Investigating the effects of geometry and material on acoustic characteristics of hospital rooms

Subject Areas : Journal of Simulation and Analysis of Novel Technologies in Mechanical Engineering

Mehdi Salehi ¹ , Rozita Salehi ²

1 - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
2 - Department of Architecture Faculty of Art, Architecture and Urban Planning, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran

Received: 2024-02-28 Accepted : 2024-07-19 Published : 2024-05-18

Keywords: Medical space architecture, Acoustics, Noise reduction, Closed space, Building materials,

Abstract :

The purpose of this study is to find solutions to improve the acoustic characteristics of therapeutic spaces in the design and construction phases. In many architectural designs, the importance of acoustics is not considered, although the acoustic performance of buildings is of importance in many cases. Hospitals are one of such cases. This study is focused on the effect of the geometry and material of the internal walls of the patient's hospital room on its acoustic performance through computer acoustic simulations. Acoustic simulations have been implemented in Odeon software. The acoustic calculations in this software are geometric and the most important acoustic parameters of the patient's room have been investigated. Reverberation time is one of the key parameters. A set of dimensions and common materials for a hospital room were considered as input for acoustic simulation. The results of this research specifically suggest the optimal dimensions and materials of a three-bed patient room. Based on the simulations, a three-bed room with dimensions 5.3 x 1.7 square meters and vinyl wall material leads to the optimal amount reverberation time. Although the use of porous acoustic material in the walls can significantly improve the acoustic characteristics of the room, but due to the health considerations of infectious environments, the use of such materials is not allowed. In some cases, conflicts arise between the methods of improving these multiple parameters. In this study, the reverberation time has the highest priority over other parameters. 5/3 × 1/7 متر مربع و جنس دیواره¬ وینیل منجر به مقدار بهینه زمان واخنش می¬شود. البته استفاده از متریال های اکوستیک، که عموما متخلخل می باشند، می تواند شرایط را بیش از این ارتقا دهد اما استفاده از چنین ساختارهایی به دلیل ملاحظات عفونی در مراکز درمانی مجاز نمی باشد. در برخی موارد تعارض میان روش های بهبود این پارامترهای چندگانه ایجاد می گردد. در این مطالعه، پارامتر زمان واخنش بالاترین اولویت را نسبت به سایر پارامترها دارد.

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