Preface
This book is mainly a translated version of a book that appeared in the Norwegian
language in 2002, published by Tapir Academic Press, which originated from my many
years of teaching at the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) and the Norwegian
University of Science and Technology (NTNU). This teaching included building
acoustics, general noise abatement and acoustic measurement techniques. The book is
therefore primarily intended for the engineering student but it should be possible to use it
as a reference, partly because quite a number of references for further reading are
included. This applies to books and journal articles as well as references to relevant
standards, international as well as European. The author is painfully aware of the
constant revisions of the latter group but as they normally retain the number these
references also should have certain longevity. Although mainly a translated version of
the Norwegian edition, quite a lot of new material is included, certainly in the chapter on
sound absorbers, a field of particular interest for me in recent years.
The appearance of this English edition is wholly due to my friend and colleague
Peter Lord, former professor at the University of Salford and long-time editor of the
Journal of Applied Acoustics. Although getting many hints from colleagues abroad to
translate the book, Peter really started the process by urging the present publisher to put
some pressure on me.
The cooperation and inspiration offered by colleagues within the acoustics groups
at NTNU and SINTEF is greatly acknowledged. I also take great pleasure in the many
contacts with former students, coming back to me to discuss problems encountered in
their professional life.
A special thanks to Arild Brekke, Sigurd Hveem, Ulf R. Kristiansen, Asbjørn
Krokstad and Rolf Tore Randeberg for reading and commenting on the original
Norwegian edition. For reading and commenting on some new material on room
acoustics, I am indebted to Peter Svensson and to Arne Jensen, an expert on FEMLAB™,
for providing additional FEM calculations.
NTNU, Trondheim
September 2007