Fundamentals of Acoustics-II | EveryEng

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Fundamentals of Acoustics-II

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1098 min

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Why enroll

Participants join Fundamentals of Acoustics to build a strong conceptual understanding of sound and vibration phenomena that are essential in many engineering and scientific applications. The course helps learners grasp how sound is generated, propagates, and interacts with materials and structures, providing a solid foundation for addressing noise and vibration issues in real-world systems.

Many participants are motivated to acquire practical knowledge of acoustic measurement techniques, noise evaluation, and basic control methods used in industries such as automotive, aerospace, construction, manufacturing, and environmental engineering. The course supports the development of skills needed to analyze sound quality, comply with noise regulations, and improve acoustic performance of products and spaces.

Participants also join to strengthen their academic base for advanced courses, research, or specialization in acoustics, noise and vibration engineering, or related fields. By connecting theory with practical applications, the course benefits students, researchers, and professionals seeking to enhance their technical competence and career opportunities in acoustics and noise control.

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Is this course for you?

You should take this if

You're a Mechanical Engineering / Production Engineering professional
You have 3+ years of hands-on experience in this field
You prefer self-paced learning you can revisit

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You're new to this field with no prior experience
You need a different specialisation outside Mechanical Engineering
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Course details

Fundamentals of Acoustics is a core course that introduces the principles governing the generation, propagation, measurement, and control of sound and vibration. The course provides a strong theoretical foundation in acoustics while linking fundamental concepts to practical engineering and real-world applications across mechanical, civil, aerospace, and environmental domains.

The course begins with the basic physics of sound, covering wave motion, frequency, wavelength, sound speed, and sound pressure levels. Participants learn how sound propagates in different media such as air, liquids, and solids, and how boundary conditions and material properties influence acoustic behavior. Topics such as reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference are discussed to explain sound behavior in enclosed and open environments.

Further, the course explores acoustic measurement techniques and instrumentation, including microphones, sound level meters, frequency analysis, and octave band analysis. Human hearing, psychoacoustics, and noise perception are also introduced to help participants understand how sound is perceived and evaluated. The principles of noise generation, transmission, and control are examined, with emphasis on practical noise reduction methods using absorption, insulation, and damping.

The course also introduces vibration fundamentals and their relationship to acoustics, along with basic room acoustics and environmental acoustics. Applications in noise control engineering, building acoustics, automotive and industrial noise, and product sound quality are highlighted through examples and case studies. By the end of the course, participants gain a clear understanding of acoustic principles and are equipped to analyze, measure, and control sound in engineering systems and environments.

source : NPTEL[youtube]

Course suitable for

Key topics covered

boundary matching technique
the rayleigh integral
the sommerfeld radiation condition
green function inside a rigid walled cylinder
measures of sound
course summary

Course content

The course is readily available, allowing learners to start and complete it at their own pace.

31 lectures18 hr 18 min

Sound from a pulsating sphere using boundary matching technique.
32 min
Sound from a pulsating sphere using boundary matching technique contd.
37 min
Sound radiation from a spherical cap on a rigid sphere using the Neumann Green function.
38 min
Scattering of a plane acoustic wave from a rigid sphere
32 min
Example to show that the surface in the KHIE is notional (not actual)
52 min
The Rayleigh Integral
40 min
Sound field of an oscillating piston in a rigid baffle
32 min
Sound field of an oscillating piston in a rigid baffle contd.
30 min
Physics of the sound field of an oscillating piston in a rigid baffle.
26 min
Physics of the sound field of an oscillating piston in a rigid baffle contd.
27 min
Physics of the sound field of the oscillating piston (cap) on a rigid sphere.
34 min
The Sommerfeld radiation condition
48 min
Sound field inside a rigid walled box due to initial conditions.
37 min
Sound field inside a rigid walled box due to a harmonic source
47 min
Sound field inside a rigid walled hollow cylinder due to initial conditions
39 min
Modeshape visualization inside a rigid walled cylinder
21 min
Sound field inside a rigid walled hollow cylinder due to initial conditions contd.
43 min
Green function inside a rigid walled cylinder.
38 min
Measures of sound
37 min
Measures of sound contd.
34 min
Average mean square value of different frequency sinusoids
30 min
Frequency analysis of sounds in terms of third octave bands
42 min
Transient solution of the wave equation using Fourier series
37 min
Total soln of harmonically forced wave equation with initial conditions using Fourier series
44 min
Total soln of forced wave eqn with initial conditns using Laplace transform and Fourierseries
30 min
Branched systems, Helmholtz resonator
29 min
The radiation impedance and acoustic power
39 min
Acoustic potential, combined systems, special techniques for solving acoustic wave equation
40 min
Why do we take the real value of the solution in acoustic wave problems
24 min
Course summary part 1
30 min
Course summary part 2.
29 min

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Questions and Answers

Q: You're on the shop floor with a handheld meter and ask yourself: "estimate sound pressure level at 1 m from centrifugal compressor casing back of envelope". The casing radiates roughly 0.5% of a 1 MW shaft power as airborne sound, hemispherical radiation, no enclosure yet. What SPL order do you expect at 1 m?

A: That's the most common mistake — treating percentages as intuition instead of watts. 0.5% of 1 MW is 5 kW acoustic power. Spread over a hemisphere: intensity ≈ 5000 W / (2π·1²) ≈ 800 W/m². Converting intensity to SPL via 10·log10(I/I₀) with I₀ = 1e-12 W/m² lands you just over 110 dB. It feels high, but the math doesn't care about gut feel.

Q: A gas turbine intake silencer sits outdoors, coastal site, 95% RH, chloride fallout, and you're searching "silencer baffle corrosion mechanism humid marine intake acoustics". After 18 months the insertion loss drops. What's driving the degradation?

A: That's the most common mistake — blaming bulk strength loss when acoustics care about leakage paths. Chlorides plus trapped moisture attack the zinc and base steel at overlaps and folds. Once the facing perforates, the absorber is bypassed and IL collapses long before anything looks structurally weak.

Q: You're reviewing a vendor GA and thinking "how to read octave band insertion loss table silencer datasheet". The table shows IL per octave band but the overall dB(A) is higher than any band. What explains it?

A: That's the most common mistake — comparing single-band levels to an energy sum. You combine band energies first, then apply A-weighting, which can shift the total above any individual unweighted band. Nothing illegal in the math; the table just assumes you know the sequence.

Q: During a full-load test you're googling "why tonal noise increases with flow in centrifugal fan". Flow is ramped +15%, speed constant. What happens to the blade-passing tone and what's the right response?

A: That's the most common mistake — tying everything to rpm. Blade-passing frequency is rpm-driven, but amplitude tracks loading and turbulence. More flow at same speed pushes incidence and wake strength, so the tone gets louder. You mitigate the flow field, not the motor speed.