Editorial in English (Acústica e Vibrações 52)

Abstract

It is with great satisfaction that the Editorial Committee of Acoustic & Vibrations Journal (Revista Acústica & Vibrações) presents issue number 52, containing a series of novelties. We started by elaborating on the commission structure itself. Already in this issue, we have the assistance of Associate Editors Ranny Michalski and Olavo Silva, professionals with extensive experience in A&V topics. Their contribution furthers the journal’s growth. In this issue, we have also counted upon Guest Editor Paulo Mareze, professor in the Acoustical Engineering Program at UFSM.

On the road to an increased international readership, highlighting the scientific quality of our publication, the English professional proofreader Joseph Lacey, native from the United States, with great expertise in English translations and revisions, also joins the A&V team. This means that all titles, abstracts, and keywords of the articles in this issue have been professionally reviewed. It is important to highlight that each author covers the costs for this service for their own article.

In view of the current pandemic scenario due to the new coronavirus, responsible for the disease Covid-19, we have gone through changes and adaptations. We have remained in our homes, places of refuge, and security. We have changed our homes into workplaces in order to continue teaching, researching, and practicing science to further our field. It is important to note that we sympathize with those who have already suffered from the effects of the disease and with family members and friends of those who have passed. We also reinforce that our readers maintain social isolation even in the face of flexibility. Stay at home if you can. If you need to leave, only do so in case of extreme need, strictly complying with protective measures. Health first. Soon and with joint effort, we will overcome this difficult moment that we are going through.

We have several Calls in this number: to update details for the call for publication of articles; to become an associate of Sobrac; to provide details on INAD 2020 activities and the International Year of Sound 2020-2021; to update information about the FIA-Sobrac 2020 conference and the V Southern Acoustic & Vibration Seminar; as well as to update the section on acoustics conferences around the world (which has been greatly impacted due to necessary adjustments imposed by the pandemic).

In the News & Reviews section, we have a novelty: book reviews containing short summaries of four books in order to invite the reader to explore these excellent works. The section also has two very interesting technical articles. In the first, Fernando Diaz and Denison Oliveira present us the description of the new Brüel & Kjaer Sound Level Meter, Type 2245, an intuitive and easy-to-use equipment for measuring environmental noise. In the second, Ranny Michalski tells a little about the “First FAU USP Seminar on Sound Mapping”, held by the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at USP and by Sobrac São Paulo.

In this issue number 52, we have published seven articles. Several topics in the area of Acoustics & Vibrations were addressed, such as metamaterials, silencers, dynamics of the human middle ear, occupational vibration, room acoustics, perception of acoustic quality, and noise regulation of electric aircraft. To facilitate the reader in the search for the topics of major interest, a brief presentation of each article is contemplated below.

Gildean Almeida, Felipe Vergara, Leandro Barbosa, and Linconl Farias, from UFSC, propose an acoustic metamaterial geometry that contains cylindrical micro-perforations attached to cavities in coiled spaces. The device has been optimized to operate at low-frequency (100 Hz–300 Hz) as a sub-wavelength absorber – the thickness of the device is much less than the wavelength of the actuation frequency. Alexandre Piccini, Paulo Mareze, Mário Martins, and William D’A. Fonseca, from UFSM, expose the methodology used for the development and optimization of an acoustic silencer designed for the Formula UFSM team, in which the transfer matrix techniques, finite elements, and genetic algorithms were adopted throughout the project. The study results in a silencer that safely meets the limits established by Formula SAE regulation.

Lucas Lobato, Igor Bavaresco, Stephan Paul, and Júlio Cordioli, from UFSC, present their results on adjusting a model for concentrated parameters of the middle ear, obtained through a multi-objective optimization algorithm (associated errors are discussed accordingly). Cibele Flores, labor inspector at the Ministry of Economy, and Erasmo Vergara, professor at UFSC, assess the occupational risk of acceleration resulting from exposure to the hand-arm system of workers who operate orbital sanders in joinery activities (details about the measurement procedures and current regulations are also observed).

The article by Guilherme Fagerlande, Maria Lygia Niemeyer, and Júlio Torres, from UFRJ, presents their results on computational simulations (using BRASS software) and acoustic measurements to assess acoustic quality and propose adaptations to the Teatro Armando Gonzaga – designed by the architect Affonso Eduardo Reidy and the only cultural installation in the neighborhood of Marechal Hermes, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, RJ. The article by Eduardo Henrique Silva and Maria Lucia Oiticica, from UFAL, aims to evaluate the evolution among students of perception of environmental acoustic characteristics (in two periods of the Architecture and Urbanism, and Interior Design courses), submitted to sound evaluations with headphones.

Finally, Stephan Paul, Matheus de Lorenzo, and Júlio Cordioli, from UFSC, present the current state of noise regulation for small electric aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capability (eVTOL), including a critical analysis considering the main characteristic designs of such aircraft.

We take the opportunity to invite the reader to the 12th Ibero-American Acoustic Congress (FIA) together with the XXIX Sobrac Meeting, which will be held in Florianópolis, from May 23 to 26, 2021, duly rescheduled due to the pandemic. The program will include lectures by world-renowned experts, as well as presentations and posters on topics related to Acoustics and Vibrations. A technical exhibition with the latest advances in products and equipment will take place in parallel to the Congress. In addition, on August 14, 2020, the V Southern Seminar on Acoustics and Vibrations will take place, named V SeGAV-e for having been converted into the electronic-online version. The novelty of this year for the event is that unpublished works may be sent in short paper format. See the calls in more detail inside this issue.

It is important to remind the reader who accompanies A&V Journal that we have a free version of this issue, which contains the first page of each article and the sections of Calls and News & Reviews in full details. From this issue, we have begun to update (still internally) the article template, including details required by the authors from 2018 to 2020. In our next edition, it should be published.

We hope, with each edition, to publish works from the most varied branches of acoustics and vibrations. To this end, we are investing in increasing the journal’s attractiveness with the creation of new sections, with more space dedicated to the dissemination of tools and events, and with the expansion of advertising in academic circles. We would also like to thank Sobrac, the authors and the group of peer-reviewers for their hard and dedicated work, which were essential to transform this publication into reality.

Enjoy reading!

Cordially, Editors A&V n^◦ 52, July 2020.