Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory - 12th December, 2019
Aeratron Ceiling Fan Acoustic Evaluations
Results
| Distance from center | Fan model | 0 m | 1 m | 2 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed 6 (high speed) |
FR3 60" (152cm) |
38.8 | 36.6 | 34.8 |
| FR3 50" (126cm) | 40.9 | 38.5 | 34.9 | |
| FR3 43" (109cm) | 35.0 | 33.1 | 31.3 | |
| AE+3 60" (152cm) | 37.3 | 35.2 | 32.7 | |
| AE+3 50" (126cm) | 36.7 | 34.3 | 31.7 | |
| AE+3 43" (109cm) | 31.4 | 29.3 | 26.1 | |
| AE+2 60" (152cm) | 34.5 | 32.6 | 29.9 | |
| AE+2 50" (126cm) | 33.6 | 31.2 | 26.9 | |
| AE+2 43" (109cm) | 28.1 | 26.2 | 22.7* | |
| Speed 1 (low speed) | FR3 60" (152cm) | 18.4* | 15.9* | 13.8* |
| FR3 50" (126cm) | 19.0* | 16.0* | 15.6* | |
| FR3 43" (109cm) | 20.9* | 16.1* | 14.6* | |
| AE+3 60" (152cm) | 16.1* | 15.9* | 15.1* | |
| AE+3 50" (126cm) | 20.0* | 18.6* | 16.1* | |
| AE+3 43" (109cm) | 19.8* | 21.0* | 18.2* | |
| AE+2 60" (152cm) | 18.7* | 16.5* | 14.8* | |
| AE+2 50" (126cm) | 19.4* | 20.0* | 18.2* | |
| AE+2 43" (109cm) | 20.9* | 20.5* | 18.1* |
Background noise: 14.9 dB(A)
All values except (*) have negligible error due to background noise.
Values (*) may have been affected by background noise.
Environmental parameters during the testing period were 24.8°C (air temperature), 50% (relative humidity) and 1002.5 hPa (atmospheric pressure).
Abstract
The objective was to investigate the acoustic profile of the 9 different Aeratron ceiling fans (FR3 series, AE+2 series and AE+3 series). Measurements were taken in the Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) Laboratory at the University of Sydney. Sound pressure level measurements were measured at a height of 1.2 meters above floor (seated subject’s head height) directly underneath the fan (0 m), and 1 meter (1 m) or 2 meters (2 m) away from the center, in a sparsely furnished office environment, in Chamber 1 of the IEQ Lab. Measures were taken to seal off the windows and doors with additional insulation material to minimize any noise ingress.
Methodology
Bruel & Kjaer Type 4179 Low noise microphone system was connected into a Type 3560 pulse front-end data acquisition module. The hardware was controlled by a computer running Bruel & Kjaer Pulse software (Version 20).
The noise floor of this system was determined by the microphone, which in this case has a very low inherent noise floor of -2.5dB(A) over a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. This ensured that sound measurements were below the threshold of hearing.
The microphone was calibrated with a Bruel & Kjaer type 4231 sound calibrator (serial 3007062) prior to measurement. The calibrator holds current NATA certification (Cal. No CAU 1901034), valid until 21/10/2020.
Noise measurements were at least 60 seconds duration, with additional time allowed where measurements were judged to be affected by intermittent increase in background noise levels due to, for example, passing motorcycles or heavy vehicles.
Measurements were analysed using a moving time window of 10 s. The equivalent A-weighted sound pressure level (dB LAeq re 2 x 10-5 Pa) was calculated for each time window. The results display the minimum recorded value for a 10 second window.
Outcomes
- At maximum speed (speed 6), the Aeratron AE+2 43 inch, a two blade-ceiling fan is quieter than all other fan models/modes tested
- At maximum speed (speed 6), AE+2 series was the quietest, followed by AE+3 series, while FR3 series was the noisiest among the three fan series
- At maximum speed (speed 6), for all three series, the 43 inches model was quieter than the 50 and 60 inch models
Acknowledgement
Following members from the School of Architecture, Design and Planning were involved with the above evaluations:
Professor Richard de Dear (Director IEQ Lab)
Dr Jing Xiong (Manager IEQ Lab)
Mr Jonothan Holmes (Manager Acoustics Lab)