PRODUCT DATA

PULSE Acoustic Material Testing in a Tube Type 7758

PULSE Acoustic Material Testing in a Tube Type 7758 is
software for determining the acoustical properties of noise
control materials whether used to absorb airborne sound or to
reduce airborne sound transmission. It works in conjunction with
Impedance Tube Kits Type 4206 and Type 4206-A, Transmission
Loss Tube Kit Type 4206-T and any other custom measurement
tube.

Uses and Features

Uses

Features

Comprehensive solution for evaluating both normal incidence

sound absorption and sound transmission properties
Determination of normal incidence sound absorption
coefficient and normal surface impedance based on
ISO 10534-2, ASTM E105010 and ASTM E261109
PULSE platform ensures exceptional measurement accuracy
Scalable solution

To develop noise control products

To verify compliance with specifications
To benchmark competitive products
To help select the most adequate treatment
To provide materials acoustic properties for validating and
calibrating computational methods

Introduction
With growing demands for quieter vehicle cabin noise, cabin acoustic comfort has become a major concern
for automotive manufacturers. Optimisation of the sound absorption and transmission loss performance has been
given a more prevalent role in the design process. Prediction at an early stage of the development process of,
for example, the acoustical impact of trim lining headliners, seats or multi-panel systems is a desirable
methodology for reaching the intended acoustic comfort, as well as minimising extra production costs of
prototypes.
Similarly, in the aeronautical industry, there have been significant efforts in reducing the interior noise in aircraft.
Low cabin noise has become a main parameter in the commercial success of an airliner.
Moreover, the need for a better fuel consumption economy is pushing the industry to experiment with the use
of new, lighter structures for weight reduction, whose acoustical properties have to be thoroughly studied.
The goal is to reduce noise and weight at the same cost level.
Protection against external noise in dwellings and addressing excessive noise at the workplace that not only
reduces productivity, but can also put workers health at risk, puts some of the highest demands on the
construction industry today. As a result, most buildings increasingly use acoustic treatments, whose
effectiveness greatly depends on the appropriate selection of the noise control materials.
The acoustic performance of noise control materials can be characterised in different ways depending on
their end-use and scope of the investigation. Treatments applied to an interior surface to absorb airborne
sound are typically porous materials; they dissipate acoustical energy largely by the interaction of their solid
and fluid phases. They are typically characterised by the random or normal incidence absorption
coefficients. Barriers and partitions are high-density materials or multi-panel systems consisting of highdensity structural panels lined with layers of porous materials. They can be characterized by the random or
normal incidence transmission loss.

Directly measuring random incidence quantities in accordance with well-established, standard methods
requires the use of expensive testing facilities. Measuring the random incidence sound absorption requires a
reverberation room. Measuring the random incidence transmission loss requires a chamber suite, which
typically consists of a reverberation room, an adjacent anechoic space and an aperture between the two
rooms in which the test material is inserted.
On the other hand, normal incidence quantities can be determined using a standing wave tube. At frequencies
below the cut-off frequency for the first dispersive mode (which is determined by its cross-sectional area), only
plane waves can propagate in the tube. This technique guarantees a highly reproducible testing condition.
Moreover, it provides a very convenient testing setup, especially when it is impractical to procure large
samples for accurate random-incidence measurements in a reverberation room. Moreover, for locally reacting
materials only, estimates of the random incidence absorption coefficients can be obtained by integrating the
appropriately weighted normal incidence absorption coefficient over all possible angles of incidence.

Description of Type 7758

Two different PULSE templates are provided. This section explains features and functionalities, which are
specific for each project template.

Normal Incidence Sound Absorption

This solution provides measurement and calculation procedures for the determination of the normal
incidence sound absorption coefficient and related acoustic properties of a sample using a two-microphone
impedance tube (for example, Type 4206 or Type 4206-A). It is based on ISO 10534-2 and ASTM E105010
and includes transfer function calibration to eliminate the effects of phase and amplitude mismatches
between the two measurement channels.
Prior to testing, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be determined at each microphone position to ensure
accurate results. The measured SNR values are automatically compared to a user-defined threshold (for
example, background noise) and, if this is exceeded, a warning is shown.
Intermediate results can be examined to validate your data thoroughly before accepting it. In
addition, the program issues automatic warnings during measurement if parameter levels fall out of
compliance with predefined settings, for example, if there is too
large a difference between the
maximum and minimum sound
pressure level inside the tube.

Fig. 1
PULSE Material
Testing Programs
task-oriented user
interface provides
step-by-step guidance
through all stages of
the measurement
process

Powerful batch measurement

functionality allows you to configure up to 250 items prior to measurement Measurement results
can be averaged to compensate
for variations in the test samples.
It is possible to combine measurements from different tube
types to cover a broader frequency range and extract 1/n-octave
frequency information.
Measurement data and results are saved in the project in which they were originally generated. However, the
Export/Import Results task lets you save data in dedicated files and load it into another project based on the
Normal Incidence Sound Absorption project template. A convenient tool (Material Testing Explorer) is provided
for keeping track of measurement data. All measurements that have been executed, post-processed or
imported are displayed in an easy-to-read table format.

Normal Incidence Transmission Loss

This solution provides the determination of the normal incidence sound transmission loss and related
acoustic properties of a sample using a four-microphone standing wave tube (for example, Type 4206-T).

A transfer matrix representation,

which has been widely used in
the past in scientific literature, is
adopted. Its elements are used to
determine the normal incidence
transmission loss of the sample
as well as a variety of other
acoustical
properties:
for
example, the normal incidence
absorption coefficient for the
case of an anechoic termination,
the ratio of dissipated energy
within the sample to the incident
energy, and the surface normal
impedance of the sample for the
case of anechoic termination.

Fig. 2
Example measurement
of normal incidence
transmission loss and
normal incidence
anechoic reflection
coefficient

Although the sound power transmitted through the sample generally depends on both its properties and the
tube termination conditions, the method provides the normal incidence transmission loss as if the sample
were backed by a perfectly anechoic termination independent of the actual tube termination conditions used
during the measurements. That is, the solution does not require a perfectly anechoic termination, which
would be difficult to realise and, therefore, very expensive. The transfer matrix is estimated from two
measurements with two different tube termination (or loading) conditions, which typically are open and
approximately anechoic terminations. When the sample under test is symmetric front-to-back a procedure
which requires only a single measurement is implemented (one-load method).
When the sample is a porous material that can be modelled as an effective fluid (like glass fibres and fibrous
materials), the materials characteristic impedance and the complex wave number can also be determined
along with associated quantities such as the complex density and complex sound speed. These quantities are
most often required when validating and calibrating computational methods. Data can be stored in a
dedicated database, increasing the efficiency of browsing and comparing data. Using PULSE Data Manager
Type 7767, statistical quantities can be calculated on batch measurements stored in the database (such as
mean and standard deviation).

Specifications PULSE Material Testing Program Type 7758

Type 7758 is a software application for use with PULSE Multi-analyzer
System*

System Requirements
PULSE hardware with one generator output channel (full generator
functionality)
The PC requirements for PULSE must be fulfilled (see the System Data
BU 0229)
Minimum license requirement:
PULSE FFT Analysis, 2-ch. license Type 7770-X2 (for Normal
Incidence Absorption)
PULSE FFT Analysis, 4-ch. license Type 7770-X4 (for Normal
Incidence Transmission Loss)
Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007
Screen resolution of 1400 1050 pixels (or better) is recommended
CALIBRATION
Calibration is performed using PULSEs integrated Calibration Master,
which automatically initiates calibration while moving the calibrator from
*

For PULSE specifications, see System Data BU 0229 (software)

X = license model either N for node-locked or F for floating

one microphone to the next. The full calibration history for a transducer
can be retained in the Transducer Database, which allows monitoring
calibration data variations over a period of time.
Global calibration allows building up a calibration database that is shared
across all PULSE projects

Normal Incidence Absorption

STANDARDS
ISO 105342: Determination of sound absorption coefficient and
impedance in impedance tubes Part 2: Transfer-function method
ISO 134722: 2010, Acoustics Measurement of sound absorption
properties of road surfaces in situ Part 2: Spot method for reflective
surfaces
ASTM E105010: Standard test method for impedance and absorption of
acoustical materials using a tube, two microphones and a digital
frequency analysis system
SUITABLE APPARATUS
Impedance Tube Kit (50 Hz 6.4 kHz) Type 4206
Impedance Tube Kit (100 Hz 3.2 kHz) Type 4206-A
Any other custom two-microphone impedance tube. Up to three
different user-defined tube setups can be used in a single project

MEASUREMENT
Transfer function of the two microphone signals
Sound pressure level at each microphone position with generator off
(background noise) and on
A group or batch of measurements can be made in a project and
measurements from previous projects can be imported into the current project
CALCULATION
Normal incidence absorption coefficient
Normal incidence sound pressure reflection coefficient
Normal surface impedance ratio
Normal surface admittance ratio
Transfer function of two microphone signals corrected for channel
mismatch
VALIDATION
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) at each microphone position
User-defined SNR threshold level
Coherence
STATISTICS
Mean of any measured or calculated quantity on batch measurements
(max. 250 items)
ADDITIONAL POST-PROCESSING ANALYSIS
Combination of measurements from two different tubes
Extraction of 1/n-octave frequency information

Normal Incidence Transmission Loss

STANDARDS
ASTM E261109: 2009, Standard test method for measurement of
normal incidence sound transmission of acoustical material based on the
transfer matrix method
SUITABLE APPARATUS
Transmission Loss Tube Kit (50 Hz 6.4 kHz) Type 4206-T
Any other custom four-microphone transmission loss tube

MEASUREMENT
Autospectrum of reference signal
Frequency response function between the complex sound pressure at
i-th microphone position and the complex reference signal
CALCULATION
Complex amplitudes of plane progressive waves travelling in opposite
directions in both the up- and downstream tube sections, whose
phases are defined relative to reference signal
Sound pressure on the upstream and downstream face of the sample
Normal acoustic particle velocity on the upstream and downstream face
of the sample
Transfer matrix elements
Normal incidence pressure transmission/reflection coefficient for the
case of an anechoic termination
Normal incidence, power transmission/reflection coefficient for the
anechoically terminated sample
Normal incidence absorption/dissipation coefficient for the case of an
anechoic termination
Surface normal incidence impedance for the case of an anechoic
termination
Normal incidence pressure reflection coefficient for hard backing case
Normal incidence transmission loss, TLn
Complex wave number of the material under test
Complex characteristic impedance of the material under test
Normalized complex sound speed of the material under test
Normalized phase speed of the material under test
Normalized complex density of the material under test
VALIDATION
Coherence of the frequency response functions as a function of source
level
STATISTICS*
Mean and standard deviation of any measured or calculated quantity on
batch measurements
*

PULSE Data Manager Type 7767 license required

REQUIRED SOFTWARE
Type 7770-N5
FFT Analysis, 5-ch. license
ACCESSORIES
Type 3560-B-130 5/1-ch Input/Output PULSE Data Acquisition Unit
(Dyn-X) Generator LEMO connectors
Type 7767-B-X PULSE Data Manager, 5 users
Type 3099-A-X PULSE LAN-XI and IDAe/IDA Multiple Module Frontend Driver
Type 3099-A-X1 PULSE LAN-XI Single Module and IDAe/IDA Systems
any size Front-end Driver

Type 3099-A-X2 PULSE LAN-XI Dual Module and IDAe/IDA Systems

any size Front-end Driver
Type 3099-D-X PULSE VXI Multiple Module Front-end Driver
Type 2716-C
Power Amplifier (includes input and output cables WL324 and WL-1325)
Type 4206
Impedance Tube Kit (50 Hz 6.4 kHz)
Type 4206-A
Impedance Tube Kit (100 Hz 3.2 kHz)
Type 4206-T
Transmission Loss Tube Kit (50 Hz 6.4 kHz)
Type 4231
Sound Calibrator
DP-0775
Adaptor for 1/4 Microphones (for Type 4231)
AO-0479-D-001 7-pin Lemo to BNC Cable (0.1 m) (for connecting
generator output to input channel)
JJ-0152
BNC T-connector

X = license model either N for node-locked or F for floating.

For a complete specification of the Impedance Measurement Tubes, see Product

Data BP1039

TRADEMARKS
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries
Brel & Kjr reserves the right to change specifications and accessories without notice. Brel & Kjr. All rights reserved.

HEADQUARTERS: Brel & Kjr Sound & Vibration Measurement A/S DK-2850 Nrum Denmark
Telephone: +45 7741 2000 Fax: +45 4580 1405 www.bksv.com [email protected]
Local representatives and service organisations worldwide

BP 1870 19

PULSE Material Testing

BP-1870---?

Type 7758-X

2012-11

Ordering Information