A comparative study on the acoustic behaviour of free-standing curved and flat single panel screens in an open-plan enclosed environment

Free-standing flat screen partitions are commonly used in open-plan environments to improve the visual and acoustic privacy of employees and to differentiate individual work spaces. Acoustic behaviour of flat screen single leaf barriers under free-field conditions have been extensively studied over the past years. However, the behaviour of free standing structures in enclosed spaces are not fully investigated and hence any opportunities for geometrical improvements such as damping effect of added curvature has not been considered. Curved structures are known to exhibit different stiffness behaviour compared to flat structures of similar global dimensions. Consequently, this work is an initial attempt to understand the acoustic performance of free-standing curved screens in comparison with flat screens of similar global dimensions simulated in an open-plan but enclosed environment. Vibroacoustic simulation using the Finite Element Method (FEM) is used in this study to predict the acoustic response and to conduct further parametric analysis. The numerical model presented in this study is validated using experimental test at one-third-octave bands for a frequency range of 100 to 3150 Hz. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the acoustic performance of flat and curved free-standing single panel structures in enclosed environments. It is considered that this can help in developing acoustically efficient free-standing partitions for open-plan offices.