The Significance of the Incident Sound Field on the Sound Transmission Loss of a Finite Panel

Results are presented for the numerically predicted sound transmission loss of a finite panel excited by plane wave sources at various angles of incidence. It is shown that the limitation commonly imposed upon the integration of the ‘mass law’ is not arbitrary. Rather, it is the upper integration limit at which a function dependent on cos² (the ‘mass law’), when integrated, becomes equal to a function dependent on cos (the method used in this study, the ISO 140 experimental method) which has been integrated from zero to 90 degrees.

The current definition of sound transmission loss implicitly assumes that a plane wave sound source at normal incidence to the panel surface will produce the highest level of excitation in the panel, and as the angle of incidence is increased the panel will experience decreasing levels of excitation. However, it is shown here that the excitation experienced by a panel due to a plane wave source is almost independent of the angle of incidence.