Energy density and intensity measurements in a reverberant sound field

Abstract

The measurement of reverberant fields using an acoustic energy density sensor has been investigated over the years but has not seen general use. The energy density sensor can also measure acoustic intensity, which is a more commonly used technique in noise control. Measuring three-dimensional acoustic intensity with the energy density sensor shows that the techniques of energy density are complementary to intensity measurement and worthy of broader use Statistical measurements of kinetic and potential energy density were taken using a rotating boom in a reverberation room. Vector intensity was simultaneously measured in three orthogonal directions along with the total intensity. The measurements show that while the vector intensity components were significant, their sum was zero within the limits of the measurement system.