Assessing sound absorption coefficient under a synthesized diffuse acoustic field: effect of the sample size and nature

A method for estimating the sound absorption coefficient of a material under a synthesized Diffuse Acoustic Field was recently proposed, as an alternative to classical sound absorption measurements in reverberant rooms. Using sound field reproduction approaches and a synthetic array of acoustic monopoles facing the material, estimation of the sound absorption coefficient under a reproduced Diffuse Acoustic Field but in free-field conditions was shown to be feasible. The method was successfully tested on two samples of melamine foam of close thicknesses and areas.