9R2. Active Noise Control: Fundamentals for Acoustic Design, Volume 1. - G Rosenhouse (Technion-Israel Inst of Tech, Haifa, Israel).WIT Press, Southampton, UK. 2001. 407 pp. ISBN 1-85312-373-0. $279.00.
Reviewed by GC Gaunaurd (Code AMSRL-SE-RU, Army Res Lab, 2800 Powder Mill Rd, Adelphi MD 20783-1197).
This is really a “Handbook” of acoustics that covers a variety of its subjects in a sketchy fashion, and then refers the reader to a list of references for further details. The topics are numerous, and there are over 1000 references, mostly dealing with applications. A student in an Acoustics Program would not profit much from this book, which is intended for an audience of researchers and more experienced design consultants. There is no emphasis on teaching the material; only in providing some more or less useful formulas as the answers to various problems, and in the introduction of some definitions of the sub-fields treated. The book/handbook is divided into three long chapters: a) The essence of active noise and vibration cancellation, b) sources of sound, including radiation from surfaces and active noise control, and c) superposition of sound fields near surfaces. The whole effort covers 408 pages including seven brief Appendices and an Index. There are so many topics (briefly) covered in each chapter that it will only be possible here to give an outline of the most important ones.
The first chapter is essentially historical and covers/reviews the early work of Thomas Young on interference lines (ca 1850), a little-known 1936 patent by P Lueg on sound cancellation, and the nearfield of a sound radiating piston on a baffle. Advances in modern electronics permitted active control schemes to become viable outside the laboratory, and a number of these later developments are described next. The list is quite lengthy and extends to the present day. It includes the names and works of CR Fuller and JE Ffowcs-Williams. A 1984 paper by Ffowcs-Williams is cited as providing an exhaustive analysis of the energetics of anti-sound. An immense bibliography on active noise and vibration control (ANVC) prepared by D Guicking (1988) is also repeatedly cited.
Chapter 2 starts with the wave equation, linearized, and nonlinear, as it applies for lossless and lossy media. Then, various multipole sources (ie, monopoles, dipoles, quadrupoles…) are introduced. This leads to some key problems in aero-acoustics including the celebrated Lighthill’s “acoustic analogy” and vorticity-induced sound. Some authors cited here include D Crighton and H Levine.
The radiation of sound by moving multipole sources follows this presentation. Many authors have dealt with various aspects of this problem, and some of these are cited, while many others are not! The vibration of surfaces also generated radiated sound. This large topic is reviewed in about four pages. Parametric arrays, end-fire arrays, and thermal sources of sound are also mentioned. Three other extensive topics are included. Of these, we will only mention one, viz, the sound radiation by vibrating plates. Hundreds of papers have also been published on this topic, particularly, for fluid-loaded plates. The classical work of C Wallace (1972) is reproduced in some detail, including his various plots of radiation efficiency vs aspect ratio, b/a. Other classical works (ie, R Lyon and G Maidanik (1962), P Laura (1967), and A Leissa (1969)) are also included, as well as some work on the effects of joints/stiffeners and ribs on the radiated sound fields (ie, E Shenderov (1980), L Cremer (1973), etc…) of vibrating plates.
The final chapter, 3, deals with superposition of sound fields near surfaces. This is the longest (and most interesting) chapter. It also has all the periods at the end of sentences missing from the text. A few highlights follow. It starts with sound transmission, reflection, and absorption by layers of materials (“a la Brekhovskikh”) or by half-spaces, or by moving boundaries, or by rough surfaces, or by corrugated moving boundaries. Then, the acoustic effect of obstacles is covered. This becomes a section on acoustic Scattering. First, by a single rigid cylinder as the scatterer, and later by a rigid sphere, or an array of such spheres, or a prolate spheroids, or by elastic, sound-absorbing and coated cylinders and spheres. There is a vast literature (over 400 references) cited, and many more not cited. The important topic of Acoustic Resonance Scattering is briefly mentioned, but for some reason it is said to be beyond the scope of the book. Also mentioned in passing are the topics of opto-acoustics, bubble acoustics, levitation, and sonoluminescence, for which a biblical explanation from Genesis is given(!).
The seven Appendices deal with some mathematical definitions, with methods of discretization of continuous data, and with three brief studies of the tinnitus, an ear disease related to noise cancellation, and its cure by electric stimulation. The lists of references have many entries repeated and the names of many authors are misspelled. The high cost of the book ($279) will undoubtedly reduce its marketability. Active Noise Control: Fundamentals for Acoustic Design, Volume 1 is certainly a valuable addition for some institutional libraries and for its intended audience.
