The course instructor, Dr. Stephen Hambric, is a retired Research Professor from Penn State University. Steve taught Sound-Structure Interaction for over 25 years for the Penn State Graduate Program in Acoustics, as well as customized short courses in vibration and sound for government and industry. He currently consults in acoustics, vibration, and noise control at his company Hambric Acoustics, LLC (hambricacoustics.com)
For questions about Course III, contact Dr. Hambric at ncecourse3@inceusa.org.
Completion of Noise Control Engineering Course II.
The course is organized into five units with five lessons in each unit, for a total of 25 lessons. For each lesson, there are lesson notes and a homework assignment. Some units may have video instruction as well. The typical homework assignment includes both conceptual problems and calculation-based problems. Each assignment must be completed individually, but there is a course forum where you can interact with your fellow students and the instructor for when you have questions about the problems.
Each lesson in the course builds upon the previous one. Therefore, it is important to master the content in each lesson before moving on. When you turn in an assignment, the instructor will grade it as soon as possible. If everything is correct, the instructor will allow you to move on to the next lesson. If there are any mistakes, the instructor will give you feedback and tips and ask that you correct any mistakes and resubmit the assignment before you move on to the next lesson. As long as you eventually have everything correct, you will receive full credit for the assignment.
A proctored exam will be given at the end of the course. You will be responsible for obtaining a proctor and notifying your instructor prior to receiving a Final Exam. More information about appropriate proctors and final exam logistics will be given near the end of the course. Passing grades (70%) for all three Final Exams will be accepted in lieu of sitting for and passing the INCE Board Certification Examination.
You will receive a letter grade for the course. This grade will be weighted 50% on the homework and 50% on the Final Exam. A grade of B (80%) or better for the course is required to complete the course.
The course will maintain a pace of one lesson and one homework assignment per week. The 25 lessons should take approximately six months to complete.
We recognize that you have responsibilities to your professional and personal life that will take you away from your course work. This makes it difficult to maintain a rigid schedule. There is no penalty for late assignments. However, if you do fall behind the group, try to get caught back up as soon as possible so you can benefit from discussions in the course forum.
INCE-USA has imposed a time limit of one year for the course. If you do not complete the course, including the final exam, within one year, you will have to re-register for the course and pay the registration fee again.
Unit One – Sources of Noise
Lesson 1 – Machinery Power Transmission
Lesson 2 – Machinery Power Generation
Lesson 3 – Flow Sources of Noise
Lesson 4 – Turbomachinery and HVAC Systems
Lesson 5 – Multi-Component Sources of Noise
Unit Two – Outdoor Noise and Structural Acoustics
Lesson 1 – Outdoor Noise Propagation
Lesson 2 – Vibration Response of Structures
Lesson 3 – Vibration Transmission through Structures
Lesson 4 – Acoustic Radiation from Vibrating Structures
Lesson 5 – Acoustic Transmission through Structures
Unit Three – Measurements and Analysis III: Advanced
Lesson 1 – Single-Channel Spectral Analysis
Lesson 2 – Two-Channel Spectral Analysis
Lesson 3 – Special Features in FFT Analyzers
Lesson 4 – Modal Analysis
Lesson 5 – Special Methods of Spectral Analysis
Unit Four – Noise and Vibration Treatments
Lesson 1 – Resilient Mounting Systems
Lesson 2 – Damping Treatments
Lesson 3 – Enclosures and Cladding Treatments
Lesson 4 – Mufflers and Silencers
Lesson 5 – Active Control of Noise and Vibration
Unit Five – Numerical and Statistical Models
Lesson 1 – Approximate Analytic Methods
Lesson 2 – Finite Element Models for Structural Vibrations
Lesson 3 – Boundary Element Models for Acoustic Radiation
Lesson 4 – Implementation of Numerical Models
Lesson 5 – Statistical Energy Analysis