Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Basic Facts On Environmental Noise Control

By Eugenia Dickerson


Noise can be defined as unwanted sound. This type of pollution is caused by recreational, industrial and transport activities. Whereas disorganized sounds at low levels may not necessarily be harmful, intolerable levels can affect humans both psychologically and physiologically. The objective of environmental noise control is to improve the acoustic surrounding. Persons that are working in areas with excessive pollution should undergo regular medical check-ups to rule out hearing impairment.

There are many sources of this type of pollution other than the industrial sources. The commonest causes include architecture, the transport industry and urban planning. Air and road traffic are considered the biggest sources of pollution worldwide. Some sources are fairly easy to bring under control while others are a major challenge.

Different methods have been used to manage interior sound levels. These include party wall designs, exterior walls, and floor and ceiling assemblies. Rooms designed for specific purposes like entertainment halls, recording rooms and auditoria generate sound which can be contained by constructing sound absorbers or baffles. Sound masking as opposed to proofing refers to active addition of sounds to minimize the perception unwanted sounds.

The planned introduction of hybrid vehicles is set to reduce the level of sound pollution in the streets. This, unfortunately, will take an extremely long time to be realised. It is estimated that at least half of the vehicles have to be replaced on the roads if the pollution is to be controlled. Other ways of controlling the problem include modification of tire tread designs and improving diesel stacks. Speed control is an additional measure that can be undertaken.

As in road traffic management, little has been affected in the aircraft sector, other than elimination of loud engine designs. A promising form of aircraft improvement is flight restriction. This can take the form of departure flight path, preferred runway use and time of day restrictions. This is however questionable because it negatively impacts on flying convenience, aircraft safety and economics.

Several materials have been incorporated into buildings to improve the acoustic properties. Panels made of steel are usually fitted into walls. Good panels are those that have very little interference with the substrates. Fabric covers are usually used in a number of buildings to improve absorption. The fabrics are made into sound curtains or blankets that are fitted onto surfaces or noisy equipment.

Noise from industrial equipment can be reduced by redesigning the machinery to operate in a manner less prone to produce extreme sounds. Additionally, workers can be provided ear protection equipment, shock mounting source equipment and creation of solid barriers. With regard to more conventional office environments, remedies may also involve researching for silent office equipment such as printers and photocopy machines.

A properly organised environmental noise control framework is required in virtually all public places. The methods chosen for this are variable but will fall in any of the following categories: vibration dumping, vibration isolation, absorption or sound isolation. In general, sound isolation is the use of barriers to impede transmission. Damping involves extraction of vibration energy from various media and dissipating it as heat.




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