Prediction and analysis of sound field in long enclosures with a modal-based method

In this paper, the efficacy of porous ceiling treatment to reduce noise levels inside a typical tunnel is examined with a validated modal-based prediction method. It is found that, for a point source, the effect of increasing porous ceiling thickness on sound pressure level (SPL) attenuation along the tunnel is limited. A porous ceiling with thickness of 0.3 m is comparable with an infinite porous ceiling in middle and high frequency ranges. For a line source, the effect of ceiling thickness on SPL reduc- tion in this typical tunnel is limited. Sound pressure level reduction of 4 dBA is real- ized with 0.3 m porous ceiling, which is the same as infinite ceiling and only 1 dBA smaller than the theoretically optimized value. These results suggest that, in the event only ceiling treatment is considered, 0.3 m porous material is sufficient for noise re- duction in this typical tunnel.