Impulse Assessment of the 3M E-A-R Classic Soft 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 and the calculated mean IPIL values for the 3M E-A-R Classic Soft Earplug (E-A-R Classic Soft; Model: 311-6001). Testing was completed in accordance with the ANSI standard S12.42-2010. All device samples were tested at the nominal levels of 150, 160, and 170 decibel peak (dBP, re: 20 Pa). 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 of the HPD were rejected. The mean and standard deviation (SD) IPIL values were 50.9 (1.7) dB SPL at 150 dBP, 51.8 (1.9) dB SPL at 160 dBP, and 52.8 (1.9) dB SPL at 170 dBP (see Table 1). These results suggest that, when properly fit and functional, the E-A-R Classic Soft will adequately protect (i.e., reduce exposure to less than 140 dBP) against impulses below 180.0 dBP.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 19, 2022
Accession Number
AD1156876

Entities

People

  • Alexa H. Kolias
  • Derek W. Schwaller
  • Jacob J. See
  • Jeremy S. Federman
  • Stephanie J. Karch

Organizations

  • Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Compressors
  • Air Pressure
  • Biomedical Research
  • Computers
  • Data Acquisition
  • Department Of Defense
  • Digital Filters
  • Ear
  • Filters
  • Free Field
  • Frequency
  • Insertion Loss
  • Microphones
  • Shock Tubes
  • Test Fixtures
  • Transfer Functions

Readers

  • Auditory Neuroscience/Auditory Physiology.
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Mathematics or Statistics