The resonance of tapering spiral chambers
Paula Pino · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2015
This paper will explore the acoustical resonance of several cochlea-inspired sculptures (i.e., spiraling, tapering forms) made of glass, ceramics, and other materials. Each sculpture will function as an acoustic chamber and will be equipped with a loudspeaker and a “mouth” through which sound will pour out. Using frequency sweeps, feedback loops, reverb convolution, and acoustic prediction software I will measure the resonant and reverberant responses of these acoustic sculptures and compare them with analogous forms (e.g., animal horns, brass instruments, and mammalian cochlea). Special focus will be on the fundamental resonant frequencies and bass response of each shape. Extrapolation with these data will inform the production of larger, more architectural acoustic chambers modeled with similar spiraling geometry.