Parameter Study of Sound Propagation between City Canyons with Coupled FDTD- PE Model

In this paper, detailed numerical simulations of sound propagation in an urban environment are presented. The focus is on propagation from a “source canyon” to a distant “receiver canyon”. Such numerical simulations have to take into account multiple reflections, both specular and diffuse, multiple diffractions, the presence of different building materials, and also the interaction with a moving atmosphere. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique, solving the moving inhomogeneous medium sound propagation equations, can be used in such an environment. In contrast to other models, very accurate simulations can be performed since the interaction between the different effects involved is accounted for. A coupled FDTD-PE model is applied to improve computational efficiency. The problem size is further decreased by assuming that the geometry of the source and receiver canyon is identical. Parameters like canyon geometry, diffusivity of the façades and wind speed are investigated.