Structure-borne sound

Vibrations and waves in solid structures, like, for example, vibrations in plates and beams, walls, ships and buildings, etc., are summarized by the term ‘structure-borne sound’. Structure-borne sound has major importance with respect to solving noise control problems: the air-borne sound into (or from) the aforementioned solid structures is caused by motion in the structure’s surface. In many cases it is the structure-borne sound that is responsible for the resulting sound in air (or sound in liquids). Even the transmission through walls, ceilings and windows, etc. is essentially a structural problem. A vital and fundamental difference exists between sound waves in air and sound waves in structures.