Acoustics Consulting & Analysis

CAPABILITIES

• Acoustics Analysis for Consumer Products

  Consumer products involve a number of acoustic challenges ranging from their ability to deliver good sound quality to the problematic emission of sound requiring noise control. The perceived sound quality of a consumer product reflects its quality, power, and value to the user. Exponent helps clients evaluate sound quality by analyzing psychoacoustic metrics such as loudness, audibility, annoyance, etc.; providing advanced failure analysis; and suggesting best practices in design.

  Noise control solutions include:

  • Noise emissions/laboratory sound measurements (sound power, directivity, intensity, sound pressure, etc.) 
  • Source and path diagnostics and control 
  • Testing for regulatory compliance 

• Environmental Noise

  From highways to manufacturing sites to wind and solar renewable energy plants, noise can impact nearby residents by interfering with communication, sleep, and other activities. Exponent's acoustic engineers help clients reduce their environmental impact by assessing noise ordinances and regulations, conducting measurements, mapping environmental noise, and implementing noise control strategies.

• Audio Signal Processing

  Speech recognition, text-to-speech synthesis, acoustic echo cancelers, and other smart technologies requires multidisciplinary experience. Exponent can enhance speech, improve audio quality, and provide advanced classification of audio signals. 

• Structures

  The built environment can be affected by airborne noise, like aircraft, or structure-borne sound, like plumbing or equipment vibration. Regardless of the source, subpar building acoustics can affect comfort, health, and well-being. Exponent provides assessments and noise control for HVAC, machinery, and environmental sources along with:

  • Utility structural health monitoring
  • Testing of building elements (e.g., sound attenuation of building facades, between rooms, floor ceiling assemblies)
  • Evaluations of spaces for suitability of sensitive equipment, dwelling, etc.
  • Root-cause analyses of noise problems

• Ultrasound

  Exponent has broad expertise in ultrasound and ultrasonic technologies. Our experts specialize in employing non-destructive evaluation methods using ultrasound for structural components in the civil, automotive, manufacturing, railroad, and aviation industries. These techniques include damage inspection using ultrasonic C-scans, acoustic emission, and non-contact techniques; material elastic property characterization for in situ applications; and impact localization.

  Exponent's acoustics experts offer expertise in areas such as: 

  • Biomedical imaging and diagnostics 
  • Sonar systems for detection, tracking, and imaging
  • Lithotripsy and other high-intensity therapeutic applications  
  • Bubble acoustics and cavitation phenomena

• Vehicle Applications

  Noise and vibration are key measures of vehicle acoustics that affect the comfort, performance, and perception of vehicle quality. Exponent's acoustic engineering teams have devised new ways to overcome noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) challenges, from electric scooters to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) vehicles. We not only address NVH on the component, subsystem, and full-vehicle level, but we also partner with our human factors scientists to investigate how sound affects driver reaction time, decision-making, and other vehicle safety functions to help understand and prevent accidents. Offerings include simulations and testing, evaluations of systems interactions, as well as:

  • Vibro-acoustic diagnostics and prognostics of rotating systems, including transmissions and engines
  • Predictive modeling of vibro-acoustic performance for conventional and electrified drivetrains 
  • Cabin noise modeling, prediction, and source detection
  • Aerodynamic noise modeling
  • Hands-free telecommunication evaluations
  • Exterior noise testing (emissions and transmission) for compliance with regulations/standards

• Occupational Health & Safety

  Excessive noise can threaten employee well-being. Exponent helps clients protect worker health through evaluations of noise exposure in work environments (e.g., dosimetry, industrial hygiene), hearing conservation programs; noise control of machinery or other sources; testing and design consulting of hearing protection devices; and evaluations of the audibility and recognition of acoustic warning systems.

  When accidents occur due to insufficient or absent sound perception, our human factors experts can evaluate the likelihood that a sound will be perceived and understood as well as identify what factors might have caused a failure in the perception of warning signals.