Reverberation Time
• The reverberant sound in an auditorium dies away with time as the sound energy
is absorbed by multiple interactions with the surfaces of the room.
• In a more reflective room, it will take longer for the sound to die away and the room is said
to be 'live’.
• In a very absorbent room, the sound will die away quickly and the room will be described
as acoustically 'dead’.
• But the time for reverberation to completely die away will depend upon how loud the
sound was to begin with, and will also depend upon the acuity of the hearing of the
observer.
• In order to provide a reproducible parameter, a standard reverberation time has been
defined as the time for the sound to die away to a level 60 decibels below its original level.
• The reverberation time can be modeled to permit an approximate calculation.
Rationale for 60dB Reverberation Time
• The reverberation time is perceived as the time for the sound to die away after
the sound source ceases, but that of course depends upon the intensity of the
sound.
• To have a reproducible parameter to characterize an auditorium which is
independent of the intensity of the test sound, it is necessary to define a
standard reverberation time in terms of the drop in intensity from the original
level
• The optimum reverberation time for an auditorium or room of course depends
upon its intended use. Around 2 seconds is desirable for a medium-sized,
general purpose auditorium that is to be used for both speech and music.
• A classroom should be much shorter, less than a second. And a recording studio
should minimize reverberation time in most cases for clarity of recording.
• The reverberation time is strongly influenced by the absorption coefficients of
the surfaces as suggested in the illustration, but it also depends upon the volume
of the room as shown in the Sabine formula. You won't get a long reverberation
time with a small room.
Sabine’s Formula- RT 60 decay
Sample Computations
Reverberation time and Sabine's formula
The most accurate method to define the Reverberation Time (T60) into
a room, is the measurement on site with technical instruments.
But, it is possible to estimate the T60 value using the empiric method
based on the Sabine’s Formula, getting pretty accurate evaluations.
For example, for simple spaces, with regular shapes, the Sabine
Formula let you get accurate evaluation and reliable results.
Sabine’s Formula
This method is based on the principle of diffuse acoustic field and let you
evaluate the reverberation time thanks to the formula below:
T60 = 0.161 * (V/A)
In this formula, the value of T60 is expressed in seconds, V indicates the
volume of the analyzed room (expressed in m3), and A is the equivalent
absorption surface (expressed in m2).
The equivalent absorption surface (A) is calculated with the formula
A= ∑(αi*si)
In this formula, si represents the absorbing areas and αi is the sound
absorbing coefficients of these surfaces, for specific frequencies
(usually 500 or 1000 Hz).
The sound absorbing coefficient is a characteristic of any surface and
generally it is specified in the technical sheets or certifications of
construction materials.
How to calculate the Reverberation Time (T60)
We have to intervene into a canteen where the reverber is too high and generates confusion.
The dimensions of the space are 20m x 8m and 4m high: the total volume is 640 m3,
the floor surface is 160 m2, the ceiling area is 160 m2 and the walls are 224 m2.
The floor is made of porcelain tiles, a material generally used into public
environment because its resistance qualities, but, from an acoustic point of view, very
reflective: the sound absorption coefficient is about α = 0.02.
The walls and the ceiling are finished with painted plaster, then the sound
absorption coefficient is about α = 0.05.
To simplify the calculation, we will not consider the glass surfaces of windows or
doors
Flooring AREA
Ceiling 20 x 8 160 sqm
Flooring 20 x 8 160 sqm
Walls AREA
North wall 20 x 4 80 sqm
South wall 20 x 4 80 sqm
East wall 8x4 32 sqm
West wall 8x4 32 sqm
Total wall TOTAL 224 sqm
We remind that it is possible to find the sound absorption coefficient (α) of a
material, from the technical sheets or certifications of construction materials,
considering as frequencies 1000 Hz.
1. The first step is the definition of the starting Reverberation Time (T60) using the
Sabine’s Formula:
T60 = 0.161 x (V/A)
V = 640 cubic meter
A = (floor: 160 m2 x 0.02) + (ceiling: 160 m2 x 0.05) + (walls: 224 m2 x 0.05) =
22.4 sqm
T60 = 0.161 x (640/22.4)
According to these values the T60 will be 4.6 seconds.
2. Considering the intended use of this place as a canteen, we know that the T60
has to be reduced, to get a good level of acoustic comfort, from 4.6 seconds to
around 1/1.2 seconds.
Now we will consider to install on the ceiling and on the wall around 90 sqm of
sound absorbing surface with a value of α (sound absorption coefficient) as 0.8:
A = 22.4 sqm + (90 sqm x 0.8) = 94.4 sqm
3. Using this value of equivalent absorption surface (A) we will calculate the
obtained Reverberation time using the Sabine’s Formula:
T60 =0.161 x 640 / 94.4 = 1.09 seconds
