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Official complaints about noise pollution in the UK (adapted from Commission of the European Community, 1987)
Earth
Sound is defined as any pressure variation that the human year can detect
Sound waves are extremely small pressure disturbances superimposed to a much larger atmospheric pressure.
Sound waves are characterised by their pressure amplitudes and their frequencies
There is another important difference between atmospheric pressure. The atmospheric pressure does not change very quickly; it varies with the weather so the time scale is, say, one day. By contrast, the human ear only detects pressure fluctuations which change at least 20 times per second, i.e. 20 Hz.
Propagation
Attenuation. Geometrical Decay: If a source of sound emits the same pressure fluctuation in all directions in free space (the so-called pulsating bubble), the surface with the same level of pressure will be concentric spheres. As the waves propagate outward, the spheres become larger and larger and the energy emitted by the source spread over an ever larger surface causing the amplitude to decay like 1/r2, where r is the distance from the source. This is called geometrical decay. Absorption: sound wave would decay anyway due to the small but finite viscosity of the air and the absorbing capacity of most surfaces
Most sounds are not purely sinusoidal variations. They vary both in frequency and Magnitude over time. To quantify their magnitude over time, the root mean square (r.m.s) pressure is defined
Sound Power: The rate at which energy is transmitted by sound waves is called the sound power (W), measured in watts. Intensity: The average sound power per unit area normal to the direction of propagation of a sound wave is termed in acoustic or sound intensity (I).
(W)
At sufficient distance from the sound source the intensity of the sound wave is proportional to the square of sound pressure
As mentioned before, the sound pressures perceived by human range from 20 Pa to 200 Pa.
Intensity
Since sound power is proportional to the square of the square of sound pressure, the sound pressure level in decibels is defined as
Sound pressure levels less than 25 decibels are not normally encountered except in broadcasting studies
Frequencies
Sound of a single frequency, called pure tones, rarely exist. Audible sound ranges from : 0.015 to 15 kHz Frequency lesser that 0.015 kHz is called infrasonic frequencies Frequency greater than 15kHz is called Ultrasonic frequencies Human voice contains frequencies 0.08 to 8 kHz (mainly concentrated in the band 0.5 to 2 kHz. The sound of frequencies above 8kHz can usually be ignored in environmental noise monitoring
Octave Band: An octave band is the frequency interval between a given frequency and twice that frequency. For example 0.05 0.1 kHz, 0.1 0.2 kHz, etc. For noise analysis fixed octave bands are internationally recognized. These are centred on 0.0315kHz For noise control purpose it is often necessary to identify the frequency components or spectra of sound.
Classification of Sound
Continuous An uninterrupted sound level that varies less than 5dB during the period of observation (ex. Household fan) Intermittent It is a continuous sound that lasts for more than one second but then is interrupted for more that one second (Ex. Dentists drill) Impulsive Sound is for short duration, less than one second (ex. Hammering sound, typewriter sound). Change in pressure 40dB or more within 0.5 second with a duration of less than one second
NOISE CRITERIA
The loudness of sound is determined by its sound pressure level and its frequency. The environmental or community noise can be appropriately measured in dBA units, which closely replicate the loudness perceived by the ear.
There is a wide differences in people's responses to noise. A number of different criteria have been proposed, the most commonly used criteria are LAeq: The equivalent continuous level LAE : The sound exposer level
Example: An air conditioner generates a noise level of 75 dB for five minutes every hour. If the background noise level is 55dB, compute the LAeq
Noise Standards
Noise standards or thresholds are commonly specified as part of the planning permission (consent) for proposed development.
The specified values vary with existing land use background noise level of the area type of development
Typical noise level at nearby residences are LAEQ 40 70 dBA by day LAEQ 35 60 dBA by Night
EU Noise Directive: protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to noise at work Daily personal noise exposure
Weekly exposure
Geometrical Spreading
When the dimensions of the source is small relative to the distance to the receiving point the sound spreads spherically (no solid surfaces and fluid boundaries) The acoustic intensity (I) at a distance r meters is given by
Since the acoustic intensity id proportional to the square of the pressure, then we can write sound pressure level (LP) as
Directivity
Most sound sources do not radiate uniformly in all directions. This is because of directional characteristics of the sound source (which may be frequency dependence) or because of external constraints by near by surfaces. Directives of the surface constraints may be estimated by examining the position of the source. 1. Close to the ground 2. remote from the ground close to a wall Sound pressure level (LP) at a distance r is given by
Attenuation
Attenuation due to distance Atmospheric attenuation
Attenuation due to meteorological conditions ground surface effect Sound attenuation by trees ground topography Reflecting surfaces and noise barriers
Noise Contours
Noise Control
Source: The source could be modified by the acoustic treatment to machine surfaces, design changes, etc. This is a specialized area which is outside the scope of this chapter. However, an offending noise source could be stopped or its operation limited to certain times of the day.
Transmission path: it could be modified by containing the source inside a sound insulating enclosure, by constructing a noise barrier or by the provision of absorbing materials along the path. Receiver: the protection of the receiver by altering the work scheduled or by the provision of ear protection
Source: The source could be modified by the acoustic treatment to machine surfaces, design changes, etc. This is a specialized area which is outside the scope of this chapter. However, an offending noise sourse could be stopped or its operation limited to certain times of the day. Transmission path: it could be modified by containing the source inside a sound insulating enclosure, by constructing a noise barrier or by the provision of absorbing materials along the path. Receiver: the protection of the receiver by altering the work scheduled or by the provision of ear protection