NOISE POLLUTION

CONTROL
(ECH4105)

by

Thomas Choong
B.Eng, M.Sc (UTM), PhD (Cambridge)
M.IEM, P.Eng, C.Eng, F.IChemE
 Objectives - overall
To comprehend the fundamentals of noise
and vibration control
Equipped with the fundamentals, the
students can then apply what they learn in
related situations
 Objectives - specific
to prepare a noise pollution management plan,
to model propagation of sound for indoor and
outdoor environments,
to identify basic elements in a sound transfer
chain for noise control,
to select suitable isolator for vibration control,
to interpret acts related to noise pollution.
Noise Pollution Control

Industrial Noise

Environmental Noise
 Regulations
Indoor Factory and Machinery (Noise
exposure) regulations, 1989
Outdoor Department of Environment
By-laws
Guidelines
 Teaching style
emphasis is placed on understanding of
fundamentals
 Assessments

Course work (60%)

Test1 (10%)
Test 2 (20%)
Quiz and assignments (20%)
Case study (10%)

Final (40%)
 This weekend
Fundamentals of noise (sound)
The human ear
Sound measurement
Noise - unwanted sound
Sound is a form of energy
which is emitted by a
vibrating body and on
reaching the ear causes the
sensation of hearing through
nerves
 Noise ?
Some noise are desirable, e.g. rock music
Some noisy working environment are
compensated.
 Effect of Noise
Interfere with speech (even bird sings
louder now)
Affect sleeping quality
Reduce property value
Permanent hearing problems
Psychology
Noise Sources
 Noise Sources_Modelling
Point source

Line source

Areal source
Sound wave
 Sound wave
Sound waves are characterized by their
frequency, amplitude and phase.
Since noise generally consists of a large
number of frequencies combined in random
phases, the phase characteristics are
generally not important and can be ignored
A pure sinusoidal wave

= c/f (3.1)

Prms = Pmax / 2
Spectra of sound

1/ 2
1 T

2
Prms P (t )dt (3.2)
T 0

 Frequency
Frequency is what gives a sound its quality
The audible range of human ear is between
20 Hz and 20,000 Hz
Infrasound sound - less than 20 Hz
Ultrasound sound - over 20,000 Hz
Types of Noise
Continuous
an uninterrupted sound level
that varies less than 5 dB

Intermittent
a continuous sound that last for
more than one second but then
is interrupted for more than one
second, e.g. a dentist's drill

Impulsive
a sound which last for less than
one second
 Frequency Analysis
Octave Band Most noises consist of a large number
of frequencies.
For convenience, the wide range of
audible sound frequency is divided into
bands.
Octave bands are the widest bands that
are used for frequency analysis. The
word octave imply halving or doubling
a frequency.
1000 Hz is the internationally accepted
standard.
fu = 2n fl
 Sound pressure, power & intensity

Sound power, W (watt) is

the rate at which energy is W I dA (3.3a)
A
transmitted by sound wave
Point source W
I (3.3)
Sound intensity, I (watt / 4r 2
m2), is defined as the
average sound power per
unit area normal to the Line source W
propagation of a sound. I (3.4)
2rl
2
Prms
I (3.5)
c
 Sound pressure, power & intensity

Pressure is the easiest to measure

Power is a derived quantity
Intensity can be measured directly, but
require expensive device
dB
2
Prms
Lp log 10 2 (Bel) (3.7a)
Pref

2
Prms
Lp 10 log 10 2 (dB) (3.7b)
Pref

W
Lw 10 log 10 (dB) (3.8)
Wref

I
LI 10 log 10 (dB) (3.9)
I ref
 Relationship among Lw, LI and Lp

P2
LI 10 log 10 Lw 10 log
W
c I ref Wref

P 2 Pref2 10 log
IA
10log 2 I ref Aref
Pref c I ref I A
10 log 10 log
P2 Pref2 I ref Aref
10 log 2 10 log
Pref c I ref Lw LI 10 log
A
Aref
 Adding and Subtracting Sound Levels

Adding
n
Lt 10 log 10
0.1L pi
(3.13)
i 1

Subtracting
Ls 10 log 10 0.1Lt
10 0.1LB
(3.14)
Adding and Subtracting Sound Levels
 Time varying Lp (Leq)

1 T 0.1L t (3.15a)
Leq 10 log 10 dt
Lp T 0

1 n 0.1Li t
Leq 10 log 10 ti (3.15b)
T i 1
time
L10, L50, L90

Environmental (or
community) noise
changes quite
drastically
Noise Criterion
Noise Criterion - example
The human ear
 Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing It is accepted that a sound

environment below 75 dB (A)
loss is not harmful, while a sound
above 130 dB (A) may produce
permanent hearing damage.
Between these two levels, the
sensorineural amount of hearing damage
hearing loss varies with the sound level, the
length of exposure and the
individual susceptibility to
noise. Another factor is the
type of sound (continuous,
intermittent or impulsive)
 Permanent Hearing Loss

Can be caused by external force or infection

not common
The most common cause is by continuous
noise of over 80 dB (A), which destroys the
hair cells in the inner ear. This damage
cannot be repaired and hearing aids usually
does not help
Sound pressure
level of a pure
Loudness
tone at 1000 Hz

The human ear has

different
sensitivities towards
sound of different
frequencies
dB (A)
Typical dB (A)
Audiometry
Audiometry is a test to detect
hearing problem.
An audiogram is a standard way
of representing a person's hearing
loss. Most audiograms cover the
limited range 1000Hz to 8000Hz
(8kHz) which is most important
for clear understanding of speech.
The test involves different pure
tones being presented at a specific
frequency and loudness,
conducted in an audiometric
booth. The lowest sound the
candidate can hear is recorded.
 Presbyacusis
Hearing loss of older people
Sound Measurement

Lp
Sound Level Meter

windscreen
A schematic diagram of sound level meter

Response:
Slow
Fast
 The background noise level is at least 10 dB
below the source noise level (why?)
If this is not the case, measurements have to
be corrected to take account of the
background noise (how?)
If the noise levels from the source are less
than 4 dB above the background noise level,
valid measurements cannot be made.
Unattended Measurement

Two biggest enemies?

Noise Mapping

Measurement
Prediction
Sound Intensity Meter
Two opposed
microphones
 Dosimeter

C1 C2 C3 Cn
D ...
T1 T2 T3 Tn