Five-day University Roadshow showcases the measurement microphone from a technical perspective and how it has evolved for specific applications.
Following the success of its University Roadshow held in the spring, G.R.A.S Sound & Vibration UK (tel: 01234 639552 www.gras.co.uk) – leading manufacturer of high performance measurement microphones for aerospace, automotive, environmental and electroacoustic applications – has recently completed another successful five-day road trip, this time presenting to students at Hull, Bournemouth, Southampton Solent, Derby and Cranfield Universities.
As before, each event consisted of an interactive seminar and presentation by Per Rasmussen, Technical Director at G.R.A.S in Denmark, and son of Gunnar Rasmussen, developer of the first reproducible one inch condenser microphone.
Per’s presentation examined the measurement microphone from a technical perspective and how it has evolved to suit specific applications. Amongst the G.R.A.S products showcased were the turbulence windscreen designed to dramatically improve aeroacoustic results, the head and torso KEMAR which is at the cutting edge of headphone testing, and high frequency microphones which can even measure bats in a reverberant environment.
Aidan Hubbard, Sales Engineer at G.R.A.S UK and organiser of the University Roadshows, comments: “G.R.A.S UK has achieved preferred supplier status with many of the country’s universities which use the advanced measurement microphones for research projects operated in conjunction with major automotive and aerospace manufacturers. Our University Roadshows provide us with a fantastic opportunity to meet the people at the coalface and connect with the acoustics experts of the future.
“This latest roadshow was a great success with good attendance at all five universities. We met with Professor Philip Rubini, Brian Houston and Qin Qin at the University of Hull where they are currently experiencing issues with hydrodynamic air flow affecting pressure response on measurements. So, in addition to the standard presentation, Per demonstrated how the acoustic signal can be obtained if the microphone is moved from the airflow into the acoustic flow.
Aidan adds: “Some 30 students attended the seminar at University of Bournemouth but there was an even better turnout at the University of Southampton Solent which
boasts an excellent acoustics department and dedicated courses. The Roadshows allowed us to impart knowledge and facilitate access to G.R.A.S measurement microphones, providing a platform of support and inspiration for their use across a wide range of industrial applications, including automotive, defence and aerospace.”
Talking about the presentation, Dr Adam Hill, lecturer in audio engineering at the University of Derby said: “I want to take the opportunity to thank the team from G.R.A.S for the recent presentation. We were all really impressed with Per’s talk and learned a lot! I’ve had lots of positive feedback from staff and students alike so I’m really glad that we did it.”
