Primary Components of Simulated Air Bag Noise and Their Relative Effects on Human Hearing
Abstract
The relative contributions to auditory temporary threshold shift (TTS) of the air bag vehicle volume displacement and of the high frequency noise burst associated with activation, air turbulence, unfolding, etc., of the system were investigated. Ten male university subjects with normal hearing were exposed to each of three conditions: (a) to a positive pressure pulse of 165 DB peak pressure with a rise time of 65 ms and a duration of 960 msec; (b) to a high frequency noise burst in the 350 Hz-2 kHz band at 153 dB rms with rise and fall times of 25 ms and a duration of 400 ms and (c) to a and b presented simultaneously. TTS was measured for 12 discrete frequencies ranging from 125 Hz to 12 kHz for each exposure condition. The high frequency noise burst produced the greatest amount of TTS. The positive pressure pulse produced no measurable changes in hearing levels. The two components occurring simultaneously resulted in less TTS than that produced by the noise burst alone. (Modified author abstract)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0773809
Entities
People
- Charles W. Nixon
- Henry C. Sommer
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory