CEE-335: Environmental

CEE-
Pollution Control

Course Teacher
Dr Muhammad Azizul Hoque
Associate Professor
Noise Pollution
Introduction

Noise

Unwanted sound

Generated in conjunction with various
anthropogenic activities

Sound Waves

Wave pattern Sinusoidal

Period (P)

Time between successive peaks/troughs of
oscillation
Introduction (Cont.)

Frequency (f)

Number of times a peak arrives in one second
of oscillation

Wavelength ()

Distance between adjacent crests/troughs of
pressure

Amplitude (A)

Height of the peak or depth of the trough
measured from the zero pressure line
Sound Pressure Level

Measured in Decibel is a dimensionless

quantity expressed as dB

Determined from the ratio of sound
pressure of the subject sound to the sound
pressure at the threshold of hearing
(audibility)

The threshold of hearing is 20Pa

Number of decibels indicates the order of
magnitude of the pressure level
Sound Pressure Level

Root mean square (rms) sound pressure:

It is obtained by-

Squaring the value of the amplitude at each
instant in time

Summing the squared values

Dividing by time period of the measurement

Square root of the total

Equation 7.3 (Davis & Cornwell)

Sound Pressure Level

Sound measuring instruments measure the

root mean square pressure

Sound pressure level (LP):
Equation 7.11 (Davis & Cornwell)

Equation 7.12(Davis & Cornwell)

The reference pressure = 20Pa

Ten fold increase in pressure results 20 dB
increase in LP
Figure 7.3: Relative scale of sound pressure levels (Davis & Cornwell)
 Combining Sound Pressure Levels

Power of sound is proportional to the

square of pressure

Equation for Net sound as a result of
multiple sources :

Equation for net sound pressure level:

Combining Sound Pressure Levels

Net sound pressure level (in terms of

sound pressure level of individual sounds):

How to combine sound pressure level:

Convert the individual readings (Li) to sound
power level
i.e. 10(Li)/10

Then, adding them and finally converting back
to the sound pressure level to get combined
sound pressure level
 Example 1

What sound pressure level results from

combining the following three levels: 68
dB, 79 dB, and 75 dB?

Solution:
LP = 10 log10(68/10)+10(75/10)+10(79/10)
= 10 log (117,365,173)
= 80.7 dB
 Example 1

Alternative solution:

68 dB

75.8 dB
=7
80.7 dB
= 3.2
75 dB
79 dB

Figure 7.4 (Davis & Cornwell)

Averaging Sound Pressure Levels

Average sound pressure level (LP):

1 N

LP =20 log 10(Lj/20)

N j=1

Where,
LP = average sound pressure level, dB
N = number of measurement
Lj = the jth sound pressure level
j = 1,2,3,.,N
 Example 2

Compute the mean sound level from the

following four readings (all dBA): 38, 51,
68 and 78.
1 N

LP =20 log 10(Lj/20)

N j=1

Solution:
N

= 10(38/20)+10(51/20)+10(68/20) +10(78/20)
j=1

= 1.09 x 104
LP = 20 log (1.09 x 104/4) = 68.7 dBA
Sound Spectra

Octave Bands

It is the frequency interval between a given
frequency and twice that frequency

To completely characterize a noise, it is
necessary to break it down into its frequency
components or spectra

Standard octave bands (11 octave bands) with
their geometric mean frequencies are given in
Table 7.2 (Davis & Cornwell)
Impact of Noise on Humans

Impact can be classified into two

categories

Auditory effects

Psychological/sociological effects

Auditory effects include both hearing loss
and speech interference

Psychological/sociological effects include
annoyance, sleep interference, effects on
performance and acoustical privacy
 Impact of Noise on Humans

Sound transducer mechanism

Figure 7.9 (Davis & Cornwell)

Frequency range

Young, healthy adult male response to sound waves in
the frequency range of 20 to 16,000 Hz

Young children & women have capacity up to 20,000 Hz

Speech zone lies in range of 500 to 2000 Hz
 Impact of Noise on Humans

Loudness

Loudness level is a
psychoacoustic quantity

Two pure tones having

different frequencies but the
same sound pressure level
will be heard as different
loudness level
Impact of Noise on Humans

Annoyance

It is a response to auditory experience

Has its base in:

Unpleasant nature of some sounds

Activities that are disturbed or disrupted by noise

Physiological reaction to noise

For example, a sound heard at night may be
more annoying than one heard by day or, one
that fluctuates may be more annoying that
one that does not
Rating Systems

The way for statistical presentation of

noise

Frequency is taken into account (as
human response to sound is strongly
dependent to frequency)

It is able to differentiate between daytime
and nighttime noise

It is capable to describe the cumulative
noise exposure
 Rating Systems

The LN Concept

This indicates how
frequently a
particular sound
level is exceeded

For example, L30 = Figure 7.23

67 dBA indicates
that 67 dB(A) was
exceeded for 30% of
the measuring time
Rating Systems

The Leq Concept

It is equivalent continuous equal energy level

A constant noise level that over a given time
expends the same amount of energy as
fluctuating level over the same period of time

Can be applied to any fluctuating noise level

Equation 7.15 (Davis & Cornwell)

Propagation of Sound

Inverse square law

The sound energy per unit area received at
any point is inversely proportional to the
square of the distance from the source

For point source:
Equation 8.20 (Davis & Cornwell-4th Ed.)

Where, LP1 is sound pressure level at distance r1 from the point source
LP2 is sound pressure level at distance r2 from the point source

How much the SPL will reduce if the

distance of the source is double ??
Propagation of Sound

For line source:

Equation 8.21 (Davis & Cornwell-4th Ed.)

Where, LP1 is sound pressure level at distance r1 from the line source
LP2 is sound pressure level at distance r2 from the line source

How much the SPL will reduce if the

distance from the highway is double ??
 Noise Control

Modify the Source to reduce noise

output

Alter or control the Transmission Path to

reduce noise level

Provide Receiver with personal

protective equipment
Noise Control (Cont.)

Control of Noise source by Design

Reduce Impact Forces

Reduce Speeds and Pressures

Reduce Frictional Resistance

Reduce Radiating Area

Reduce Noise Leakage

Isolate and Dampen Vibrating Elements

Provide Mufflers/silencers
Noise Control (Cont.)

Control of Noise in the Transmission Path

Separation

Absorbing Materials

Acoustical Lining

Barriers and Panels

Transmission Loss

Enclosures
Noise Control (Cont.)

Control of Noise source by Redress

Balance Rotating Parts

Reduce Frictional Resistance

Apply Dumping Materials

Seal Noise Leaks

Perform Routine Maintenance
Noise Control (Cont.)

Protect the Receiver

Alter Work Schedule

Ear Protection
 Example 3

A motorcyclist is warming up his racing cycle at a race-

track approximately 200 m from a sound level meter.
The meter reading is 56 dBA. What meter reading would
you expect if 15 of the motorcyclists friends join him
with motorcycles having exactly the same sound
emission characteristics ?

Solution:
LP = 10 log16 x 10(56/10)
= 68.0 dB
 Example 3

Alternative solution:
56 dB
(one motorcycle)
59 dB
(two motorcycles) Figure 8.4 (Davis & Cornwell)
=0 62 dB
(four motorcycles) 65 dB
=0
56 dB (eight motorcycles) 68 dB
=0
(one motorcycle) 59 dB (sixteen motorcycles)
=0
(two motorcycles)
62 dB
(four motorcycles) 65 dB
(eight motorcycles)
Example 4

Using the typical noise spectrum for automobiles traveling at

50 to 60 km/h, determine the equivalent A-weighted level
using sound power level addition in a spreadsheet program.
The following band levels were estimated:
Band centre Band level
frequency (Hz) (dB)
63 67
125 64
250 58
500 59
1000 59
2000 55
4000 51
8000 45
 Example 4

Frequency SPL Weighting Weighted

(Hz) (dB) factor SPL (dB)
63 67 -26.2 40.8
125 64 -16.1 47.9
250 58 -8.6 49.4
500 59 -3.2 55.8
1000 59 0 59.0
2000 55 1.2 56.2
4000 51 1.0 52.0
8000 45 -1.1 43.9
 Example 4

LP = 10 log [10(40.8/10) + 10(47.9/10) + 10(49.4/10) +

10(55.8/10) + 10(59/10) + 10(56.2/10) + 10(52/10) +
10(43.9/10)

= 62.8 dBA

or,

Use Figure 7.4 (Davis & Cornwell) to calculate LP

 Example 5

Compute the average sound pressure level of

the following readings by simple arithmetic
averaging and by logarithmic averaging (all
readings in dB): 76, 59, 35, 69 and 72.

Solution:
1 N

LP = Lj Arithmetic mean
N j=1

1 N

LP =20 log 10(Lj/20) Using factor of 20

N j=1

1 N

LP =10 log 10(Lj/10) Using factor of 10

N j=1
 Example 5

Arithmetic mean, X = (76+59+35+69+72)/5 = 62.2 dB

Using factor of 20
N

j=1
= 10(76/20)+10(59/20)+10(35/20) +10(69/20) +10(72/20)
= 1.41 x 104
LP = 20 log (1.41 x 104/5) = 69 dB
Using factor of 10
N
= 10(76/10)+10(59/10)+10(35/10) +10(69/10) +10(72/10)
j=1

= 64,400,422
LP = 10 log (64,400,422/5) = 71 dB
Example 6

A developer has proposed putting a small shopping mall

next to a very quiet residential area in Nontroppo,
Michigan. Based on the measurements given on the
following, calculate Leq.
Time (h) Sound level
(dBA)
0000-0600 42
0600-0800 55
0800-1000 65
1000-2000 70
2000-2200 68
2200-0000 57
Example 6

Solution:
6 2 2
Leq = 10 log [(10(42/10) x 24 )+(10(55/10)
x 24)+(10 (65/10) x 24 )
10 2 2
+(10(70/10)x 24 )+(10(68/10)x 24 )+(10(57/10)x 24)]

Leq = 67 dB