SOUND INTENSITY: ADVANTAGES

Immunity to background sound:
A sound intensity probe measures only the component of the sound tavelling parallel to the probe axis. Sound travelling toward the probe is measured as positive intensity, while sound travelling opposite to the direction of the probe registers as negative intensity.

When measurements are made with the probe over an imaginary surface enclosing the source under test, background sounds pass into one side of the enclosing surface and back out the opposite side. In this way, the background sounds cancel out and the measurement includes only the sound originating inside the measurement surface. Room effects such as reverberation are eliminated in the same way.

Improved Accuracy:
Measurement quality is improved by the inherent immunity to background sound and to reverberation available through sound intensity methods. Precision Grade or Engineering Grade measurements, in full accordance with ISO and ANSI standards can be conducted in virtually any location indoors or outdoors.

On-site Measurements:
In the past, accurate sound power ratings of equipment required that the device be shipped to an acoustical laboratory chamber. Sound intensity methods offer the option of gathering highly accurate measurements at your facility, in-situ, with little disruption to processes or activities. On-site measurements offer time and cost savings and can accommodate iterative testing for product research and development applications.

Identification, Isolation and Ranking Individual Sound Sources:
In reducing worker noise exposures inside an industrial plant, or environmental noise emissions outdoors, sound intensity measurement allows accurate identification, isolation and ranking of individual sound sources. In this way, informed decisions can be made about how much noise control each piece of equipment may require. For complex machines and processes, the noisy components can be identified and treated.