Evaluating the Degree of Annoyance Caused by Military Noise
Abstract
Of noises created by Army testing and training, impulsive noises are the most difficult to assess. General community noise is currently assessed using A-frequency weighting and 'energy equivalent level'. Adjustments or 'penalties' are sometimes added to impulsive sound to account for the greater annoyance of that sound type. This pair-comparison study's objective was to: (1) further define and develop 'penalties' to help assess military noise and (2) investigate community response to blast noise by focusing on blasts, small arms, and tracked vehicles noises. Results showed that real sounds in real settings yield results different from artificial sounds in laboratory settings. The sound of a vehicle passing, measured near a subject's ears, differs in annoyance from an equivalent computer-generated pink-noise sound by 10 db or more. Compared to real, tracked vehicles, small arms also seem to fit an equal energy model and require penalties on the order of zero and 80 dB, respectively. Blast noise does not appear to fit an equal energy model. A 1-dB increase in blast C-weighted sound exposure level (CSEL) is equivalent to a 2-dB increase in the sound level of noncommon sound sources such as vehicles.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA283598
Entities
People
- Edmon Buchta
- Karl-willhelm Hirsch
- L. J. Benson
- L. R. Wagner
- Paul D. Schomer
Organizations
- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory