Performance of double three-dimensional rigid barriers used to create an acoustic space-A normal derivative integral equation approach

This paper simulates the propagation of sound generated by point pressure sources in the vicinity of double three-dimensional (3D) barriers, placed so as to create an indoor acoustic space. The barriers are assumed to be very thin rigid elements. The problem is solved by developing and implementing a 3D Boundary Element Method formulation using a normal derivative integral equation (TBEM), thereby allowing the definition of models in which only the discretization of the barriers as single open surfaces is required. The TBEM is formulated in the frequency domain and the resulting hypersingular terms are computed analytically. After the verification of the model against two-and-a-half-dimensional (2.5D) BEM solutions, several numerical applications are described to illustrate the applicability and usefulness of the proposed approaches. Different barrier shape geometries and their relative position with respect to a lateral wall are analyzed to evaluate the performance of double 3D rigid barriers in the creation of an acoustic space. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.