Acoustic scale modelling of factories, part III: The potential of scale models for predicting the effect of noise control measures

In this third and final part of the report on factory scale modelling, an account is given of an investigation to determine how accurately the sound field in a factory can be reproduced at model scale. A model of an existing factory was built at a scale factor of 1:16 and comparative measurements in the factory and its scale model showed good agreement. The reverberation times were generally within 10% and the values for sound propagation with distance generally within 2 dB. The model was subsequently used to evaluate the potential of noise control measures, in particular suspended absorbers and barriers. In the case of barriers, the model results agree well with published data on the performance of barriers at full scale. This lends support, as do the other results of this investigation, to the premise that acoustic scale modelling of factories is a viable technique for predicting the efficacy of noise control measures.