Optimization methods for acoustic material selection in interior spaces

The quality of the acoustic environment required in a room varies with the application, which could include industrial spaces, office rooms, classrooms, theatres, etc. Treatment of surfaces in rooms with acoustic materials is important in achieving the desired acoustic quality. In an industrial environment, it is necessary to treat walls with interior and exterior acoustic linings that are both cost and acoustical quality efficient. This work intends to develop optimization strategies for acoustic material selection using cost minimization as the objective function, in conjunction with acoustical requirements and material selection limitations. The first technique is a genetic algorithm (GA) with dual stage variable chromosome, which improves the ease of constraint implementation in the algorithm. The second method is the Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithm (SFLA) with an implementation over a discrete domain. A better convergence has been observed with SFLA over GA due to group improvisation with local and global best population. The described algorithms are demonstrated and compared for office and classroom acoustic treatments.