Impulse Peak Insertion Loss Testing of the 3M (trademark) E-A-R (trademark) Classic (trademark) Earplug
Abstract
The impulse peak insertion loss (IPIL) is the standard measure of attenuation provided by hearing protection devices (HPDs) in response to an impulsive noise. This technical memorandum describes the IPIL testing conducted on the 3M E-A-R Classic Earplug (E-A-R Classic; Model: 310-1103). Testing was done in accordance with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard S12.42-2010. 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. No samples were rejected. The mean and standard deviation (SD) IPIL values for each nominal level were 58.7 (2.0) dB at 160 dBP and 57.5 (1.8) dB at 170 dBP (see Table 1). Calculated overall mean IPIL values exceeded the E-A-R Classic manufacturer reported noise reduction rating (NRR) for continuous noise (i.e., 33 dB).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 20, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1151332
Entities
People
- Alexa H. Kolias
- Derek W. Schwaller
- Jeremy S. Federman
- Natalie Silvia
- Stephanie J. Karch
Organizations
- Leidos
- Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory