511794 - ACOUSTICS

courses

ID:

511794

Duration (hours):

29

CFU:

SSD:

FISICA TECNICA AMBIENTALE

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (29/09/2025 - 16/01/2026)

Course Objectives

The course aims to provide students with basic knowledge of the physical and technical principles of acoustics, with particular reference to sound propagation in outdoor environments and issues related to noise pollution.

At the end of the course, students will acquire the skills to:
Understand the physical phenomena underlying the generation, propagation, reflection, absorption, and diffraction of sound waves.
Identify the main characteristics of noise emissions from road, rail and air traffic, industrial and technological plants, and urban activities.
Understand the meaning of acoustic parameters.
Identify measurement instruments for assessing sound levels and interpret sound survey data.
Analyse data with reference to regulatory indicators.
Be familiar with national regulations on noise pollution and with criteria for acoustic planning and management of the territory.
Apply basic predictive models and use digital tools and software for data representation and analysis.
Assess the effects of noise on humans, with elements of psychoacoustics, and propose noise mitigation strategies in outdoor environments.

Course Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of mathematics and physics is required, particularly regarding wave mechanics, scalar and vector quantities, and the principles of sound propagation.

Teaching Methods

Lectures introducing the fundamental theoretical concepts. Numerical exercises for the application of basic predictive models and the analysis of acoustic data. Practical activities with field measurements to gain familiarity with instrumentation and measurement procedures. Use of digital tools to support learning (e.g. KIRO platform for tests and self-assessment, open-source applications such as Openoise, demonstration videos and guided case studies). Group discussion and interpretation of experimental results and simulations to foster critical and applied learning.

Assessment Methods

Access to the final examination is subject to the submission of one or more assignments prepared during the course, which contribute to the determination of the final grade. The submission must be made, within the specified deadlines, by the end of the semester. The exam is conducted on a computer workstation and consists of three modules: theory questions, numerical exercises, and multiple-choice quizzes. The final grade is based on the overall written test, with an indicative weight of 25% for the quizzes, 45% for the numerical exercises, and 30% for the theory questions. To pass the exam, the theory section must independently achieve a sufficient score, regardless of the total grade. Normally, the written test must be confirmed by an oral examination, held the following day. At the instructor’s discretion, the grade of the written test may be directly recorded, up to a maximum of approximately 24/30.

Texts

Specific reference texts and supplementary materials will be indicated and made available on the KIRO platform.
For basic study, students are advised to consult recent manuals on acoustics:
M. Garai, Applied Acoustics for Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pitagora Editrice, Bologna, 2019.
A. Magrini, L. Magnani, Technical Physics – Vol. II: Acoustics, CittàStudi Edizioni, latest reprint 2022.

The course is structured in these thematic areas.
Fundamentals of technical acoustics: nature of sound, quantities (frequency, wavelength, pressure, intensity), logarithmic levels and decibels, octave/third-octave bands and introduction to FFT.
Free-field propagation: point and line sources, geometric divergence, absorption, reflection, diffraction.
Basic psychoacoustics, auditory system behaviour and effects of noise on humans; weighting scales (A) and practical use in surveys.
Legislation and acoustic planning of the territory: national references. Acoustic climate and impact, criteria for territorial acoustic classification.
Outdoor noise sources: road/rail/air traffic, industrial and technological plants, urban activities.
Instrumentation and measurement techniques: sound level meter, spectral band analysis, field procedures and post-processing criteria (indicators, percentiles, identification of tonal/impulsive components).
Noise mitigation in outdoor environments: source control, sound-absorbing pavements, barriers and screens; principles of selection and assessment of effectiveness.
Exercises: outdoor measurement campaigns, data processing and preparation of short technical reports (climate/impact), analysis of solutions for noise reduction.

Course Language

Italian

More information

The module is part of the course in Environmental Physics (FTA) and Hydraulic Systems and is therefore carried out in sequence, following another FTA module (Building Thermo-energy Analysis – ATED). It therefore takes place in the middle of the first semester, during all the hours scheduled for the FTA course.