bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Normalized inverse characterization of sound absorbing rigid porous media
Authors: Zieliński Tomasz G.
Published: June 2015

This paper presents a methodology for the inverse characterization of sound absorbing rigid porous media, based on standard measurements of the surface acoustic impedance of a porous sample. The model parameters need to be normalized to have a robust identification procedure which fits the model-predicted impedance curves with the measured ones. Such a normalization provides a substitute set of dimensionless (normalized) parameters unambiguously related to the original model parameters. Moreover, two scaling frequencies are introduced, however, they are not additional parameters and for different, yet reasonable, assumptions of their values, the identification procedure should eventually lead to the same solution. The proposed identification technique uses measured and computed impedance curves for a porous sample not only in the standard configuration, that is, set to the rigid termination piston in an impedance tube, but also with air gaps of known thicknesses between the sample and the piston. Therefore, all necessary analytical formulas for sound propagation in double-layered media are provided. The methodology is illustrated by one numerical test and by two examples based on the experimental measurements of the acoustic impedance and absorption of porous ceramic samples of different thicknesses and a sample of polyurethane foam.
Transfer matrix modeling and experimental validation of cellular porous material with resonant inclusions
Authors: Doutres Olivier , Atalla Noureddine , Osman Haisam
Published: June 2015

Porous materials are widely used for improving sound absorption and sound transmission loss of vibrating structures. However, their efficiency is limited to medium and high frequencies of sound. A solution for improving their low frequency behavior while keeping an acceptable thickness is to embed resonant structures such as Helmholtz resonators (HRs). This work investigates the absorption and transmission acoustic performances of a cellular porous material with a two-dimensional periodic arrangement of HR inclusions. A low frequency model of a resonant periodic unit cell based on the parallel transfer matrix method is presented. The model is validated by comparison with impedance tube measurements and simulations based on both the finite element method and a homogenization based model. At the HR resonance frequency (i) the transmission loss is greatly improved and (ii) the sound absorption of the foam can be either decreased or improved depending on the HR tuning frequency and on the thickness and properties of the host foam. Finally, the diffuse field sound absorption and diffuse field sound transmission loss performance of a 2.6 m2 resonant cellular material are measured. It is shown that the improvements observed at the Helmholtz resonant frequency on a single cell are confirmed at a larger scale.
Speech intelligibility prediction in reverberation: Towards an integrated model of speech transmission, spatial unmasking, and binaural de-reverberation
Authors: Leclère Thibaud , Lavandier Mathieu , Culling John F.
Published: June 2015

Room acoustic indicators of intelligibility have focused on the effects of temporal smearing of speech by reverberation and masking by diffuse ambient noise. In the presence of a discrete noise source, these indicators neglect the binaural listener's ability to separate target speech from noise. Lavandier and Culling [(2010). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 387–399] proposed a model that incorporates this ability but neglects the temporal smearing of speech, so that predictions hold for near-field targets. An extended model based on useful-to-detrimental (U/D) ratios is presented here that accounts for temporal smearing, spatial unmasking, and binaural de-reverberation in reverberant environments. The influence of the model parameters was tested by comparing the model predictions with speech reception thresholds measured in three experiments from the literature. Accurate predictions were obtained by adjusting the parameters to each room. Room-independent parameters did not lead to similar performances, suggesting that a single U/D model cannot be generalized to any room. Despite this limitation, the model framework allows to propose a unified interpretation of spatial unmasking, temporal smearing, and binaural de-reverberation.
Development of subcortical speech representation in human infants
Authors: Anderson Samira , Parbery-Clark Alexandra , White-Schwoch Travis , Kraus Nina
Published: June 2015

Previous studies have evaluated representation of the fundamental frequency (F0) in the frequency following response (FFR) of infants, but the development of other aspects of the FFR, such as timing and harmonics, has not yet been examined. Here, FFRs were recorded to a speech syllable in 28 infants, ages three to ten months. The F0 amplitude of the response was variable among individuals but was strongly represented in some infants as young as three months of age. The harmonics, however, showed a systematic increase in amplitude with age. In the time domain, onset, offset, and inter-peak latencies decreased with age. These results are consistent with neurophysiological studies indicating that (1) phase locking to lower frequency sounds emerges earlier in life than phase locking to higher frequency sounds and (2) myelination continues to increase in the first year of life. Early representation of low frequencies may reflect greater exposure to low frequency stimulation in utero. The improvement in temporal precision likely parallels an increase in the efficiency of neural transmission accompanied by exposure to speech during the first year of life.
Acoustic and perceptual evaluation of category goodness of /t/ and /k/ in typical and misarticulated children's speech
Authors: Strömbergsson Sofia , Salvi Giampiero , House David
Published: June 2015

This investigation explores perceptual and acoustic characteristics of children's successful and unsuccessful productions of /t/ and /k/, with a specific aim of exploring perceptual sensitivity to phonetic detail, and the extent to which this sensitivity is reflected in the acoustic domain. Recordings were collected from 4- to 8-year-old children with a speech sound disorder (SSD) who misarticulated one of the target plosives, and compared to productions recorded from peers with typical speech development (TD). Perceptual responses were registered with regards to a visual-analog scale, ranging from “clear [t]” to “clear [k].” Statistical models of prototypical productions were built, based on spectral moments and discrete cosine transform features, and used in the scoring of SSD productions. In the perceptual evaluation, “clear substitutions” were rated as less prototypical than correct productions. Moreover, target-appropriate productions of /t/ and /k/ produced by children with SSD were rated as less prototypical than those produced by TD peers. The acoustical modeling could to a large extent discriminate between the gross categories /t/ and /k/, and scored the SSD utterances on a continuous scale that was largely consistent with the category of production. However, none of the methods exhibited the same sensitivity to phonetic detail as the human listeners.
Effects of failed elements on sidelobes of array beampatterns
Authors: Cox Henry , Lai Hung
Published: June 2015

It is common for arrays to degrade as elements fail, resulting in high sidelobes. The sensitivity of sidelobe levels to element failures is examined for an arbitrarily shaded array. Using the difference of complex beampatterns, it is found that the beampattern, which can be associated with just the failed elements, controls the degraded array response in the deep sidelobe region. Using results for addition of weighted random phasers, expressions are presented for an upper bound, the mean and standard deviation of the power sidelobes of the degraded array in terms of the number and shading weights of the failed elements. The upper bound depends on the percent of elements that fail and is independent of array size. The average sidelobe level depends on both the failed-to-good ratio and the number of remaining good elements, making large arrays more robust for the same percentage of failed elements. The standard deviation of sidelobe levels is approximately equal to the mean. The ratio of failed to remaining good elements is analogous to the combined amplitude and phase variance for uncorrelated tolerance errors. Combined effects of element failures and random amplitude and phase errors are then presented.
Three-dimensional analysis of a noise barrier using a quasi-periodic boundary element method
Authors: Fard Samaneh M. B. , Peters Herwig , Kessissoglou Nicole , Marburg Steffen
Published: June 2015

Two-dimensional (2D) numerical models are often used to estimate the environmental noise attenuation of a roadside barrier. The prediction of noise barrier attenuation using a 2D boundary element model assumes an infinitely long barrier with constant cross section. However, for barrier geometries that do not have constant cross section in the third dimension, three-dimensional (3D) models should be used for greater accuracy of noise reduction due to the barrier. The size of a numerical model and hence its computational cost can be significantly reduced using a 3D quasi-periodic structure, whereby the structure is truncated using a finite number of periodic sections. In this study, a quasi-periodic model developed using the boundary element method is used to predict the acoustic performance of 3D noise barriers. The convergence behavior of the quasi-periodic model is discussed. Results from the quasi-periodic model are compared with results from both a 3D analytical model and a 2D finite element model, showing good agreement. Quasi-periodic models of different noise barrier designs are developed and their acoustic performances in terms of frequency and receiver positions are discussed. The quasi-periodic boundary element method provides a computationally efficient tool to examine the acoustic performance of 3D noise barrier designs.
Low frequency axisymmetric longitudinal guided waves in eccentric annular cylinders
Authors: Pattanayak Roson Kumar , Manogharan Prabhakaran , Balasubramaniam Krishnan , Rajagopal Prabhu
Published: June 2015

This paper studies the effect of axially uniform eccentricity on the modal structures and velocities of the lower order axisymmetric guided wave mode L(0,2) in circular tubes or pipes. The semi-analytical finite element method is mainly used, supported by fully three-dimensional finite element models and validated using experiments. The studies show that even a small eccentricity in the pipe can cause a loss in the L(0,2) mode axisymmetry, leading to its confinement in the thinned side of the pipe cross-section and also a reduction in mode velocities. The physics of this phenomenon is related to the feature-guiding and mode confinement effects noted in recent years in the literature, particularly studies on waveguides with local cross-section variations and curvature.
Axial vibrations of brass wind instrument bells and their acoustical influence: Theory and simulations
Authors: Kausel Wilfried , Chatziioannou Vasileios , Moore Thomas R. , Gorman Britta R. , Rokni Michelle
Published: June 2015

Previous work has demonstrated that structural vibrations of brass wind instruments can audibly affect the radiated sound. Furthermore, these broadband effects are not explainable by assuming perfect coincidence of the frequency of elliptical structural modes with air column resonances. In this work a mechanism is proposed that has the potential to explain the broadband influences of structural vibrations on acoustical characteristics such as input impedance, transfer function, and radiated sound. The proposed mechanism involves the coupling of axial bell vibrations to the internal air column. The acoustical effects of such axial bell vibrations have been studied by extending an existing transmission line model to include the effects of a parasitic flow into vibrating walls, as well as distributed sound pressure sources due to periodic volume fluctuations in a duct with oscillating boundaries. The magnitude of these influences in typical trumpet bells, as well as in a complete instrument with an unbraced loop, has been studied theoretically. The model results in predictions of input impedance and acoustical transfer function differences that are approximately 1 dB for straight instruments and significantly higher when coiled tubes are involved or when very thin brass is used.
Acoustic beamforming through a thin plate using vibration measurements
Authors: Leclère Quentin , Picard Christophe
Published: June 2015

The aim of this paper is to propose a methodology to localize acoustic sources from the measurement of airborne induced vibrations of a thin structure. Targeted applications are the identification of acoustic sources through a thin wall, with a potential filtration of the incident field, which may be of practical interest, for instance, when identifying exterior acoustic sources from the inside of a moving vehicle. Two methods are coupled here to achieve this purpose: the Force Analysis Technique (FAT), used to identify the parietal pressure field exciting the thin structure from vibration measurements, and beamforming, used for the localization of acoustic sources from the (FAT-)identified parietal pressure. The coupling of the two methods is studied first from a theoretical point of view, and an experimental proof of concept is then presented, showing the feasibility and relevance of the proposed approach.
Low frequency locally resonant metamaterials containing composite inclusions
Authors: Bonnet Guy , Monchiet Vincent
Published: June 2015

One main feature of metamaterials is the occurrence of a negative dynamic mass density that is produced when an inner local resonance is present. The inner resonance can be obtained in composite materials containing composite inclusions. For suitable ratios of the physical properties of the constituting materials, the composite inclusions act as spring-mass systems. The scaling of physical properties leading to such an inner resonance and the associated effective dynamic properties of materials containing composite inclusions are briefly recalled. The resonance frequencies and dynamic mass densities are obtained in a closed form for materials containing cylindrical composite fibers or spherical composite inclusions, after solving the related boundary value elasticity problems.
Acoustic nonlinearity parameters for transversely isotropic polycrystalline materials
Authors: Kube Christopher M. , Turner Joseph A.
Published: June 2015

This article considers polycrystalline materials with macroscopic elastic anisotropy and the effect of the anisotropy on the quadratic nonlinearity parameter used to describe second harmonic generation in solids. The polycrystal is assumed to have transversely isotropic elastic symmetry, which leads to a directional dependence of the nonlinearity parameters. Additionally, the anisotropy leads to second harmonic generation from an input shear wave. Estimates of the longitudinal and shear wave nonlinearity parameters are given as a function of single-crystal elastic constants, macroscopic anisotropy constants, and propagation direction. An inverse model is presented that relates measured nonlinearity parameters to the macroscopic anisotropy constants. The estimates of the nonlinearity parameters can be used to approximate the damage-free or baseline nonlinearity parameter of structural components, which helps the effort toward absolute measures of material damage.
Echolocation parameters of Australian humpback dolphins (Sousa sahulensis) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in the wild
Authors: de Freitas Mafalda , Jensen Frants H. , Tyne Julian , Bejder Lars , Madsen Peter T.
Published: June 2015

Echolocation is a key sensory modality for toothed whale orientation, navigation, and foraging. However, a more comparative understanding of the biosonar properties of toothed whales is necessary to understand behavioral and evolutionary adaptions. To address this, two free-ranging sympatric delphinid species, Australian humpback dolphins (Sousa sahulensis) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), were studied. Biosonar clicks from both species were recorded within the same stretch of coastal habitat in Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia, using a vertical seven element hydrophone array. S. sahulensis used biosonar clicks with a mean source level of 199 ± 3 dB re 1 μPa peak-peak (pp), mean centroid frequency of 106 ± 11 kHz, and emitted at interclick intervals (ICIs) of 79 ± 33 ms. These parameters were similar to click parameters of sympatric T. aduncus, characterized by mean source levels of 204 ± 4 dB re 1 μPa pp, centroid frequency of 112 ± 9 kHz, and ICIs of 73 ± 29 ms. These properties are comparable to those of other similar sized delphinids and suggest that biosonar parameters are independent of sympatric delphinids and possibly driven by body size. The dynamic biosonar behavior of these delphinids may have, consequently, allowed for adaptations to local environments through high levels of control over sonar beam properties.
Sound barriers from materials of inhomogeneous impedance
Authors: Wang Xu , Mao Dongxing , Yu Wuzhou , Jiang Zaixiu
Published: June 2015

Sound barriers are extensively used in environmental noise protection. However, when barriers are placed in parallel on opposite sides of a sound source, their performance deteriorates markedly. This paper describes a barrier made from materials of inhomogeneous impedance which lacks this drawback. The nonuniform impedance affects the way sound undergoes multiple reflections, and in the process traps acoustic energy. A proposed realization of the barrier comprises a closely spaced array of progressively tuned hollow narrow tubes which create a phase gradient. The acoustics of the barrier is theoretically examined and its superiority over conventional barriers is calculated using finite element modeling. Structural parameters of the barrier can be changed to achieve the required sound insertion loss, and the barrier has the potential to be widely used in environmental noise control.
Non-song social call bouts of migrating humpback whales
Authors: Rekdahl Melinda L. , Dunlop Rebecca A. , Goldizen Anne W. , Garland Ellen C. , Biassoni Nicoletta , Miller Patrick , Noad Michael J.
Published: June 2015

The use of stereotyped calls within structured bouts has been described for a number of species and may increase the information potential of call repertoires. Humpback whales produce a repertoire of social calls, although little is known about the complexity or function of these calls. In this study, digital acoustic tag recordings were used to investigate social call use within bouts, the use of bouts across different social contexts, and whether particular call type combinations were favored. Call order within bouts was investigated using call transition frequencies and information theory techniques. Call bouts were defined through analysis of inter-call intervals, as any calls within 3.9 s of each other. Bouts were produced significantly more when new whales joined a group compared to groups that did not change membership, and in groups containing multiple adults escorting a female and calf compared to adult only groups. Although social calls tended to be produced in bouts, there were few repeated bout types. However, the order in which most call types were produced within bouts was non-random and dependent on the preceding call type. These bouts appear to be at least partially governed by rules for how individual components are combined.
Tracheo-bronchial soft tissue and cartilage resonances in the subglottal acoustic input impedance
Authors: Lulich Steven M. , Arsikere Harish
Published: June 2015

This paper offers a re-evaluation of the mechanical properties of the tracheo-bronchial soft tissues and cartilage and uses a model to examine their effects on the subglottal acoustic input impedance. It is shown that the values for soft tissue elastance and cartilage viscosity typically used in models of subglottal acoustics during phonation are not accurate, and corrected values are proposed. The calculated subglottal acoustic input impedance using these corrected values reveals clusters of weak resonances due to soft tissues (SgT) and cartilage (SgC) lining the walls of the trachea and large bronchi, which can be observed empirically in subglottal acoustic spectra. The model predicts that individuals may exhibit SgT and SgC resonances to variable degrees, depending on a number of factors including tissue mechanical properties and the dimensions of the trachea and large bronchi. Potential implications for voice production and large pulmonary airway tissue diseases are also discussed.
Bayesian environmental inversion of airgun modal dispersion using a single hydrophone in the Chukchi Sea
Authors: Warner Graham A. , Dosso Stan E. , Dettmer Jan , Hannay David E.
Published: June 2015

This paper presents estimated water-column and seabed parameters and uncertainties for a shallow-water site in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska, from trans-dimensional Bayesian inversion of the dispersion of water-column acoustic modes. Pulse waveforms were recorded at a single ocean-bottom hydrophone from a small, ship-towed airgun array during a seismic survey. A warping dispersion time-frequency analysis is used to extract relative mode arrival times as a function of frequency for source-receiver ranges of 3 and 4 km which are inverted for the water sound-speed profile (SSP) and subbottom geoacoustic properties. The SSP is modeled using an unknown number of sound-speed/depth nodes. The subbottom is modeled using an unknown number of homogeneous layers with unknown thickness, sound speed, and density, overlying a halfspace. A reversible-jump Markov-chain Monte Carlo algorithm samples the model parameterization in terms of the number of water-column nodes and subbottom interfaces that can be resolved by the data. The estimated SSP agrees well with a measured profile, and seafloor sound speed is consistent with an independent headwave arrival-time analysis. Environmental properties are required to model sound propagation in the Chukchi Sea for estimating sound exposure levels and environmental research associated with marine mammal localization.
Numerical analysis of aeroacoustic-structural interaction of a flexible panel in uniform duct flow
Authors: Fan Harris K. H. , Leung Randolph C. K. , Lam Garret C. Y.
Published: June 2015

Accurate prediction of the acoustics of fluid-structure interaction is important in devising quieting designs for engineering systems equipped with extensive flow duct networks where the thin duct wall panels are in contact with the flowing fluid. The flow unsteadiness generates acoustic waves that propagate back to the source region to modify the flow process generating them. Meanwhile the unsteady flow pressure excites the thin panels to vibrate, which in turn modifies the flow processes. Evidently a strong coupling between the fluid aeroacoustics and the panel structural dynamics exists. Such coupled physical processes have to be thoroughly understood; otherwise, effective quieting design is never achieved. This paper reports an analysis, using a time-domain numerical methodology the authors have recently developed, of the nonlinear aeroacoustic-structural interaction experienced by a flexible panel in a duct carrying a uniform mean flow. With no mean flow, the numerical results agree well with existing theories and reveal the physics of duct transmission loss. Four regimes of aeroacoustic-structural interaction are identified when the duct flow velocity increases from low subsonic to low supersonic values. Insight in the underlying physics of duct transmission loss at different velocities are highlighted and discussed.
Reverberation decay functions for narrow bands obtained from filtered time-windowed room impulse responses
Authors: Mo Fangshuo
Published: June 2015

This study introduces a method to obtain the reverberation decay functions for narrow bands from the filtered time-windowed broadband room impulse responses. The method corresponds to the free decay process of the band-pass sound energy. The filtering process is independent of the band-pass filter phase responses and it reduces the filtering influence on the decay rates. It places no limit on the permissible product BT of the bandwidth B and the reverberation time T when evaluating the decay rates of the obtained decay functions.
The underwater sound field from vibratory pile driving
Authors: Dahl Peter H. , Dall'Osto David R. , Farrell Dara M.
Published: June 2015

Underwater noise from vibratory pile driving was observed using a vertical line array placed at range 16 m from the pile source (water depth 7.5 m), and using single hydrophones at range 417 m on one transect, and range 207 and 436 m on another transect running approximately parallel to a sloping shoreline. The dominant spectral features of the underwater noise are related to the frequency of the vibratory pile driving hammer (typically 15–35 Hz), producing spectral lines at intervals of this frequency. The mean-square pressure versus depth is subsequently studied in third-octave bands. Depth and frequency variations of this quantity observed at the vertical line array are well modeled by a field consisting of an incoherent sum of sources distributed over the water column. Adiabatic mode theory is used to propagate this field to greater ranges and model the observations made along the two depth-varying transects. The effect of shear in the seabed, although small, is also included. Bathymetric refraction on the transect parallel to the shoreline reduced mean-square pressure levels at the 436-m measurement site.
Modal sound transmission loss of a single leaf panel: Effects of inter-modal coupling
Authors: Wang Chong
Published: June 2015

Sound transmission through a single leaf panel has mostly been discussed and explained by using the approaching wave concept, from which the well-known mass law can be derived. In this paper, the modal behavior in sound transmission coefficients is explored, and it is shown that the mutual modal radiation impedances in modal sound transmission coefficients may not be ignored even for a panel immersed in a light fluid. By introducing the equivalent modal impedance which incorporates the inter-modal coupling effect, an analytical expression for the modal sound transmission coefficient is derived, and the overall sound transmission coefficient is simply a modal superposition of modal sound transmission coefficients. A good correlation is obtained between analytical calculation and boundary element method. In addition, it is found that inter-modal coupling has noticeable effects in modal sound transmission coefficients in the subsonic region but may be ignored as modes become supersonic. It is also shown that the well-known mass law performance is attributed to all the supersonic modes.
Effects of heat exchange and nonlinearity on acoustic streaming in a vibrating cylindrical cavity
Authors: Gubaidullin Amir A. , Yakovenko Anna V.
Published: June 2015

Acoustic streaming in a gas filled cylindrical cavity subjected to the vibration effect is investigated numerically. Both thermally insulated walls and constant temperature walls are considered. The range of vibration frequencies from low frequencies, at which the process can be described by an approximate analytical solution, to high frequencies giving rise to strong nonlinear effects is studied. Frequencies lower than the resonant one are chosen, and nonlinearity is achieved due to the large amplitude. The problem is solved in an axisymmetric statement. The dependence of acoustic streaming in narrow channels at vibration frequencies lower than the resonant one on the type of thermal boundary conditions is shown. The streaming vortices' directions of rotation in the case of constant temperature walls are found to be opposite to those in the case of thermally insulated walls. Different nonlinear effects, which increase with the frequency of vibration, are obtained. Nonlinear effects manifesting as the nonuniformity of average temperature, pressure, and density are in turn found to be influencing the streaming velocity and streaming structure.
The directional sensitivity of the acoustic radiation force to particle diameter
Authors: Ran W. , Saylor J. R.
Published: June 2015

When viscous corrections to the inviscid acoustic radiation force theory are implemented and applied to a standing wave field, the direction of the acoustic radiation force on particles varies from theory to theory. Specifically, some theories predict that the direction of the force depends on the particle diameter, while others reveal that the direction of the force is independent of particle diameter. The present study is an experimental investigation of the direction of the acoustic radiation force which suggests that particle diameter does affect the direction. Experiments were conducted in air using an ultrasonic standing wave field with a nominal frequency of 30 kHz. Smoke particles and fine water droplets having a range of diameters were flowed into the region of a standing wave field. The direction of the acoustic radiation force was determined by observing whether the particles accumulated in the nodes or the anti-nodes of the standing wave. Results show a change in the direction of the acoustic radiation force at a particle diameter of 0.3±0.1 μm, which corresponds to a particle diameter to acoustic-boundary-layer thickness ratio of 0.023±0.008.
Single velocity-component modeling of leading edge turbulence interaction noise
Authors: Gill J. , Zhang X. , Joseph P.
Published: June 2015

A computational aeroacoustics approach is used to predict leading edge turbulence interaction noise for real airfoils. One-component (transverse), two-component (transverse and streamwise), and three-component (transverse, streamwise, and spanwise) synthesized turbulence disturbances are modeled instead of harmonic transverse gusts, to which previous computational studies of leading edge noise have often been confined. The effects of the inclusion of streamwise and spanwise disturbances on the noise are assessed. It is shown that accurate noise predictions can be made by modeling only transverse disturbances which reduces the computational expense of simulations. The accuracy of using only transverse disturbances is assessed for symmetric and cambered airfoils, and also for airfoils at non-zero angle of attack.
A three-dimensional Bloch wave expansion to determine external scattering from finite phononic crystals
Authors: Kulpe Jason A. , Sabra Karim G. , Leamy Michael J.
Published: June 2015

External scattering from a finite phononic crystal (PC) is studied using the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral theorem integrated with a Bloch wave expansion (BWE). The BWE technique is used to describe the internal pressure field of a semi-infinite or layered PC subject to an incident monochromatic plane wave. Following the BWE solution, the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral is used to determine the external scattered field. For cubic PCs, the scattered results are compared to numerical treatments in both the frequency and time domain. The presented approach is expected to be valid when the PC size is larger than the acoustic wavelength. However, very good agreement in the spatial beam pattern is also documented for both large and small (with respect to the wavelength) PCs. The result of this work is a fully-analytical, efficient, and verified approach for accurately predicting external scattering from finite, three-dimensional PCs.
Mach-Zehnder interferometry method for acoustic shock wave measurements in air and broadband calibration of microphones
Authors: Yuldashev Petr , Karzova Maria , Khokhlova Vera , Ollivier Sébastien , Blanc-Benon Philippe
Published: June 2015

A Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used to measure spherically diverging N-waves in homogeneous air. An electrical spark source is used to generate high-amplitude (1800 Pa at 15 cm from the source) and short duration (50 μs) N-waves. Pressure waveforms are reconstructed from optical phase signals using an Abel-type inversion. It is shown that the interferometric method allows one to reach 0.4 μs of time resolution, which is 6 times better than the time resolution of a 1/8-in. condenser microphone (2.5 μs). Numerical modeling is used to validate the waveform reconstruction method. The waveform reconstruction method provides an error of less than 2% with respect to amplitude in the given experimental conditions. Optical measurement is used as a reference to calibrate a 1/8-in. condenser microphone. The frequency response function of the microphone is obtained by comparing the spectra of the waveforms resulting from optical and acoustical measurements. The optically measured pressure waveforms filtered with the microphone frequency response are in good agreement with the microphone output voltage. Therefore, an optical measurement method based on the Mach-Zehnder interferometer is a reliable tool to accurately characterize evolution of weak shock waves in air and to calibrate broadband acoustical microphones.
Efficient time-domain simulation of nonlinear, state-space, transmission-line models of the cochlea
Authors: Pan Shuokai , Elliott Stephen J. , Teal Paul D. , Lineton Ben
Published: June 2015

Nonlinear models of the cochlea are best implemented in the time domain, but their computational demands usually limit the duration of the simulations that can reasonably be performed. This letter presents a modified state space method and its application to an example nonlinear one-dimensional transmission-line cochlear model. The sparsity pattern of the individual matrices for this alternative formulation allows the use of significantly faster numerical algorithms. Combined with a more efficient implementation of the saturating nonlinearity, the computational speed of this modified state space method is more than 40 times faster than that of the original formulation.
The analysis of plane discontinuities in offset cylindrical waveguides
Authors: Homentcovschi Dorel , Miles Ronald N.
Published: June 2015

This paper applies the re-expansion method for analyzing the effects on the sound field due to planar discontinuities at the junction of two offset circular acoustic waveguides. The normal modes in the two waveguides are expanded at the junction plane into a system of functions accounting for velocity singularities at the corner points. As the new expansion has a high convergence order, only a few terms have to be considered for obtaining the solution of most practical problems. This paper gives the equivalent impedance accounting for nonplanar waves into a plane-wave analysis. The last section of the paper applies the re-expansion technique to the case of two offset pipes (step discontinuity) and to that of an offset aperture in a cylindrical pipe (diaphragm-type discontinuity). The plots of the discontinuity inductance, characterized by Karal's factor, are quite similar but the values in the second case are 1.5–2 times larger, showing that the diaphragm-type discontinuity excites much more nonplanar evanescent modes than the step discontinuity.
A homogenization method used to predict the performance of silencers containing parallel splitters
Authors: Nennig Benoit , Binois Remy , Perrey-Debain Emmanuel , Dauchez Nicolas
Published: June 2015

An analytical model based on a homogenization process is used to predict and understand the behavior of finite length splitter/baffle-type silencers inserted axially into a rigid rectangular duct. Such silencers consist of a succession of parallel baffles made of porous material and airways inserted axially into a rigid duct. The pore network of the porous material in the baffle and the larger pores due to the airway can be considered as a double porosity (DP) medium with well-separated pore sizes. This scale separation leads by homogenization to the DP model, widely used in the porous material community. This alternative approach based on a homogenization process sheds physical insight into the attenuation mechanisms taking place in the silencer. Numerical comparisons with a reference method are used to show that the theory provides good results as long as the pressure wave in the silencer airways propagates as a plane wave parallel to the duct axis. The explicit expression of the axial wavenumber in the DP medium is used to derive an explicit expression for the optimal resistivity value of the porous material, ensuring the best dissipation for a given silencer geometry.
Conversion of evanescent Lamb waves into propagating waves via a narrow aperture edge
Authors: Yan Xiang , Yuan Fuh-Gwo
Published: June 2015

This paper presents a quantitative study of conversion of evanescent Lamb waves into propagating in isotropic plates. The conversion is substantiated by prescribing time-harmonic Lamb displacements/tractions through a narrow aperture at an edge of a semi-infinite plate. Complex-valued dispersion and group velocity curves are employed to characterize the conversion process. The amplitude coefficient of the propagating Lamb modes converted from evanescent is quantified based on the complex reciprocity theorem via a finite element analysis. The power flow generated into the plate can be separated into radiative and reactive parts made on the basis of propagating and evanescent Lamb waves, where propagating Lamb waves are theoretically proved to radiate pure real power flow, and evanescent Lamb waves carry reactive pure imaginary power flow. The propagating power conversion efficiency is then defined to quantitatively describe the conversion. The conversion efficiency is strongly frequency dependent and can be significant. With the converted propagating waves from evanescent, sensors at far-field can recapture some localized damage information that is generally possessed in evanescent waves and may have potential application in structural health monitoring.
Point focusing using loudspeaker arrays from the perspective of optimal beamforming
Authors: Bai Mingsian R. , Hsieh Yu-Hao
Published: June 2015

Sound focusing is to create a concentrated acoustic field in the region surrounded by a loudspeaker array. This problem was tackled in the previous research via the Helmholtz integral approach, brightness control, acoustic contrast control, etc. In this paper, the same problem was revisited from the perspective of beamforming. A source array model is reformulated in terms of the steering matrix between the source and the field points, which lends itself to the use of beamforming algorithms such as minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) and linearly constrained minimum variance (LCMV) originally intended for sensor arrays. The beamforming methods are compared with the conventional methods in terms of beam pattern, directional index, and control effort. Objective tests are conducted to assess the audio quality by using perceptual evaluation of audio quality (PEAQ). Experiments of produced sound field and listening tests are conducted in a listening room, with results processed using analysis of variance and regression analysis. In contrast to the conventional energy-based methods, the results have shown that the proposed methods are phase-sensitive in light of the distortionless constraint in formulating the array filters, which helps enhance audio quality and focusing performance.
Sentence intelligibility during segmental interruption and masking by speech-modulated noise: Effects of age and hearing loss
Authors: Fogerty Daniel , Ahlstrom Jayne B. , Bologna William J. , Dubno Judy R.
Published: June 2015

This study investigated how single-talker modulated noise impacts consonant and vowel cues to sentence intelligibility. Younger normal-hearing, older normal-hearing, and older hearing-impaired listeners completed speech recognition tests. All listeners received spectrally shaped speech matched to their individual audiometric thresholds to ensure sufficient audibility with the exception of a second younger listener group who received spectral shaping that matched the mean audiogram of the hearing-impaired listeners. Results demonstrated minimal declines in intelligibility for older listeners with normal hearing and more evident declines for older hearing-impaired listeners, possibly related to impaired temporal processing. A correlational analysis suggests a common underlying ability to process information during vowels that is predictive of speech-in-modulated noise abilities. Whereas, the ability to use consonant cues appears specific to the particular characteristics of the noise and interruption. Performance declines for older listeners were mostly confined to consonant conditions. Spectral shaping accounted for the primary contributions of audibility. However, comparison with the young spectral controls who received identical spectral shaping suggests that this procedure may reduce wideband temporal modulation cues due to frequency-specific amplification that affected high-frequency consonants more than low-frequency vowels. These spectral changes may impact speech intelligibility in certain modulation masking conditions.
Study of characteristics of aperiodicity in Noh voices
Authors: Mittal Vinay Kumar , Yegnanarayana B.
Published: June 2015

The feasibility of representing the excitation source characteristics in expressive voice signals by an aperiodic sequence of impulses in the time domain is examined in this paper. In particular, the aperiodic components of excitation of expressive voices, like the Noh voice, are examined in some detail. The aperiodic component is extracted from the speech signal using a modified zero-frequency filtering method, and it is represented using a sequence of impulses with amplitudes corresponding to the relative strength of excitation around each impulse. The spectral characteristics of the aperiodic sequence show subharmonics and harmonics of the fundamental frequency corresponding to pitch. The effects of aperiodicity are examined using spectrograms and saliency plots of synthetic amplitude and duration (i.e., frequency) modulation of sequences of impulses.
Neural realignment of spatially separated sound components
Authors: Salminen Nelli H. , Takanen Marko , Santala Olli , Alku Paavo , Pulkki Ville
Published: June 2015

Natural auditory scenes often consist of several sound sources overlapping in time, but separated in space. Yet, location is not fully exploited in auditory grouping: spatially separated sounds can get perceptually fused into a single auditory object and this leads to difficulties in the identification and localization of concurrent sounds. Here, the brain mechanisms responsible for grouping across spatial locations were explored in magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings. The results show that the cortical representation of a vowel spatially separated into two locations reflects the perceived location of the speech sound rather than the physical locations of the individual components. In other words, the auditory scene is neurally rearranged to bring components into spatial alignment when they were deemed to belong to the same object. This renders the original spatial information unavailable at the level of the auditory cortex and may contribute to difficulties in concurrent sound segregation.
The source-filter theory of whistle-like calls in marmosets: Acoustic analysis and simulation of helium-modulated voices
Authors: Koda Hiroki , Tokuda Isao T. , Wakita Masumi , Ito Tsuyoshi , Nishimura Takeshi
Published: June 2015

Whistle-like high-pitched “phee” calls are often used as long-distance vocal advertisements by small-bodied marmosets and tamarins in the dense forests of South America. While the source-filter theory proposes that vibration of the vocal fold is modified independently from the resonance of the supralaryngeal vocal tract (SVT) in human speech, a source-filter coupling that constrains the vibration frequency to SVT resonance effectively produces loud tonal sounds in some musical instruments. Here, a combined approach of acoustic analyses and simulation with helium-modulated voices was used to show that phee calls are produced principally with the same mechanism as in human speech. The animal keeps the fundamental frequency (f0) close to the first formant (F1) of the SVT, to amplify f0. Although f0 and F1 are primarily independent, the degree of their tuning can be strengthened further by a flexible source-filter interaction, the variable strength of which depends upon the cross-sectional area of the laryngeal cavity. The results highlight the evolutionary antiquity and universality of the source-filter model in primates, but the study can also explore the diversification of vocal physiology, including source-filter interaction and its anatomical basis in non-human primates.
Laser induced zero-group velocity resonances in transversely isotropic cylinder
Authors: Laurent Jérôme , Royer Daniel , Hussain Takasar , Ahmad Faiz , Prada Claire
Published: June 2015

The transient response of an elastic cylinder to a laser impact is studied. When the laser source is a line perpendicular to the cylinder axis, modes guided along the cylinder are generated. For a millimetric steel cylinder up to ten narrow resonances can be locally detected by a laser interferometer below 8 MHz. These resonances correspond to Zero-Group Velocity guided modes or to circumferential modes. The authors observe that the theory describing the propagation of elastic waves in an isotropic cylinder is not sufficient to precisely predict the resonance spectrum. In fact, the texture of such elongated structure manifests as elastic anisotropy. Thus, a transverse isotropic (TI) model is used to calculate the dispersion curves and compare them with the measured ones, obtained by moving the source along the cylinder. The five elastic constants of a TI cylinder are adjusted, leading to a good agreement between measured and theoretical dispersion curves. Then, all the resonance frequencies are satisfactorily identified.
Automatic detection of echolocation clicks based on a Gabor model of their waveform
Authors: Madhusudhana Shyam , Gavrilov Alexander , Erbe Christine
Published: June 2015

Prior research has shown that echolocation clicks of several species of terrestrial and marine fauna can be modelled as Gabor-like functions. Here, a system is proposed for the automatic detection of a variety of such signals. By means of mathematical formulation, it is shown that the output of the Teager–Kaiser Energy Operator (TKEO) applied to Gabor-like signals can be approximated by a Gaussian function. Based on the inferences, a detection algorithm involving the post-processing of the TKEO outputs is presented. The ratio of the outputs of two moving-average filters, a Gaussian and a rectangular filter, is shown to be an effective detection parameter. Detector performance is assessed using synthetic and real (taken from MobySound database) recordings. The detection method is shown to work readily with a variety of echolocation clicks and in various recording scenarios. The system exhibits low computational complexity and operates several times faster than real-time. Performance comparisons are made to other publicly available detectors including pamguard.