Correlation of Laboratory-Based Hearing Protection Evaluation Methods with Human Performance
Abstract
Military personnel require hearing protection for a wide variety of environments and the current method of selecting appropriatehearing protection devices (HPDs) is based largely on guesswork. Only the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is used as astandard HPD specification; other important characteristics of advanced HPDs are not evaluated or reported in a standardizedmanner. The primary objective of this effort is to verify electromechanical test methods for evaluation of advanced HPDs toreduce stakeholders long-term dependence on time-consuming and expensive human subject testing. A second objective ofthis effort is to develop a software tool using these verified HPD performance metrics to enable mission planners andWarfighters to select HPDs appropriate to support specific mission profiles, thereby optimizing Warfighter performance. InYear 1 of this program the human subject evaluation protocols and associated instrumentation were developed and approved.Electromechanical test apparatus were refined in preparation for evaluation of a broad set of HPDs. Development of thesoftware tool was initiated to support determination of a transition path. In Year 2, electromechanical and human subjectmeasurements will be performed on an array of HPDs and compared before inclusion within the software tool database.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1191335
Entities
People
- Andrew W. Brown
- Carol Sammeth
- Caylin Mccallick
- D. B. Anderson
- Greg Rule
- Nathanial T. Greene
- Theodore Argo
Organizations
- Applied Research Associates (United States)