Measuring sound absorption: considerations on the measurement of the active acoustic power

Using a local plane wave assumption, one can determine the normal incidence sound absorption coefficient of a surface by measuring the acoustic pressure and the particle velocity normal to that surface. As the measurement surface lies in front of the material surface, the measured active and incident acoustic power will generally deviate from those at the material surface, leading to a possibly inaccurate sound absorption coefficient. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced for poorly absorbing surfaces if sound is not normally incident over the whole material surface. Based on an analytical model, it is shown that the accuracy can be improved by extending the measurement surface upon which the active acoustic power is measured. Experimental results demonstrate the usefulness of this approach, in particular for poorly absorbing surfaces.