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Formulas To Calculate The Sound Level

The document discusses formulas for calculating sound level in decibels based on distance from the sound source. It explains that both sound pressure level and sound intensity level decrease by 6 dB for every doubling of distance from the source. Specifically, sound pressure drops inversely with distance, while sound intensity drops inversely with the square of the distance. The document also defines the day-night sound level metric and provides a formula for calculating it based on equivalent daytime and nighttime sound levels.

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sunilsinghm
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1K views

Formulas To Calculate The Sound Level

The document discusses formulas for calculating sound level in decibels based on distance from the sound source. It explains that both sound pressure level and sound intensity level decrease by 6 dB for every doubling of distance from the source. Specifically, sound pressure drops inversely with distance, while sound intensity drops inversely with the square of the distance. The document also defines the day-night sound level metric and provides a formula for calculating it based on equivalent daytime and nighttime sound levels.

Uploaded by

sunilsinghm
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Formulas to calculate the sound level L in dB (sound pressure

level or sound intensity level) in dependence of the distance r.

Sound pressure level (dB) = Sound intensity level (dB)

Sound pressure is not Sound intensity


Often we talk only of sound level. However, sound pressure as a sound field
quantity is not the same as sound intensity as a sound energy quantity.
Levels of sound pressure and levels of sound intensity decrease equally with the
distance from the sound source with 6 dB per distance doubling. There the
soundpressure drops to a half and the sound intensity to a quarter of the initial
value.
The sound pressure p (amplitude) falls inversely proportional to the distance 1/r
from the sound source. p ~ √ I or p2 = p1×(r1/r2)
The sound intensity I (energy) falls inversely proportional to the square of the
distance 1/r2 from the sound source. I ~ p2 or I2 = I1×(r1/r2)2
Levels of sound pressure and levels of sound intensity measured in decibels
decrease equally with the distance from the sound source.
Sound power or sound power level has nothing to do with the distance from
the sound source.
Thinking helps: A 100 watt light bulb has in 1 m and in 10 m distance really
always the same 100 watts, which is emitted from the lamp all the time.
Watts don't change with distance.
We consider sound fields in air which are described by the scalar quantity sound
pressure p and the vector quantity v (sound velocity) as a sound field quantity.
Day-Night Sound Level - Ldn
is the A-weighted equivalent sound level for a 24 hour period with an additional 10 dB imposed
on the equivalent sound levels for night time hours of 10 pm (22) to 7 am (07).

Day-Night Sound Level can be expressed as

Ldn = 10 log (1 / 24 (15 (10Ld/10) + 9 (10((Ln + 10)/10))) (1)

where

Ldn = day-night sound level (dBA)

Ld = daytime equivalent sound level (dBA)

Ln = nighttime equivalent sound level (dBA)

Example - Day-Night Sound Level


The equivalent daytime sound level is 70 dB and the equivalent nighttime sound level is 50 dB.
The Day-Night sound level can be calculated as

Ldn = 10 log (1 / 24 (15 (10(70 dB)/10) + 9 (10((50 dB)+ 10)/10))

= 68 dB

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