Impulse Peak Insertion Loss Testing of the 3M(trademark) Combat Arms(trademark) Generation 4.0 Earplug
Abstract
The standard measure of attenuation provided by a hearing protection device (HPD) in response to an impulsive noise is the impulse peak insertion loss (IPIL). This technical memorandum describes the IPIL testing conducted in accordance with the ANSI standard S12.42-2010 on the CAE Gen 4.0 in two test modes: open (i.e., vented) and closed (i.e., unvented). Rather than testing at the nominal test levels specified by ANSI S12.42-2010 (i.e., 130, 150, and 170 decibel peak (dBP, re: 20 Pa), all samples were tested at the nominal levels of 160 and 170 dBP, as these higher levels are more representative of military occupation impulse noise exposures. A total of five samples were fitted to an acoustic test fixture two times each for a total of 10 trials per test level for both HPD modes. Results of the testing revealed overall higher mean IPIL values when the CAE Gen 4.0 was in the closed mode compared to the open mode at both nominal test levels. Greater IPIL values were also measured for the 170 dBP test condition compared to 160 dBP for both the open and closed modes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 23, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1147675
Entities
People
- Alexa H. Kolias
- Derek W. Schwaller
- Jeremy S. Federman
- Natalie Silvia
- Stephanie Karch
Organizations
- Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory