Sabin (unit)
Appearance
The sabin is defined as a unit of sound absorption. Sabins could be calculated with either imperial or metric units. One square foot of 100% absorbing material has a value of one imperial Sabin. One square metre of 100% absorbing material has a value of one metric Sabin. The unit is named in honor of Wallace Clement Sabine. The total absorption in metric sabins can be calculated by:
A=S1α1+S2α2+...+Snαn=ΣSiαi
where
A = the absorption of the room (m2 metric sabin)
Sn = area of the actual surface (m2)
αn = absorption coefficient of the actual surface
Sabins are used in calculating the reverberation time of concert halls, lecture theatres, and recording studios.
References
- Definition
- Davis, D. and C. Davis. (1987) Sound System Engineering 2nd ed. Page 168.