Metrological Capabilities of the Acoustic Testing Laboratory – Small Anechoic Chamber at the AGH Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics

The small anechoic chamber is part of the research facilities of the Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics in AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow and is a room corresponding to a free field, whose walls, ceiling and floor provide both very good sound absorption and isolation from external interference. The dimensions of the free space inside the chamber are 4.4 m x 3.8 m. x 3.6 m. The chamber was commissioned in the mid-1980s and has not undergone upgrades since. In December 2021, the upgrade of the small anechoic chamber was completed. As particularly important was the replacement of 5.5 thousand pieces of acoustic wedges made of polyurethane foam, which due to the aging process lost their sound-absorbing properties, for wedges made of mineral wool with glass fiber, adjustment of lighting inside the chamber to current standards, as well as equipping the chamber with a signal crossover and devices to regulate and monitor meteorological conditions inside the chamber. The paper presents a study of the properties of the small anechoic chamber in accordance with accepted standards for this type of rooms and its current research capabilities in the field of vibroacoustics in technology and medicine.