SonoCat Software
Utilizing the SonoCat is simple. It can be connected via USB to any computer, and the software suite will run the measurements on that computer. Real-time display of the measured parameters in the frequency domain is possible through a monitoring window, which also allows for complete control over the number of averages, FFT window, and overlap percentage for accurate measurements. The recorded data can be instantly examined and is saved in a compressed, lossless format. The results of the analysis are plotted in a graphical user interface and can be exported as a text file or saved as an image.
- Sound pressure level
- Plug-and-play
- Sound intensity level
- Real-time monitoring
- Sound intensity direction
- Data analyses on the fly
- Sound absorption coefficient
- Compressed but lossless data storage
Sonocat Sound Level Meter Datasheet
In-situ sound absorption measurements
Currently available techniques for calculating the sound absorption coefficient all make assumptions about the global sound field acting on the material being studied. Laboratory measurements, such as those taken in a reverberant room or impedance tube, are done in a controlled sound environment with a known and predictable sound field. Outside of the lab, however, the sound field can be difficult to manage, erratic, and ever-changing based on various factors, such as sound sources. A material’s ability to absorb sound is influenced by both its surroundings and the source of the sound. Acousticians are aware of a material’s laboratory-measured absorption capacity for normal or random incident sound waves, but not for incident sound waves that are oblique, for example. In essence, acoustic engineers are currently without a way to gauge the effectiveness of the materials used for absorption where they are used.
The ratio of the active to the incident sound power with respect to a surface S is known as the sound absorption coefficient. Conventional measurements involve measuring sound pressure and sound intensity in a control sound field, based on the presumption that the material being tested will exhibit identical behavior in an in-situ and an anechoic environment. That may not be true. The local-plane-wave method considers the local sound field and assumes that an incident and a reflected plane wave can describe the normal component of the sound field in each point, rather than the global sound field. Sound field measurements can be used to determine the effective in-situ absorption coefficient if we assume local plane waves close to the surface S. As a result, we can bring the measurement tools to the actual sound field rather than bringing the material to a lab.
Sonocat – measurements automotive datasheet
