6
$\begingroup$

If I was to knock on a wall or door between a pressurised room and a vacuum, would that sound different from knocking on a wall or door of the same material between two pressurised rooms?

If not, would there be any easy way to check if a room is depressurised, using only human senses and without opening the door?

$\endgroup$
2
  • $\begingroup$ Are you asking if you can knock twice - once when the other side is known to be pressurized, and then at some later time, to see if there is a change? Or do you mean can you tell without prior knowledge of the sound when it is pressurized? $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Aug 5, 2016 at 13:08
  • $\begingroup$ Knocking on a pressurized scuba tank versus an empty scuba tank may give you a similar sounding result in sound differential. 1 bar is "pretty close to a vacuum" compared to the 200 bar at which scuba tanks are pressurized. Then again, with vessel walls that thick you may honestly not hear a difference. $\endgroup$ Mar 9, 2020 at 15:21

2 Answers 2

3
$\begingroup$

If there is a wall between a pressurised room and a vacuum, the resulting forces to the wall are pretty strong. Strings of a guitar sound different if tension on the string varies. I suspect the wall would sound different. The force on a door between vacuum and pressure is so strong that opening of the door would be impossible or the door is severly damaged.

I have seen a normal room door bending by a pressure difference between both adjacent rooms. The pressure difference was very small, only some centimeters of water or a few mbar. It was possible to open the door, but you had to use all your muscles. The force to a door 1 m wide and 2 m high from a pressure difference of 1 bar is the same as of a load of 20,000 kg to the ground below. It is better to build not a rectangular door but a circular one.

$\endgroup$
1
$\begingroup$

I suspect there would be a difference: a door between a pressurized area and a vacuum is under pressure from one side. Compare to a guitar string: they sound different when you vary the pressure on them.

$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.