative error between the ultrasonically measured case depth and the physical case depth is only 1.0% and 1.6%. This proves that this non-destructive evaluation method possesses excellent measurement accuracy and holds significant industrial value for online non-destructive monitoring.
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Open AccessArticle
Leak Localization in Buried Pipes Using Frequency-Band Energy Features of Ground Surface Measurements and Machine Learning
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Vinícius de Araújo Salmazo, Oscar Scussel, Matheus Silva Proença, Carolina Berton Sanches, Kauê da Silva Rodrigues and Amarildo Tabone Paschoalini
Acoustics 2026, 8(3), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8030046 - 3 Jul 2026
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Detecting and localizing leaks in buried pipelines typically requires direct access to the pipe, which is often impractical in real-world conditions. Although ground-surface vibration measurements offer a non-intrusive alternative, their potential for spatial leak localization remains underexplored, particularly in relation to frequency-dependent attenuation
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Detecting and localizing leaks in buried pipelines typically requires direct access to the pipe, which is often impractical in real-world conditions. Although ground-surface vibration measurements offer a non-intrusive alternative, their potential for spatial leak localization remains underexplored, particularly in relation to frequency-dependent attenuation effects. This study investigates how frequency-dependent energy decay encodes spatial information in leak-induced ground vibrations. Experimental wok was conducted using an outdoor buried pipeline testbed, where surface acceleration data were collected with a movable array of piezoelectric sensors. The measurements were reorganized into L-shaped sensor trios to enable directional analysis and increase the number of spatial configurations. Energy-based features extracted from discrete frequency bands were used to represent the leak signatures, capturing both attenuation behavior and soil–pipe interaction effects. Artificial Neural Network and Random Forest models were trained to estimate leak coordinates in a local reference frame. The results demonstrate high localization accuracy at the centimeter scale and reveal consistent relationships between prediction error, distance, and signal-to-noise ratio. These findings show that frequency-dependent attenuation provides a robust basis for spatial inference, and that combining ground surface vibration measurements with lightweight machine learning models offers an effective and non-intrusive solution for leak localization in buried pipelines.
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Open AccessArticle
Wavelet-Based Quantitative Characterization of Acoustically Induced Posterior Shadowing in Gallbladder and Kidney Stone Ultrasound Images
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Kyuseok Kim and Ji-Youn Kim
Acoustics 2026, 8(3), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8030045 - 1 Jul 2026
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Posterior acoustic shadowing is a key diagnostic feature in ultrasound imaging of calcified lesions, such as gallbladder and kidney stones. However, conventional assessment relies primarily on qualitative interpretation, and its underlying structural characteristics remain insufficiently quantified. This study aimed to quantitatively characterize posterior
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Posterior acoustic shadowing is a key diagnostic feature in ultrasound imaging of calcified lesions, such as gallbladder and kidney stones. However, conventional assessment relies primarily on qualitative interpretation, and its underlying structural characteristics remain insufficiently quantified. This study aimed to quantitatively characterize posterior acoustic shadows using wavelet-based texture analysis and to investigate their diagnostic relevance across different expert-defined shadow confidence groups. Ultrasound B-mode images were analyzed from gallbladder stone and kidney stone datasets. Regions of interest (ROIs) were extracted from gallbladder and kidney stone images across three shadow confidence levels (50–60%, 60–80%, and >80%), and multi-scale wavelet features were computed. The results demonstrated a substantial reduction in high-frequency components with increasing attenuation. Total detail energy decreased by approximately 80% in the gallbladder group and 55–60% in the kidney group from low to high shadow confidence levels. Similarly, normalized ratios (Edetail/approx and Edetail/total showed consistent decreases, with inter-group differences of approximately 2.3–2.5-fold at 50–60%, which converged to negligible levels (<2.4% difference) at >80%. These findings suggest that wavelet-based energy distributions may provide acoustically interpretable quantitative descriptors of posterior shadow formation in ultrasound stone imaging.
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Open AccessArticle
Spatial Experience Evaluation Through Soundscape Perception: Architecture Studio Classroom Case
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Manal El Fakir and Mine Ascigil-Dincer
Acoustics 2026, 8(3), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8030044 - 29 Jun 2026
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Sound has an important role in how users perceive their environment. Under this context, a soundscape approach was followed for the evaluation of indoor spatial experience of university architecture studios. A tailored framework of factors affecting sound perception and spatial experience was proposed
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Sound has an important role in how users perceive their environment. Under this context, a soundscape approach was followed for the evaluation of indoor spatial experience of university architecture studios. A tailored framework of factors affecting sound perception and spatial experience was proposed for this study and used in the questionnaire. An indoor soundscape questionnaire investigating architecture students’ perception of their acoustical environment and how it affects their spatial experience was designed and applied. The survey was conducted with a total of 191 first-grade and fourth-grade students. Demographic characteristics were found to be statistically associated with users’ indoor environment expectations and acoustic perception. Among many statistically significant correlations between soundscape perception and spatial experience, correlations between intelligibility perception and architectural design expectations, as well as between perception of and reaction to sound sources and perception of spatial experience factors, stood out.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Indoor Soundscape: Integrating Sound, Experience and Architecture (2nd Edition))
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Open AccessSystematic Review
Auditory Historical Religious Place Experience: A Systematic Review and Thematic Analysis for Identifying Experiential and Perceptual Indicators
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Zinah Al-bayyar and Papatya Nur Dokmeci Yorukoglu
Acoustics 2026, 8(3), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8030043 - 23 Jun 2026
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The acoustics and soundscapes of historical religious places (HRPs) have been investigated in the literature. Some of these places are still used for their original functions and for tourism purposes. Being susceptible to alterations and renovations that directly affect the auditory environment, assessing
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The acoustics and soundscapes of historical religious places (HRPs) have been investigated in the literature. Some of these places are still used for their original functions and for tourism purposes. Being susceptible to alterations and renovations that directly affect the auditory environment, assessing users’ perceptions under these changes becomes important. To clarify users’ experience in HRPs, this study conducted a systematic review by following the PRISMA guidelines. Two phases of literature review were followed. The first phase focused on acoustics-related studies. The results indicated that they address the physical and architectural acoustics of HRPs without including perceptual or experiential assessment. This led to the second phase which used perceptual and soundscape-related keywords. The results showed that there were 24 studies that included subjective evaluation and perceptual descriptors. Based on these results, perceptual attributes (indicators) and assessment scopes were thematically synthesized. The findings revealed a significant gap in linking objective acoustics conditions with subjective experience in HRPs, calling for an integration of both approaches in future studies.
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Open AccessArticle
Analysis of Binary Encoded Signals for Underwater Acoustic Communication Under Varying Conditions
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Divaashan Pillay, Johan Venter and Daniel van Niekerk
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020042 - 22 Jun 2026
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Underwater communication is essential for marine research, yet saline environments pose significant challenges as electromagnetic waves suffer from severe attenuation and optical systems face scattering. Consequently, acoustic transmission remains the most practical method for medium- to long-range communication. This study investigates the impact
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Underwater communication is essential for marine research, yet saline environments pose significant challenges as electromagnetic waves suffer from severe attenuation and optical systems face scattering. Consequently, acoustic transmission remains the most practical method for medium- to long-range communication. This study investigates the impact of salinity, transmission frequency, and propagation distance on signal integrity, specifically focusing on the feasibility of using a square-wave carrier with On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation as a simpler, low-cost alternative to traditional sinusoidal frequency-shift keying (FSK). Experiments were conducted in a custom glass tank and analyzed via MATLAB. The results reveal that increased salinity and higher frequencies led to greater signal distortion and attenuation, which complicates reliable binary recovery. However, despite these environmental hurdles, the study demonstrates that square-wave OOK allows for successful binary data recovery over short distances. The findings suggest that simplified modulation schemes could potentially be used for short-range underwater communication in controlled environments, particularly where minimizing system complexity is of concern. Ultimately, the work provides valuable insights into how environmental factors influence acoustic signal integrity, offering a preliminary basis for future development of accessible and efficient underwater communication platforms targeted to shallow water communication.
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Open AccessArticle
Human Detection of Voice-Cloned Speech Under GSM, VoLTE and VoIP Conditions
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Jakub Warzych, Michał Łuczyński and Janusz Klink
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020041 - 17 Jun 2026
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The rapid progress of generative speech synthesis and voice-cloning technologies has enabled the creation of highly natural synthetic voices that pose a serious threat to telecommunication security. While most prior studies evaluate human ability to detect audio deepfakes using high-quality, studio-grade recordings, little
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The rapid progress of generative speech synthesis and voice-cloning technologies has enabled the creation of highly natural synthetic voices that pose a serious threat to telecommunication security. While most prior studies evaluate human ability to detect audio deepfakes using high-quality, studio-grade recordings, little is known about how real-world telecommunication channels affect perceptual detection. This study investigates the influence of three transmission scenarios—GSM (AMR-NB), VoLTE (AMR-WB), and VoIP with packet-loss modeling—on the human ability to distinguish natural speech from AI-generated speech. A custom speech corpus was developed, consisting of natural recordings from nine speakers and corresponding synthetic utterances generated using a state-of-the-art voice cloning system (ElevenLabs). All samples were processed through simulated telecommunication channels using real codec implementations. A listening test with 95 participants was conducted, involving binary classification (human vs. synthetic) and confidence ratings. Results show an overall detection accuracy of 54.8%, confirming that humans are poorly equipped to identify synthetic speech. Surprisingly, the highest accuracy was achieved for the narrowband GSM channel (63.7%), while VoLTE yielded the lowest performance (44.0%). The findings suggest that restricted bandwidth may emphasize prosodic irregularities typical of generative models, whereas high-quality channels mask synthetic artifacts, increasing susceptibility to voice spoofing. The results highlight the necessity of deploying additional security mechanisms in telecommunication systems relying on voice identity verification.
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Open AccessArticle
Experimental Investigation of the Mach Number Influence on the Transmission Loss of Double-Tuned Straight-Through Mufflers
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Kevin Johannes Moezer, Alexander Buchele and Michael Simon Josef Walter
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020040 - 12 Jun 2026
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Reflection silencers are installed in the exhaust system of stationary combustion engines to attenuate low-frequency noise by means of destructive interference. The acoustic properties of mufflers are experimentally determined by the standard two-load method, which only considers measurements without mean flow. In real
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Reflection silencers are installed in the exhaust system of stationary combustion engines to attenuate low-frequency noise by means of destructive interference. The acoustic properties of mufflers are experimentally determined by the standard two-load method, which only considers measurements without mean flow. In real engine operation, however, exhaust mass flow is always present. Measurements are significantly more complex and expensive if fluid flow is taken into account, which is why the available data is limited. Thus, the impact of mean flow on the attenuation of silencers is not clearly known yet. This work contributes to the state of the art by quantifying the influence of the Mach number on the transmission loss of double-tuned straight-through mufflers based on reproducible, noise corrected measurement results that include uncertainties. A frequency range between 20 Hz and 891 Hz is investigated at eleven different Mach numbers between 0 and 0.1 under ambient conditions. It is found that resonance peaks diminish with increasing Mach number, while other frequencies remain unaffected by mean flow. These findings can be transferred to operating conditions of stationary combustion engines and other exhaust systems. The experimental data will serve as a basis for the validation of analytical and numerical models in subsequent work.
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Open AccessSystematic Review
Experimental Observations of Long-Range Atmospheric Acoustics with Concurrent Meteorological Profiling: A Systematic Review
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Matthew Stengrim, Sophie Arruza, John Judge, Diego Turo and Teresa Ryan
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020039 - 11 Jun 2026
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This systematic review summarizes experimental studies in atmospheric acoustics that quantify environmental influences on long-range sound propagation. A keyword-based search was conducted in Scopus and Google Scholar to identify relevant records. Studies were included if they were published in English between January 1977
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This systematic review summarizes experimental studies in atmospheric acoustics that quantify environmental influences on long-range sound propagation. A keyword-based search was conducted in Scopus and Google Scholar to identify relevant records. Studies were included if they were published in English between January 1977 and April 2026, investigated long-range sound propagation within the human audibility range using specific sound sources, and incorporated concurrent meteorological measurements. Two reviewers worked independently to assess eligibility of the studies included in this review. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this systematic review surveys the methodological content of these studies with respect to sound sources, signal content and processing, microphone configuration, treatment of the ground and topography, and meteorological measurements to identify common practices. Some studies provide only limited information about the acoustic source properties, postprocessing of acoustic data, and/or configuration of meteorological measurements. Key experimental details for the 40 included studies are tabulated and summarized via histograms for reference. Most experimental acoustic studies have measured propagation within a range of 2 km on relatively flat land and have utilized tower-based meteorological measurements. The results of the studies surveyed here have implications for understanding long-range outdoor sound propagation, including development of accurate numerical models. Some contributing authors were funded by the Office of Naval Research: ONR Award N00014 24-1-2400, ONR Award N00014-24-1-2437.
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Open AccessArticle
The Simulation Method for Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing of Delamination Defects in CMC Based on Air-Coupled Lamb Waves
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Da Kang, Lu Lu, Zhenggan Zhou, Yunmiao Zhang, Hong Zhang and Wenbin Zhou
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020038 - 5 Jun 2026
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Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) are widely used in aerospace due to the advantages such as high-temperature resistance and lightweight properties. Detecting defects within these materials is crucial for ensuring the safety of corresponding structures. In this paper, a finite element model of CMC
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Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) are widely used in aerospace due to the advantages such as high-temperature resistance and lightweight properties. Detecting defects within these materials is crucial for ensuring the safety of corresponding structures. In this paper, a finite element model of CMC model for layered structures is established for the ultrasonic non-destructive testing. Based on the computed tomography (CT) scan images and porosity of the material, a randomly distributed pore model is constructed to investigate the effect of pores on the ultrasonic signals. Random pores are also introduced in the simulation to ensure that the model corresponds as closely as possible to reality. Moreover, the feasibility of utilizing air-coupled ultrasonic excitation to generate specific frequency Lamb waves is verified. The effect of pore presence on the signal propagation is analyzed, and the effects of layered structures at different positions and lengths on the signal propagation are investigated. The results demonstrate that the Lamb waves with a specified frequency can be excited using the method described in this paper, and the presence of pores and delamination defects can affect the propagation of the Lamb wave in CMC, in which the signal attenuation can reach up to 7.6 dB.
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Open AccessArticle
Identification of Dominant Factors and Generation Mechanisms for Guided-Wave Reflections in Prestressed Strand Anchorage Segments
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Zheng Zheng, Jiang Xu, Can Wang, Guoming Li and Chengcai Liu
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020037 - 5 Jun 2026
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Prestressed steel strands transfer structural loads through complex anchorage systems. During through-anchorage ultrasonic guided-wave inspection, strong reflections generated in the anchorage segment may obscure defect-related echoes and create blind zones in the received signals. This study investigates the generation mechanisms of these anchorage-induced
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Prestressed steel strands transfer structural loads through complex anchorage systems. During through-anchorage ultrasonic guided-wave inspection, strong reflections generated in the anchorage segment may obscure defect-related echoes and create blind zones in the received signals. This study investigates the generation mechanisms of these anchorage-induced reflections and evaluates the relative roles of stress-induced acoustoelastic impedance variation and load-dependent interfacial contact evolution. An acoustoelastic finite element model is first used to estimate the reflection contribution caused by stress concentration alone. The results show that the stress-induced reflection remains weak, with the reflection coefficient remaining below 0.0125 even at 80% of the ultimate tensile strength. A sensitivity-based equivalent spring-contact model is then employed to examine whether effective strand–wedge and wedge–anchorage interfacial stiffness variations can generate anchorage reflections with comparable order of magnitude and load-dependent trends. The contact-based model produces much stronger reflections, and roughness-sensitivity analysis indicates that the load-dependent trend is not governed by a single nominal roughness assumption. Multi-specimen stepwise tensioning experiments show repeatable load-dependent reflection trends at both 80 kHz and 240 kHz. The results therefore suggest that, within the investigated geometry and loading range, interfacial contact evolution is a more plausible dominant contributor to anchorage-induced guided-wave reflections than stress-induced acoustoelastic impedance variation. This work focuses on the physical origin of anchorage reflections and provides a mechanistic basis for interpreting anchorage-induced interference in future through-anchorage defect detection.
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Open AccessArticle
Distribution-Aware, Risk-Sensitive (DA-RS-FxNLMS) Active Noise Control for Non-Gaussian Acoustic Environments
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Pushpraj Tanwar, Ajay Somkuwar and Rakesh Kumar Gumasta
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020036 - 4 Jun 2026
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Active noise control (ANC) in real-world acoustic environments frequently faces impulsive and heavy-tailed noise disturbances, which degrade the performance significantly and lead to slow convergence. This work proposes a dynamically adaptive distribution-aware risk-sensitive filtered-x normalized least mean square (DA-RS-FxNLMS) method for efficient ANC
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Active noise control (ANC) in real-world acoustic environments frequently faces impulsive and heavy-tailed noise disturbances, which degrade the performance significantly and lead to slow convergence. This work proposes a dynamically adaptive distribution-aware risk-sensitive filtered-x normalized least mean square (DA-RS-FxNLMS) method for efficient ANC under a non-Gaussian and impulsive scenario. The proposed ANC framework employs a correntropy-based risk-sensitive exponential cost function, which incorporates higher-order statistics and adapts to the error distribution. Further, an adaptive and dynamically adjusted kernel width mechanism tracks the time-varying noise characteristics. The normalized filtered-x structure provides stability under secondary path uncertainty. Simulation is carried out by applying α-stable noise to create an impulsive noise environment, which is produced by the Chambers-Mallows-Stuck method. The outcomes of the proposed method are compared with the baseline methods, showing that the proposed method achieves a noise reduction of 7.02 dB, a significant 40% faster convergence, and improved robustness under strong impulsive noise conditions with α = 1.2. The outcome confirms that the proposed method efficiently delivers a promising solution for the ANC system. To the best of our knowledge, for the first time, a unified ANC framework integrates distribution-aware, risk-sensitive learning, adaptive correntropy kernel estimation, and filtered-x normalization for non-Gaussian acoustic environments.
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Open AccessReview
A Review of Microperforated Panel-Based Structures for Low Frequency Sound Absorption
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Santiago Ortiz, María Cuesta and Pedro Cobo
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020035 - 30 May 2026
Cited by 1
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The use of sound absorption materials has traditionally been restricted to medium-to-high frequencies due to their limitations at low frequencies, where the large wavelength of sound waves imposes rather bulky solutions. However, recent materials and designs allow for the absorption of sound waves
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The use of sound absorption materials has traditionally been restricted to medium-to-high frequencies due to their limitations at low frequencies, where the large wavelength of sound waves imposes rather bulky solutions. However, recent materials and designs allow for the absorption of sound waves with more practical sizes and weights, reviving interest in this frequency range. Some of these low-frequency absorbers, also named acoustic metamaterials or sub-wavelength sound absorbers, based on microperforated panels, are reviewed in this article. These include multilayer and multicavity microperforated panels, hybrid passive–active absorbers, multiple Helmholtz resonators, and microperforated panels with labyrinthine cavities or sonic black holes.
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Open AccessReview
Vibration and Sound Radiation of Percussion Instruments: A Finite Element-Based Review
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Evaggelos Kaselouris and Vasilis Dimitriou
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020034 - 28 May 2026
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Percussion instruments exhibit complex vibrational behavior characterized by transient excitation, high modal density, and strong structural–acoustic coupling. Numerical modeling—especially the finite element method (FEM)—has become essential for analyzing realistic geometries, material heterogeneity, and fluid–structure interaction. This review systematically synthesizes FEM-based studies on percussion
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Percussion instruments exhibit complex vibrational behavior characterized by transient excitation, high modal density, and strong structural–acoustic coupling. Numerical modeling—especially the finite element method (FEM)—has become essential for analyzing realistic geometries, material heterogeneity, and fluid–structure interaction. This review systematically synthesizes FEM-based studies on percussion instruments, organized by their physical classification into idiophones and membranophones. The present work thematically compares modeling strategies and their trade-offs and highlights actionable research gaps. FEM and coupled FEM–boundary element (BEM) approaches applied to bars, plates, shells, membranes, and vibroacoustic systems are reviewed, with emphasis on modal behavior, tuning strategies, excitation mechanisms, nonlinear phenomena, and fluid–structure interaction. A key feature is the consistent validation of simulations against experimental measurements. The analysis reveals that while FEM is mature for modeling bars, plates, shells, and single-membrane systems, significant gaps remain: bar–resonator coupling and damping/residual stress modeling in idiophones, coupled clapper–bell–air simulations for bells, and fully coupled double-membrane simulations for drums. The latter directly affects predictions of modal frequencies, decay rates, and timbre. The review concludes by identifying priority research directions: fully coupled double-membrane models, material nonlinear viscoelasticity, efficient FEM–BEM coupling, and integration of performer-informed excitation for sound synthesis.
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Open AccessArticle
Efficient Dust Removal and Energy Recovery of PV Modules via Low-Frequency Ultrasonic Vibration: Experiment and Dynamic Analysis
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Yutao Wang, Tieyu Gao, Mengling Jiang, Jianying Gong, Xiaojun Xie and Zichen Song
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020033 - 25 May 2026
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Dust accumulation on photovoltaic (PV) modules reduces power generation efficiency, and traditional water-based cleaning is impractical in arid regions. Inspired by the classical acoustic phenomenon of Chladni figures—specifically the mechanism where an acoustic standing wave field drives the regular migration and accumulation of
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Dust accumulation on photovoltaic (PV) modules reduces power generation efficiency, and traditional water-based cleaning is impractical in arid regions. Inspired by the classical acoustic phenomenon of Chladni figures—specifically the mechanism where an acoustic standing wave field drives the regular migration and accumulation of particles—this study proposes a waterless dust removal method using low-frequency ultrasonic vibration via piezoelectric excitation. Impedance analysis identifies optimal electromechanical coupling at 28 kHz. Experiments demonstrate that higher driving voltages accelerate cleaning, with recovery rates saturating beyond 125 V. Notably, intense friction and collisions between particles within high-density dust layers consume substantial kinetic energy, significantly multiplying the required cleaning time. Macroscopic transport analysis reveals that dust removal relies on the synergy of vibration-induced adhesion decoupling and gravity-driven transport. Sufficient tangential gravity is crucial for macroscopic particle removal, and tilt angles above 30° provide the necessary downward driving force to ensure smooth particle sliding. Under optimal conditions, the system achieves an over 97% short-circuit current recovery at a low power consumption of ~10 W, providing a theoretical basis for waterless PV self-cleaning systems.
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Open AccessArticle
Theoretical Modeling and Experimental Verification of the First and Second Underwater Bubble Pulsation Period
by
Fan Yang, Hao Yin, Yu Lu, Xuexu Li and Xinliang Pang
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020032 - 20 May 2026
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The study of bubble pulsation from underwater explosions is critical for applications in marine resource exploration, underwater demolition, and offshore engineering. However, the existing research methods have significant limitations: Laboratory experiments struggle to replicate the dynamic decompression during the process of bubble rising.
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The study of bubble pulsation from underwater explosions is critical for applications in marine resource exploration, underwater demolition, and offshore engineering. However, the existing research methods have significant limitations: Laboratory experiments struggle to replicate the dynamic decompression during the process of bubble rising. Field experiments in seas or lakes find it difficult to systematically cover complex parameter ranges. Furthermore, theoretical calculations face the problems of accurately coupling the bubble pulsation with its buoyancy-driven ascent. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel method for calculating the bubble pulsation period of underwater explosions. This method accurately simulates the pulsation and buoyancy-driven ascent of an underwater explosion bubble. Based on the bubble’s energy attenuation characteristics, it establishes the relationship between the pulsation period, TNT equivalent, and ambient hydrostatic pressure. To verify the accuracy of the method, we conducted underwater explosion experiments in the South China Sea with varying TNT equivalents and detonation depths. Abundant bubble pulsation period data of underwater explosions were obtained spatially by deploying hydrophone arrays at various depths. The close agreement between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results confirms the accuracy of the proposed method. By matching the measured values of the first pulsation period and the ratio of the second pulsation period to the first against a database of theoretical curves, a combination of depth and charge equivalent that satisfies both values can be identified, thereby enabling the inversion of the explosion parameters.
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Open AccessArticle
Surrogate-Based Uncertainty Quantification for Coupled Structural–Acoustic Problems
by
Younes Koulou, Hakima Reddad, Norelislam El Hami, Nabil Hmina and Abdelkhalak El Hami
Acoustics 2026, 8(2), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/acoustics8020031 - 14 May 2026
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This paper presents a surrogate-based uncertainty quantification (UQ) framework for coupled structural–acoustic systems subject to material and geometric variability. The proposed methodology integrates the Finite Element Method (FEM) with two metamodeling techniques—the Quadratic Response Surface (QRS) and Kriging—and Monte Carlo Simulations (MCS), to
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This paper presents a surrogate-based uncertainty quantification (UQ) framework for coupled structural–acoustic systems subject to material and geometric variability. The proposed methodology integrates the Finite Element Method (FEM) with two metamodeling techniques—the Quadratic Response Surface (QRS) and Kriging—and Monte Carlo Simulations (MCS), to efficiently characterize the probabilistic behavior of the acoustic response. Two accuracy metrics (cross-validation error and prediction error) are used to validate the surrogate models. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the Kriging metamodel trained with 30 Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) points achieves superior predictive accuracy, with a Relative Maximum Error of 4.125 × 10−7. Monte Carlo Simulations conducted via the Kriging surrogate reduce the computational cost by more than six orders of magnitude compared to direct FEM-based MCS, while maintaining high accuracy. The proposed framework is validated on a rectangular cavity coupled with two flexible aluminum plates, and provides an efficient and accurate tool for vibro-acoustic UQ in complex engineering systems.
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