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 appropriate hearing protection devices (HPDs) is based largely on guesswork. Only the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is used as a standard HPD specification; other important characteristics of advanced HPDs are not evaluated or reported in a standardized manner. The primary objective of this effort is to verify electromechanical test methods for evaluation of advanced HPDs to reduce stakeholders' long-term dependence on time-consuming and expensive human subject testing. A second objective of this effort is to develop a software tool using these verified HPD performance metrics to enable mission planners and Warfighters to select HPDs appropriate to support specific mission profiles, thereby optimizing Warfighter performance. In Year 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 the software tool was initiated to support determination of a transition path. In Year 2, electromechanical and human subject measurements were 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, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1191338
Entities
People
- Alexandria Podolski
- Andrew W. Brown
- Aoi Hunsaker
- Carol Sammeth
- David Audet
- Greg Rule
- Jennifer Jerding
- Nathanial T. Greene
- Theodore Argo
Organizations
- Applied Research Associates (United States)
- University of Colorado Boulder
- University of Washington