Finite-difference time domain simulations of outdoor sound propagation around manmade structures

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2008-10, Vol.124 (4_Supplement), p.2590-2590
• Main Authors: Collier, Sandra L., Alberts, W. C. Kirkpatrick, Parker, Leelinda, Noble, John M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0001-4966; 1520-8524
• DOI: 10.1121/1.4783221

We develop a finite-difference time domain (FDTD) model of the acoustic propagation around outdoor man-made structures that includes the effects of atmospheric turbulence and porous ground surfaces. The wind flow around the building is determined with a Navier–Stokes approach, whereas, the basic acoustic propagation model is based on the coupled first-order partial differential equations for linear acoustic propagation in a dynamic environment developed in by [Collier et al., Proceedings of the 2005 MSS BAMS]. Special numerical techniques are required to model the sound interaction at the man-made structure, in particular, for buildings with complicated geometries. For two-dimensional propagation, this numerical model can be run on a standard desktop computer. However, for three-dimensional propagation, high performance computers are needed. Here we present results from the numerical simulations and compare them to recently collected data [Alberts and Noble, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 121, 3064 (2007)].