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Acoustics 5

This document discusses noise assessment and control. It describes the health impacts of noise and regulations for controlling workplace noise. Methods for quantifying noise levels include calculating equivalent sound levels over time periods and using percentile levels. Traffic noise can be modeled as a line source and reduced through measures that target the source, transmission path, or receiver location. Barriers and building design can help attenuate environmental noise.

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13 views27 pages

Acoustics 5

This document discusses noise assessment and control. It describes the health impacts of noise and regulations for controlling workplace noise. Methods for quantifying noise levels include calculating equivalent sound levels over time periods and using percentile levels. Traffic noise can be modeled as a line source and reduced through measures that target the source, transmission path, or receiver location. Barriers and building design can help attenuate environmental noise.

Uploaded by

That Guy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lecture 5 Noise assessment and control

Session objectives

• Understand noise control requirements and assessment


approaches
• Quantify noise levels
• Understand strategies to reduce the impact of external noise
Impact of noise
• Noise is an underestimated threat that can cause a number of
short- and long-term health problems, e.g. sleep disturbance,
cardiovascular effects, poorer work and school performance,
hearing impairment.
• Noise has emerged as a leading environmental nuisance in the
WHO European Region.
Noise Decibels Impact
Passing traffic 50 6,500 deaths a year from heart attack
and stroke
Traffic & music 80 140,000 cases of tinnitus
Loud music 105 Loss of hearing in almost 2 percent of
school children
Planes & trains 150 Slower learning
(WHO statistics)
Noise in workplaces
• Exposure to high noise levels can cause hearing damage –
permanent or temporary.
• Recognised since 1890’s but not in legislation until 1960’s.
• Currently the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (the
Noise Regulations) effective from April 2006.
• Recognise that hearing is affected by total sound energy and
short periods of intense noise.

• Duty of care on employers:


 Carry out sufficient risk assessment.
 Consider exposure with different work practices.
 Control when noise levels exceed certain limits.
 Monitor - noise and people.

* Further details available from Health and Safety Executive (www.hse.gov.uk)


Noise assessment
• Where noise is at high levels posing a risk
• Carried out by trained assessor.
• Measure in workplace and through personal monitoring.
• Measure for all activities – may have to “simulate” certain
conditions.

• Identify mitigation:
 Personal protection
 Control of processes
 Acoustic containment
Equivalent continuous sound pressure level
• 𝐿𝑒𝑞 is an imaginary constant that will produce the same energy
as the fluctuating sound level over a given time interval.
Measurement
• Fluctuating sound expressed as an equivalent average over time:
𝑇
1
𝐿𝐴𝑒𝑞 = 10 log 100.1𝐿 𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑇 𝑡=0

• Use to determine exposure and limits


• Difference method allows calculation for N equal time periods
with a sound pressure 𝐿𝑖

𝑁 𝑁
1 1
𝐿𝐴𝑒𝑞 = 10 log 100.1𝐿𝑖 Δ𝑡 = 10 log 100.1𝐿𝑖
𝑁Δ𝑡 𝑁
𝑖=1 𝑖=1
Example 5.1 𝐿𝐴𝑒𝑞 calculation
• Over an 8 hour working day, a sound level of 50dB is recorded for
6 hours and a sound level of 85 dB is recorded for 2 hours while
machinery is operating.
• Calculate an equivalent sound level for this period.
Example 5.1 𝐿𝐴𝑒𝑞 calculation
• Over an 8 hour working day, a sound level of 50dB is recorded for
6 hours and a sound level of 85 dB is recorded for 2 hours while
machinery is operating.
• Calculate an equivalent sound level for this period.

𝑁
1
𝐿𝐴𝑒𝑞 = 10 log 100.1𝐿𝑖 Δ𝑡
𝑁Δ𝑡
𝑖=1

100.1×50 × 6 + 100.1×85 × 2
= 10 log
8

6.33 × 108
= 10 log
8
= 10 log 7.912 × 107 = 78.99 𝑑𝐵
Percentile levels (statistical noise level)
• 𝐿𝑛 is the noise level exceeded for n% of the measurement time,
e.g. 𝐿50 = 78 dB (𝑥 hours)
• 𝐿10 − 𝐿90 is often used to give a quantitative measure as to the
spread of sound.
Percentile levels
• 𝐿𝐴10,𝑇 is the dBA-weighted sound pressure level that is exceeded
for 10% of a measurement period T
– used for peak measurements
• 𝐿𝐴90,𝑇 is the dBA-weighted sound pressure level that is exceeded
for 90% of a measurement period T.
– used for background measurements
Exposure levels
• The action level is used to indicate the noise exposure level at which
employers are required to take certain steps to reduce the harmful effects of
noise on hearing.

• Daily personal exposure – a measure of cumulative noise over


8 hour working day
Lower exposure action level: LAEP,d = 80 dB (advisory)
Upper exposure action level: LAEP,d = 85 dB (compulsory)
Exposure limit value: LAEP,d = 87 dB (must not be exceeded)
• Impulse noise – a measure of peak values of exposure
Lower peak action level: LCpeak = 135 dB
Upper peak action level: LCpeak = 137 dB
Peak limit value: LCpeak = 140 dB
Noise Assessment in G.08 (Casting shop)
Enclosure at source
• Method of minimising sound transmission at source, usually for
particular items of machinery.
• Need to determine sound pressure level without (LP1) and with
enclosure (LP2)

Enclosure

Source of sound
Enclosure at source

𝐿𝑝1 − 𝐿𝑝2 = 𝑆𝑅𝐼 − 10 log 𝑆𝐸 + 10 log 𝐴𝐸

In the derivation (not required) approximations used


SRI = sound reduction index for enclosure
SE = surface area of enclosure (m2)
AE = total absorption of enclosure and its content

𝐴𝐸 = 𝑆𝑇 𝛼 = 𝑆𝐴𝑒 𝛼𝐴𝑒

SE ST
Example 5.2 Enclosure
• A compressor with dimensions 1 x 2 x 1m high is located on
a concrete floor in a factory. It is to be encased in an
enclosure having dimensions 2 x 3 x 2m high. The measured
SPL in the space is 80 dB before enclosure and 45 dB after.

• What is the SRI of the enclosure?

Assume 𝛼𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑒 = 0.02 𝛼𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟 = 0.02


𝛼𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 = 0.75
Example 5.2 Enclosure
• A compressor with dimensions 1 x 2 x 1m high is located on a concrete
floor in a factory. It is to be encased in an enclosure having dimensions
2 x 3 x 2m high. The measured SPL in the space is 80 dB before
enclosure and 45 dB after.
• What is the SRI of the enclosure?
Assume 𝛼𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑒 = 𝛼𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟 = 0.02 𝛼𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 = 0.75

Internal surface area of enclosure = 26 m2


Surface area of compressor = 8 m2
Exposed concrete floor area = 4 m2
Total internal surface area = 38 m2

𝐴𝐸 = 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐 𝛼𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐 + 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝 𝛼𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝 + 𝑆𝑒𝑛𝑐 𝛼𝑒𝑛𝑐


= 4 × 0.02 + 8 × 0.02 + 26 × 0.75 = 19.74 (𝑠𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠)

𝐿𝑃1 − 𝐿𝑃2 = 𝑆𝑅𝐼 − 10 log 𝑆𝐸 + 10 log 𝐴𝐸


80 − 45 = 𝑆𝑅𝐼 − 10 log 26 + 10 log 19.74 𝑆𝑅𝐼 = 36.15 𝑑𝐵
Traffic noise
• Continuous traffic noise along a road considered as a line source noise:

𝐿𝑝 = 𝐿𝑊𝑢 − 10 log 𝑟 − 5
𝐿𝑊𝑢 is the sound power level per unit length of line source

• Consider two points A and B at distances rA and rB from the same line source
𝑟𝐴
𝐿𝑝𝐴 − 𝐿𝑝𝐵 = 10 log
𝑟𝐵

• For a line source, doubling the distance from the source results in a 3 dB
reduction in SPL.
• For a point source, doubling the distance results in a 6 dB reduction
𝐿10 (18 hour) dB(A) Values
• Used to quantify fluctuating traffic noise. Measured at 1m from façade of a
dwelling,
• 𝐿10 is the noise level exceeded for 10% of the measurement time,
• 𝐿10 (18 hour) is an arithmetic average of the hourly 𝐿10 value taken over an
18 hour period from 0600 to 2400 hrs
• Used in legislation. If 𝐿10 (18 hour) > 68 dB(A), residents may be eligible for
a grant for double glazing, etc.

• Often impractical to take 18 hours worth of data.


• Good approximation over a shorter period of time using:

𝐿10 10 = 𝐿10 𝑚𝑎𝑥 −3


𝐿10 as a function of traffic flow
Traffic noise model

US Department of Transportation: Federal Highway Administration's Traffic Noise Model


Traffic noise reduction
Action depends on project status and scope:
• New build, refurbish
• Building in isolation or part of bigger planning team

1. Reduce Noise at Source


– Reduce noise of individual vehicles
– Reduce total traffic volume
– Use “quiet” road surface
2. Attenuate Noise on Route
– Increase distance between source and recipient
– Use “soft” landscaping on route
Traffic noise reduction
3. Use Barriers
– Place screen between source and recipient (note: trees are not
a good acoustic barrier)
– Place road in a cutting

4. Design Buildings as an Acoustic Barrier


– Make walls “solid” dense and continuous
– Use double or triple glazing and avoid openings
– Use mechanical ventilation
– Place living rooms and bedrooms furthest from the road
Screens and barriers
• A sound barrier is a solid structure that intercepts the direct
sound path from a sound source to a receiver.
• It reduces the SPL within its shadow zone.
Screens and barriers
Summary
• Duty of care to assess, monitor and control workplace noise.
• Methods to quantify fluctuating noise enable background,
exposure and peak values to be assessed.
• Enclosing equipment can be beneficial.
• Quantify traffic noise with line source approximation and
𝐿10 measurements.
• Reduce traffic noise:
– At source, On route, With barriers and screens, Better building design
and insulation

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