Estimation of the random incidence sound absorption coefficients of different size rectangular samples

The sound absorption coefficient (SAC) of materials measured in a reverberation room is affected by both the intrinsic properties of the material and geometrical dimensions of the sample. A different size of the same material may produce a different SAC primarily due to the edge effect phenomenon. In this research, the experimental data from multiple laboratories was analyzed to evaluate the influence of the edge effect. An empirical function was established based on these measurement data and the linear relationship between the SAC and the relative edge length. Thomasson's method, the two geometric methods, and the analytical method were used to estimate the SAC of an absorber from measurements on a different size sample and compared with results obtained using the empirical function. The results show that the proposed empirical method is a reliable way to predict the SAC of a sample from measurements on a different size sample of the same material, which only requires the thickness, density, and size of the material.