International Standard

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR [Link]>K,QYHAPO~HAR OPTAHM3AUMR fl0 CTAH~APTW3AWlM~ORGANlSATlON INTERNATIONALE DE NORMALISATION

Acoustics - Measurement of sound absorption in a

reverberation room
Acoustique - Mesurage de labsorp tion acoustique en sale r&verb&ante

First edition - 1985-02-01

iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
([Link])
ISO 354:1985
[Link]
b2882cc067f4/iso-354-1985

UDC 534.62 Ref. No. IS0 3544985 (E)

Descriptors : acoustics, tests, acoustic tests, acoustic measurements, sound absorption coefficient, reverberation, rooms.

Price based on 9 pages

Foreword
IS0 (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of
national standards bodies (IS0 member bodies). The work of preparing International
Standards is normally carried out through IS0 technical committees. Each member
body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has
the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, govern-
mental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.

Draft International Standards adopted by the technical committees are circulated to

the member bodies for approval before their acceptance as International Standards by
the IS0 Council. They are approved in accordance with IS0 procedures requiring at
least 75 % approval by the member bodies voting.
iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
International Standard IS0 354 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 43,
Acoustics. ([Link])
It cancels and replaces IS0 Recommendation R 354-1963, of ISO 354:1985
which it constitutes a
technical revision. [Link]
b2882cc067f4/iso-354-1985

0 International Organization for Standardization, 1985

Printed in Switzerland
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD IS0 3544985 (E)

Acoustics - Measurement of sound absorption in a

reverberation room

0 Introduction wall or ceiling treatments, or the equivalent sound absorption

area of objects, such as furniture, persons or space absorbers,
When a sound source operates in an enclosed space, the level in a reverberation room. It is not intended for measur-
to which reverberant sound builds up, and the subsequent ing the absorption characteristics of weakly damped
decay of reverberant sound when the source is stopped, are resonators.
governed by the sound-absorbing characteristics of the boun-
dary surfaces and objects within the space. In general, the frac- The results obtained can be used for comparison purposes and
tion of the incident sound power absorbed at a surface depends for design calculation with respect to room acoustics and noise
upon the angle of incidence. In order to relate the reverberation control.
time of an auditorium, office, workshop, etc. to the noise
reduction that would be effected by an absorbing treatment, a
knowledge of the sound-absorbing characteristics of the sur-
2 References
iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
faces, usually in the form of a suitable average over all angles of
incidence, is required. Since the distribution of sound waves in
IS0 5725, Precision of test methods - Determination of
([Link])
typical enclosures includes a wide and largely unpredictable
range of angles, it is convenient, for the purposes of stan-
repeatability and reproducibility by inter-laboratory tests.
dardization, to take a uniform distribution as the basic con-
IEC Publication 225, Octave, half-octave and third-octave band
dition. If, furthermore, the sound intensity is independentISO of 354:1985
filters in tended for the analysis of sounds and vibrations.
location within the room, such[Link]
a distribution is called a diffuse
sound field, and the sounds reaching a room surfaceb2882cc067f4/iso-354-1985
are said to
be at random incidence.
3 Definitions
Measurements under reverberant conditions are necessary
because, in this way, the effects of practical mounting con- For the purpose of this International Standard, the following
ditions can be included. Furthermore, it is the only way to definitions apply.
determine the sound absorption of discrete objects such as
chairs, off ice landscaping screens, etc.
3.1 reverberation time: The time that would be required for
the sound pressure level to decrease by 60 dB after the sound
The purpose of this International Standard is to promote uni-
source has stopped.
formity in the methods and conditions of measurement of
sound absorption in reverberation rooms, so that values deter-
The quantity is denoted by T and is expressed in seconds.
mined by different laboratories agree as closely as is possible at
present. In order to improve precision, it may become
NOTE - This definition is based on the assumption that, in the ideal
necessary to limit further the variability of test conditions. The case, there is a linear relationship between the sound pressure level and
sound absorption data determined by the method described time and that the background noise level is sufficiently low.
may be used for design calculations. In certain cases, however,
deviations between predicted and measured values of
reverberation time may occur. 3.2 equivalent sound absorption area of a room: The
hypothetical area of a totally absorbing surface without diffrac-
It should be emphasized that, in order to attain the above ob- tion effects which, if it were the only absorbing element in the
jectives, a more diffuse sound field than the one which ordinar- room, would give the same reverberation time as the room
ily exists in most rooms, auditoria, etc. is required, and certain under consideration.
other constraints, for example on the dimensions of the
reverberation room, are necessary. For the empty reverberation room, this quantity is denoted by
A, ; for the reverberation room containing a test specimen, it is
denoted by AZ. The quantity is expressed in square metres.
1 Scope and field of application

This International Standard specifies a method of measuring 3.3 equivalent sound absorption area of a test
the sound absorption coefficient of acoustical materials used as specimen: The difference between the equivalent sound ab-
IS0 354-1985 (E)

sorption area of the reverberation room with and without the 5 Apparatus
test specimen
The apparatus shall be such that the requirements given in
The quantity is denoted by A and is expressed in square clause 7 are met.
metres.

3.4 sound absorption coefficient: The change in equi-

valent sound absorption area after placing a test specimen in 6 Test arrangement
the reverberation room, divided by the area of the test
specimen. 6.1 Reverberation room and diffusion of sound
field
It is only defined for a plane test specimen and is denoted
bY as-
6.1.1 Volume of reverberation room
NOTE - When evaluating the sound absorption coefficient from
measurements in a reverberation room, the results should be denoted
The volume of the reverberation room shall be at least 150 m3.
by the subscript “S”. The use of this subscript avoids confusion with For new constructions, the volume shall be approximately
the sound absorption coefficient defined as the ratio of non-reflected- 200 m3.
to-incident sound energy if a plane wave strikes a plane wall at a par-
ticular angle of incidence. This “geometric” sound absorption coef-
6.1.2 Shape of reverberation room
ficient is always smaller than unity and may therefore be expressed as a
percentage. The sound absorption coefficient evaluated from
reverberation time measurements may have values larger than unity, The shape of the reverberation room should be such that the
for example due to diffraction effects, and cys shall not, therefore, be following condition is fulfilled :
expressed as a percentage.
1max < 1,9 v3
3.5 repeatability, r: The value below which the absolute dif-
iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
ference between two single test results obtained using the
same method on identical test material, under the same con-
where

([Link])
ditions (same operator, same apparatus, same laboratory and a
short interval of times) may be expected to lie with a specified
1max is the length of the longest straight line which fits
within the boundary of the room (for example, in a rec-
probability; in the absence of other indications, the probability tangular room, it is the major diagonal);
is 95 %. ISO 354:1985
[Link]
V is the volume of the room.
3.6 reproducibility, R: The value below which the absolute
b2882cc067f4/iso-354-1985
In order to achieve a uniform distribution of natural frequen-
difference between two single test results obtained using the cies, especially in the low-frequency bands, no two dimensions
same method on identical test material, under different con- of the room shall be equal or in the ratio of small whole
ditions (different operators, different apparatus, different numbers.
laboratories and different times), may be expected to lie with a
specified probability; in the absence of other indications, the In the case of non-rectangular rooms where the test
NOTE -
probability is 95 %. specimen is placed on the floor, the results will agree more closely with
results from rectangular rooms if the non-vertical walls slant inwards.

4 Principle
6.1.3 Diffusion of sound field
Measurement of reverberation times in a reverberation room,
The decaying sound field in the room shall be sufficiently dif-
with and without the test specimen. From these times, calcu-
fuse. In order to achieve satisfactory diffusion, whatever the
lation of the equivalent sound absorption area A of the test
shape of the room, the use of stationary, suspended diffusers
specimen.
or of rotating vanes is, in general, required (see annex A).
In the case of a plane test specimen, the sound absorption
coefficient is obta ined by dividing A by its surface area S. 6.1.4 Sound absorption area

When the test specimen comprises several identical objects, The equivalent sound absorption area A, of the empty room,
the equivalent sound absorption area of an individual object is determined in one-third octave bands, shall not exceed the
found by dividing A by the number of objects. values given in table 1.

Table 1 - Maximum equivalent sound absorption areas for room volume I;/ = 200 m3

Equivalent sound
absorption area, & 65 65 65 7,O 93 13,0
Frequency, Hz 125 250 500 1 000 2000 4000

2
 IS0 3544985 (El

If the volume V of the room differs from 200 m3, the values 2 As an alternative, in the case of test specimens backed by an
given in table 1 shall be multiplied by the factor ( V/2OO)2/3. airgap, the test specimen can be mounted in a recess in one of the
boundaries of the reverberation room. It is, however, possible that this
method will not give the same results as the method specified.
The graph of the equivalent sound absorption area of the
empty room versus frequency should be a smooth curve and
should have no dips or peaks differing by more than 15 % from 6.2.2 Discrete sound absorbers
the mean of the values of both adjacent one-third octave
bands.
[Link] Discrete objects, for example chairs, persons, space
absorbers, shall be installed for test in the same manner as they
6.2 Test specimen are typically installed in practice. For example, chairs or
freestanding screens shall rest on the floor, but they shall not
6.2.1 Plane absorbers be closer than 1 m to any other boundary. Space absorbers
shall be mounted at least 1 m from any boundary or room dif-
fusers and at least 1 m from any microphone.
[Link] The test specimen shall have an area between 10 and
12 m*. If the volume Vof the room is greater than 250 m3, the
normal test specimen area shall be increased by the factor [Link] A test specimen should comprise a sufficient number
( V/25oP’3 . of individual objects (in general, at least three) to provide a
measurable change in the equivalent sound absorption area of
NOTE - For the testing of materials with exceptionally small sound the room greater than 1 m *, but not more than 12 m*. If the
absorption coefficients, it is recommended that test specimens with an volume Vof the room is greater than 250 m3, these vaiues shall
area larger than specified be used in order to obtain a significant be increased by the factor 12 t V/25O)2/3.
difference between the measured reverberation times T, and T2
(see 8.1.2). Objects normally treated as individual objects should be ar-
ranged randomly, spaced at least 2 m apart. If the test
[Link] The test specimen should be of rectangular shape specimen comprises only one object, it should be tested in at
with a ratio of width to length between 0,7 and 1. It shall be least three locations, at least 2 m apart, and the results aver-
iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
placed so that no part of it is closer than 1 m to any edge of the
boundary of the room. The edges of the test specimen should
aged.

([Link])
preferably not be parallel to the nearest edge of the room. [Link] If the test specimen comprises a given array of objects
(for example theatre chairs, noise absorber pads), they shall be
[Link] The test specimen shall be mounted in accordance installed for test in this configuration. When testing groups of
ISO 354:1985
seats with seated persons, the edges of the arrangement shall
with the relevant specifications provided by the producer or
[Link]
with the application details provided by the user. be enclosed by reflecting material. This enclosure should have a
b2882cc067f4/iso-354-1985
height of up to 1 m. In other cases, the height of the enclosure
In the case of a test specimen directly mounted on a room sur- should be adapted to the height of the test specimen.
face, the edges shall be totally and tightly enclosed by a frame
constructed from reflective material of rectangular cross- 6.2.3 Curtains
section and, in general, of thickness not greater than 2 cm. The
frame shall not protrude above the surface of the test Curtains tested against walls can be treated as plane absorbers
specimen. It shall be tightly sealed to the room surface on (6.2.1) if closed, or as discrete absorbers (6.2.2) if open. In the
which it is mounted. former case, the edges shall be enclosed. The requirements for
a minimum distance of 1 m from the walls or from the edges do
In the case of a test specimen backed by an airgap, for instance not apply in the case of curtains.
to simulate a suspended ceiling, sidewalls shall be constructed
perpendicular to the test surface. The sidewalls shall enclose
both the airgap and the test specimen edges, and shall be 6.3 Temperature and relative humidity
highly reflective.
The relative humidity in the room shall be greater than 40 %.
NOTES During a series of measurements of reverberation times 7’, and
1 The measurement of the reverberation time of the empty room T2 (see 8.1.21, the relative humidity and the temperature should
should be made in the absence of the frame or the sidewalls of the test be as constant as possible and at least the conditions given in
specimen. table 2 should be satisfied.

Table 2 - Requirements for temperature and relative humidity during measurements

of T1 and T2

Relative humidity Temperature during

Relative humidity Lower temperature
during all all measurements
range limit
measurements within within
40 up to 60 % 3% 3 OC 10 OC
> 60 % 5 % 5 OC 10 OC
.

3
Is0 354-1985 (El

The test specimen should be allowed to reach equilibrium with sound for the centre frequency of the frequency band of
respect to temperature and relative humidity in the room before interest.
tests are carried out.
Only one microphone shall be used at a time. The microphones
NOTE - Additional correction of the results for the equivalent absorp- shall be at least 1 m from the test specimen, 1 m from room
tion area A in accordance with 8.1.2, allowing for the energy attenu- surfaces or diffusers and 2 m from the sound source(s).
ation in the air, may be applied, but the correction shall not exceed
0,5 m2 of the equivalent sound absorption area. The method of correc- The recording system shall be a level recorder or any other ade-
tion and the origin of the correction data should be given in the test quate equipment for determining the average slope of the
report.
decay curve of the corresponding reverberation time.

The apparatus for recording (and displaying and/or evaluating)

7 Test procedure the decay in sound pressure level may use

a) exponential averaging, with a continuous curve as out-

7.1 Generation of sound field put; or

The sound in the reverberation room shall be generated by one b) exponential averaging, with successive discrete sample
or more loudspeakers the radiation pattern of which is as non- poin ts from the continuous average as output; or
directional as possible. For frequencies below 300 Hz,
measurements should be made with a sound source in at least c) linear averaging, with successive discrete linear
two successive positions (at least 3 m apart) or with an averages as output, in some cases with pauses of con-
equivalent multiple source arrangement, the sources not siderable duration between determinations of averages.
sounding simultaneously unless driven by separate (incoherent-
ly related) noise sources.

The test signals shall consist of band-limited noise having a

one-third octave.
iTeh STANDARD
continuous frequency spectrum with a bandwidth of at least
PREVIEW
The averaging time of a linear averaging device shall be less
([Link])
The level of the steady excitinq signal before decay shall be suf-
than T/7.

ficiently above the level of ;he background noise to permit For apparatus in which the decay record is formed as a succes-
evaluation of the decay curves as specified in 7.2.2. ISO 354:1985
sion of discrete points, the time interval between points on the
[Link]
record shall be less than I,5 times the averaging time of the
The exciting signal before being switched off hould b2882cc067f4/iso-354-1985
be suf- device.
ficiently long to produce a time-constant soun d”pressure level
in the room. In all cases where the decay record is to be evaluated visually,
the time scale of the display should be adjusted so that the
NOTES slope of the record is as close to 45’ as possible.
1 If a signal with a bandwidth greater than one-third octave is used,
long reverberation times in adjacent frequency bands can influence the NOTES
lower part of the decay curve. If the reverberation times in adjacent
1 The averaging time of an exponential averaging device is equal to
bands differ by more than a factor of 1,5, the reverberation times for
8,69 divided by the decay rate, in decibels per second, of the device.
those bands with the shortest reverberation times should be measured
individually using one-third octave filtering of the sound source. 2 Commercial level recorders in which the sound pressure level is
recorded graphically as a function of time are approximately equivalent
2 Use of wide-band noise and a computer-controlled real-time
to exponential averaging devices.
analyser to make simultaneous measurements for all frequency bands
is acceptable, subject to the factors mentioned in note 1. For these 3 When an exponential averaging device is used, there is little advan-
measurements with wide-band noise, the average sound spectrum in tage in setting the averaging time to very much less than T/20. When a
the room should approximate pink or white noise with differences in linear averaging device is used, there is no advantage in setting the in-
sound pressure level less than 6 dB between adjacent one-third terval between points to very much less than T/7. In some sequential
octaves. measurement procedures, it is feasible to reset the averaging time ap-
propriately for each frequency band. In other procedures, this is not
feasible, and an averaging time or interval chosen as above with
reference to the smallest reverberation time in any band should be
7.2 Measurement of reverberation time used for measurements in all bands.

7.2.1 Receiving equipment One-third octave filters shall be included in the receiving equip-
ment. The discrimination characteristics of the fiiters shall be in
The receiving equipment shall consist of one or more micro- . accordance with IEC Publication 225.
phones which are as non-directional as possible, the necessary
amplifiers, filters and a measuring system for reverberation
time. 7.2.2 Evaluation of decay curves

The recordings shall be made with at least three microphone The reverberation time shall be evaluated from the averaged
positions at least A/2, apart, where A is the wavelength of slope of the decay curve over a convenient range, beginning

4
 IS0 354-1985 (El

about 0,l s after the sound source has been switched off, or 8.1.2 Calculation of A,, A, and A
from a sound pressure level a few decibels lower than that at
the beginning of decay. The range used shall neither be less [Link] The equivalent sound absorption area A,, in square
than 20 dB nor shall it be so large that the observed decay can- metres, of the empty reverberation room, shall be calculated
not be approximated by a straight line. The bottom of this using the formula
range shall be at least 15 dB above the combined background
noise level of the reverberation room and the recording equip- 55,3 v
ment for each one-third octave band. A, = -
CT1

A decay may be described as approximately straight if

measurements of the slope of two subsections of the curve
(each covering a range of at least 10 dB, with one extending to V is the volume , in cubic metres, of the reverber-
empty
a sound pressure level at least 10 dB lower than the other) do ation room ;
not differ by more than 10 %.
C is the velocity of sound in air, in metres per second;
For each combination of microphone and loudspeaker position,
and for each one-third octave band, an ensemble averaging is the reverberation time, in seconds, of the empty
procedure, involving the superposition of several repeated ex- reverberation room.
citations of the room, may also be used to obtain a single decay
curve from which the reverberation time can be evaluated. NOTE - For temperatures in the raoge 15 to 30 OC, the velocity of
sound in air, c, in metres per second, can be calculated from the for-
mula

7.3 Frequency ranges for measurements c = 331 + 0,6 I

The measurements shall be carried out at the following centre where t is the a’ir temperature, in degrees Celsius.
frequencies, in hertz, from the one -third octave band series:

100 125 160

iTeh
200
STANDARD
250 315
PREVIEW
[Link] The equivalent sound absorption area A,, in square
metres, of the reverberation room containing a test specimen,
400
1 600
500
2000
630
2 500
800
3 150
([Link])
1000
4000
1 250
5000
shall be calculated using the formula

55,3 v
ISO 354:1985A, = -
[Link]
CT2

7.4 Number of measurements b2882cc067f4/iso-354-1985

The minimum number of measurements required for each fre- c and V have the same meanings as in [Link];
quency band is:
T2 is the reverberation time, in seconds, of the reverber-
a) twelve decays from 00 to 250 Hz (for example, two ation room after the test specimen has been introduced.
each of six sound source microphone combi nations) ;
[Link] The equivalent sound absorption area A, in square
b) nine decays from 315 to 800 Hz (for example, three metres, of the test specimen, shall be calculated using the for-
each of t hree sound source/micropho ne combinations) ;

c) six decays from 1 000 to 5 000 Hz (for example, two Vl 1

each of three sound source/microphone combinations). A = 55,3 - - - -
c ( T2 q )

c, V and T, have the same meanings as in [Link];

8 Expression of results
T2 has the same meaning as in [Link].
8.1 Method of calculation
NOTE - The area of room surface covered by the test specimen is not
8.1.1 Calculation of reverberation times T, and T2 taken into account by this formula (see annex B).

The reverberation time of the room in each frequency band is 8.1.3 Calculation of as (see also annex B)
expressed by the arithmetic mean of the total number of
reverberation time measurements made in that frequency band. The sound absorption coefficient as of a plane absorber shall .
be calculated using the formula
The mean reverberation times T, and T2 in each frequency
band shall be calculated and expressed to at least two decimal A
places. us = s
IS0 354-1985 (El

where The equivalent sound absorption area of a test specimen

should be rounded to 0,l m2 and the sound absorption coef-
A is the equivalent sound absorption area, in square ficient to 0,Ol.
metres, calculated in accordance with [Link];
NOTE - This way of rounding results leads to the presentation of
S is the area, in square metres, of the test specimen. smooth curves in the graphs. It should, however, be borne in mind that
the precision of the results may be less than the above decimal round-
ing limits might imply.
8.1.4 Calculation of equivalent sound absorption area of
discrete absorbers In the graphical presentation, the points of measurement
should be connected by straight lines, the abscissa giving the
For discrete absorbers, the result should generally be expressed frequency on a logarithmic scale and the ordinate showing the
as equivalent sound absorption area per object, which is deter- equivalent sound absorption area or sound absorption coeffi-
mined by dividing A by the number of objects tested. cient on a linear scale. The ratio of the ordinate distance from
A =Oto A= 10 m2, or from as = 0 to as = 1, to the
For a specified array of objects, the result should be given as abscissa distance corresponding to 5 octaves, should be 2 : 3.
equivalent sound absorption area of the whole configuration.
Results that display extreme dips or peaks that cannot be ex-
8.2 Precision plained by physical characteristics of the material under test or
its mounting should be indicated as doubtful.
The precision of the test procedure can be defined by its
repeatability (see 3.5) and reproducibility (see 3.6), as described
in IS0 5725.
9 Test report
Comparison tests involving a number of reverberation rooms
have given a rough assessment of reproducibility of sound ab- The test report shall make reference to this International Stan-
sorption coefficient measurements as shown in the figure. dard and shall include the following information:
iTeh STANDARDa) PREVIEW
NOTE - If the sound absorption coefficient shows steep variations as
the name of the organization that performed the test;

the values shown in the figure.

([Link])
a function of frequency, the reproducibility may significantly exceed
b) the date of test;
For the time being, insufficient information on repeatability ISO is 354:1985 c) the description of the test specimen, its surface area S,
available to give an assessment of it in this International Stan-
[Link]
mounting and position in the reverberation room, preferably
dard. For the purpose of checking the repeatability b2882cc067f4/iso-354-1985
within a by means of drawings;
single laboratory, an estimation may be made using the method
described in annex C. Reliable figures on repeatability and d) the shape of the reverberation room, its diffusion treat-
reproducibility can be found only by following the procedure ment (the number and size of diffusers) and the number of
for an inter-laboratory test, as specified in IS0 5725. microphone- and sound source positions;

8.3 Presentation of results e) the dimensions of the reverberation room, its volume V
and its total surface area (walls, floor and ceiling), S,;
For all frequencies of measurement, the foilowing results shall
be reported, presented in the form of a table and as a graph: f) the type of noise used;

a) for plane absorbers, the sound absorption coefficient g) the temperature and relative humidity;
as;
h) the mean reverberation times 7’, and T2 at each fre-
b) for single objects, the equivalent sound absorption area quency;
per object ;
j) the results, reported in accordance with 8.3;
c) for a specified array of objects, the equivalent sound
absorption area of the whole configuration. k) the repeatability, if calculated (see annex CL
 IS0 354-1985 (El

10r

08I

06I
iTeh STANDARD PREVIEW
04I
([Link])
ISO 354:1985
[Link]
n7 b2882cc067f4/iso-354-1985

0 1000 2000 4 000 8000

63 12s 250 S(IO
100 so00
rrequency, I IL

Figure - Assessment of reproducibility R of as for

a) sample 1 having a high absorption coefficient (as = l,OO), and
b) sample 2 having a low absorption coefficient (as = 0,05) in all one-third octave bands