Confidence intervals of Leq in the case of stationary random noise measurements

A common practice in random noise measurements is to assume that the noise samples are normally distributed. Since the sound pressure level (L _p) is related with the sound energy by a non linear equation, the distribution of the two variables will be different. If one assumes that the probability density function (pdf) of L _p is normal, the pdf of noise energy is not and vice versa. A simple criterion based on statistical properties of sampled noise can be used for the determination of the kind of distribution of the measured noise. The case in which the noise energy emitted by the source, and the case in which the measured noise level is normally distributed are examined. For each case confidence intervals of the calculated equivalent level are calculated.     

Evaluation and analysis of noise levels in Ilorin metropolis, Nigeria

Evaluation and analysis of noise pollution levels have been carried out to determine the level of noise and its sources in Ilorin metropolis. Noise measurements have been done in the morning, at noon, in the evening, and at night to determine noise pollution all over the city. The selected areas of study are commercial centers, road junctions/busy roads, passenger loading parks, and high-density and low-density residential areas. The road junctions had the highest noise pollution levels, followed by commercial centers. The results of this study show that the noise levels in Ilorin metropolis exceeded allowed values at 30 of 42 measurements points. There is a significant difference (P?<?0.05) in the noise pollution levels and traffic noise index in all the locations. From the measured noise values, a map of noise pollution was developed for Ilorin. Many solutions proposed for noise abatement in the city are set out.     

特高压换流站噪声源测试与预测技术研究

科学识别和获取特高压换流站内主要噪声源特性,在此基础上对换流站噪声影响进行分析预测,用于换流站噪声评价、设计和防护。在复杂声场环境条件下,通过现场录波、噪声与振动同步测试等方法,结合噪声理论知识,识别出换流变压器的优势谱点为400 Hz,该点占整个频谱噪声贡献值90%以上,同时识别出交流滤波器场电抗器特征频率点与电抗器所滤除的谐波频率相一致,且换流变压器和交流滤波器场电抗器的声压与振动优势频点具有较强的相关性。根据噪声源特性,对其计算模型进行相应的改进,可提高换流站噪声预测结果的准确性。     

风电机组噪声特性研究

以山东某平原风电场机组为例,对机组噪声进行仿真与测试研究.研究分析了风电机组噪声源频率特性、不同风速下的噪声声功率级及噪声的衰减特性,研究结果验证了Focus仿真软件在预测风电机组噪声源的可靠性.该研究为风电场噪声预测及降噪方案的研究提供了参考.     

利用阈值浮动技术实现机场周围飞机噪声的自动测量

介绍一种自动、高效测量机场周围飞机噪声的技术方法"阈值浮动技术",即噪声测量仪的运行阈值随环境背景噪声的高低而自主浮动的技术。利用该技术,当被测飞机噪声声级高于运行阈值时,噪声测量仪启动"记录、分析、录音"等程序的运行;当被测飞机噪声声级低于运行阈值时,停止相关程序的运行。由于运行阈值是浮动的,因而实现了机场周围飞机噪声的自动、高效和准确测量。给出了实现"阈值浮动技术"的计算机算法,并列举了测量实例对该项技术加以验证,证明了该技术方法行之有效。     

Monitoring and assessment of daily exposure of roadside workers to traffic noise levels in an Asian city: a case study of Bangkok streets

Four noise monitoring sites were strategically established to evaluate average noise level and audiometric assessment at various traffic zones of Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR). During the monitoring period, noise levels were found to be 72.8–83.0 dBA during day time and 59.5–74.5 dBA during night time. The finding also indicated that traffic noise levels depend on distance from roadside, diurnal variation and character of the traffic and street configuration. Audiometric measurement of 4000 persons was carried by four major hospitals in Bangkok to study the relationship between traffic noise exposure of groups of people working in the streets and hearing loss. Four different categories of occupational people, i.e., drivers, street vendors, traffic officers and dwellers were selected and were further classified into age groups (16–25, 26–35, 36–45 and 46–55 years old) to monitor the traffic noise induced hearing loss throughout their everyday lives. The control group was deliberately chosen to screen out the effects of traffic noise. According to the audiometric investigation, it was revealed that hearing capacity of the daily noise exposure groups living in the three urban sites (Yaowarat Road, Din Daeng Road and Ratchaprarop Road) were noticeably poorer than those who were living in suburban site (Phahonyothin Road). It was noted that the mean hearing threshold level (HTL) of the 16–25 years old groups were found to have better hearing capacity than those older adults of 46–55 years old. In particular the mean HTL dropped at the frequency of 4000 Hz. Among the occupational population who were living in the urban monitoring sites, the driver groups were found to have the highest risk of traffic noise induced hearing loss.     

应用GIS技术研究车流量与交通噪声相关性

对无锡建成区交通噪声等效声级(L_(eq))与车流量进行监测,应用GIS技术分析交通噪声与车流量的空间分布,为交通噪声污染防治工作提供科学参考。结果表明:噪声L_(eq)峰值及车流量峰值均集中在高速公路出入口必经路段,此区域为噪声污染防治重点区域。同时发现,噪声L_(eq)与车流量在空间分布上并非成正比关系,在时间趋势上车流量上升但噪声值下降,说明在机动车保有量不断攀升的背景下,采取多种防治措施可以有效缓解甚至改善交通噪声污染。     

铁路噪声影响特点与评价方法研究

针对山东省境内一主要铁路路段的铁路噪声,布设了不同类型的多个点位进行了测量.应用大量的实测数据,对铁路噪声的变化规律及影响特点进行了分析研究.铁路噪声的Lmax对铁路两侧环境的影响明显大于Leq.     

机动车不同速度下外噪声变化与衰减关系研究

通过在机动车测试场进行单辆机动车行驶状况的实验,研究机动车车型大小、行驶速度快慢与噪声量大小的关系,同时研究不同距离下机动车行驶外噪声的衰减规律。数据结果显示,测试条件下,噪声量随着速度提升而增加,呈线性关系或对数关系;相同速度下,大型车的噪声量比小型车的高8.1～11.0dB;在一定距离范围内,距离每增加3.5m,机动车噪声量将衰减2.2～3.0dB。     

我国城市声环境质量状况与分析

介绍了我国城市声环境质量状况,并就相关问题进行了分析.我国城市道路交通声环境质量大部分处于好和较好水平;城市区域声环境质量主要处于较好和轻度污染状态;约有1%的人口处在噪声重度污染区域;交通噪声影响强度最大;社会生活噪声影响范围最广;环境噪声污染仍存在污染投诉率高、交通噪声污染严重等问题,改善声环境质量仍是今后一项主要工作.     

城市轨道交通噪声测试分析

采取1/3倍距法布设测点,使用多通道噪声分析系统,对城市轨道交通噪声进行地面和轨面上的水平测试及垂向测试,取得其距离衰减规律、声级垂向分布等特性,新的测试点位布设方案取得了比传统测试方案更详细的测试结果。研究结果对于城市轨道交通噪声特性的研究及其控制方法的确定具有重要的学术意义和工程价值,同时对城市轨道交通噪声的测试方案进行了有益的探索。     

Determination of noise induced hearing loss in mining: an application of hierarchical loglinear modelling

The levels of noise arise from mining industry seem to be higher when compared to other industries. For this reason, noise exposure and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) are prevalent in mining. Assessment of noise emission levels that arise from various mining operations is required to prevent and minimize the NIHL. Because the studies for preventing occupational hearing loss among miners are inadequate, a quarry and stone crushing-screening plant was selected to generate site-specific data. The noise levels of the environments in which workers work were measured and also a hearing test centre applied hearing tests to the workers. According to the hearing test results, it was determined that the part of workers have hearing loss. The main factors affecting the NIHL were assumed as experience, noise level, miners’ age and occupation, and by taking into account the sub factors of the main factors, multi way contingency tables were prepared. Then hierarchical loglinear analysis method was implemented to categorized data; thus, the probabilities might effect NIHL was investigated. At the end of this study, it was found that the most risky occupation group was the drivers, and additionally, these workers were mostly exposed to 70–79 dB(A) noise level. When the important interactions are evaluated, it is determined that 4–11 years experienced crusher workers have high probability of NIHL because of high exposure to 90–99 dB(A) noise level. Moreover, the most important interactions which may affect the NIHL were identified and the precautions to reduce hearing loss were presented.     

Assessment of noise level in sundry processing and manufacturing industries in Ilorin metropolis, Nigeria

In this work, noise level in five selected processing and manufacturing industries in Ilorin are evaluated and compared. Emphasis is given to noise emitted by individual industrial machinery from the selected industries. Event L _Aeq and L _N cycles were studied to identify the noisy machines and to generate baseline data. Findings show that hammer mill machine from mineral-bearing rock-crushing mills produced the highest average noise [98.4 dB(A)], an electric generator 1 [95.6 dB(A)] from the soft drink bottling industry, an electric generator [97.7 dB(A)] from the beer brewing and bottling industry, a vacuum pump [93.1 dB(A)] from the tobacco making industry, and an electric generator 2 [94.1 dB(A)] from the mattress-making industry. The highest and lowest average noise exposure levels are recorded in mineral-bearing rock-crushing mills [93.16 dB(A)] and the mattress making industry [84.69 dB(A)], respectively. The study shows that, at 95% confidence level, there is significant difference (P < 0.05) in noise levels in the industries surveyed. The percentages of machines that emit noise above Federal Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommendations [90 dB(A)] are from the soft drink bottling industry (83.3%), the beer brewing and bottling industry (42.9%), the tobacco making industry (71.4%), the mattress making industry (11.1%), and minerals crushing mills (87.5%). In the past 20 years, the noise levels in the soft drink bottling industry were reduced by 0.58 dB(A), and those of the beer brewing and bottling industry were reduced by 9.66 dB(A). However, that of the mattress making industry increased by 2.69 dB(A). On average, the noise level in these industries has been reduced by 2.52 dB(A). The results of this study show that the noise control measures put in place have significant impacts on the noise exposure level in the industries surveyed.     

Degradation of natural habitats by roads: Comparing land-take and noise effect zone

Roads may act as barriers, negatively influencing the movement of animals, thereby causing disruption in landscapes. Roads cause habitat loss and fragmentation not only through their physical occupation, but also through traffic noise. The aim of this study is to provide a method to quantify the habitat degradation including habitat loss and fragmentation due to road traffic noise and to compare it with those of road land-take. Two types of fragmentation effects are determined: structural fragmentation (based on road land-take only), and functional fragmentation (noise effect zone fragmentation, buffer using a threshold of 40 dB). Noise propagation for roads with a traffic volume of more than 1000 vehicles per day was simulated by Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN) model. Habitat loss and fragmentation through land-take and noise effect zone were calculated and compared in Zagros Mountains in western Iran. The study area is characterized by three main habitat types (oak forest, scattered woodland and temperate grassland) which host endangered and protected wildlife species. Due to topographic conditions, land cover type, and the traffic volume in the region, the noise effect zone ranged from 50 to 2000 m which covers 18.3% (i.e. 516,929.95 ha) of the total study area. The results showed that the habitat loss due to noise effect zone is dramatically higher than that due to road land-take only (35% versus 1.04% of the total area). Temperate grasslands lost the highest proportion of the original area by both land-take and noise effect zone, but most area was lost in scattered woodland as compared to the other two habitat types. The results showed that considering the noise effect zone for habitat fragmentation resulted in an increase of 25.8% of the area affected (316,810 ha) as compared to using the land-take only (555,874 ha vs. 239,064 ha, respectively). The results revealed that the degree of habitat fragmentation is increasing by considering the noise effect zone. We conclude that, although the roads are breaking apart the patches by land-take, road noise not only dissects habitat patches but takes much larger proportions of or even functionally eliminates entire patches.     

Effects of noise pollution over the blood serum immunoglobulins and auditory system on the VFM airport workers, Van, Turkey

Noise pollution is a common health problem for developing countries. Especially highways and airports lead to noise pollution in different levels and in many frequencies. In this study, we focused on the effect of noise pollution in airports. This work aimed measurements of noise pollution levels in Van Ferit Melen (VFM) airport and effect of noise pollution over the immunoglobulin A, G, and M changes among VFM airport workers in Turkey. It was seen that apron and terminal workers were exposed to high noise (>80 dB(A)) without any protective precautions. Noise-induced temporary threshold shifts and noise-induced permanent threshold shifts were detected between the apron workers (p?<?0.001) and terminal workers (p?<?0.005). IgA values of apron terminal and control group workers were approximately the same in the morning and increased in a linear manner during the day. This increase was statistically significant (p?<?0.001). IgG and IgM values of apron, terminal, and control group workers were approximately same in the morning. Apron and terminal workers IgG and IgM levels were increased until noon and then decreased until evening as compare to control group, but these changes were not statically significant (p?>?0.05). These findings suggested that the noise pollution in the VFM airport could lead to hearing loss and changes in blood serum immunoglobulin levels of airport workers. Blood serum immunoglobulin changes might be due to vibrational effects of noise pollution. Airport workers should apply protective precautions against effect of noise pollution in the VFM airport.     

Evaluation of Traffic Noise Pollution in Amman, Jordan

The City of Amman, Jordan, has been subjected to persistent increase in road traffic due to overall increase in prosperity, fast development and expansion of economy, travel and tourism. This study investigates traffic noise pollution in Amman. Road traffic noise index L ₁₀(1 h) was measured at 28 locations that cover most of the City of Amman. Noise measurements were carried out at these 28 locations two times a day for a period of one hour during the early morning and early evening rush hours, in the presence and absence of a barrier. The Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN) prediction model was employed to predict noise levels at the locations chosen for the study. Data required for the model include traffic volume, speed, percentage of heavy vehicles, road surface, gradient, obstructions, distance, noise path, intervening ground, effect of shielding, and angle of view. The results of the investigation showed that the minimum and the maximum noise levels are 46 dB(A) and 81 dB(A) during day-time and 58 dB(A) and 71 dB(A) during night-time. The measured noise level exceeded the 62 dB(A) acceptable limit at most of the locations. The CTRN prediction model was successful in predicting noise levels at most of the locations chosen for this investigation, with more accurate predictions for night-time measurements.     

Immersive virtual reality and environmental noise assessment: An innovative audio–visual approach

Several international studies have shown that traffic noise has a negative impact on people's health and that people's annoyance does not depend only on noise energetic levels, but rather on multi-perceptual factors. The combination of virtual reality technology and audio rendering techniques allow us to experiment a new approach for environmental noise assessment that can help to investigate in advance the potential negative effects of noise associated with a specific project and that in turn can help designers to make educated decisions. In the present study, the audio–visual impact of a new motorway project on people has been assessed by means of immersive virtual reality technology. In particular, participants were exposed to 3D reconstructions of an actual landscape without the projected motorway (ante operam condition), and of the same landscape with the projected motorway (post operam condition). Furthermore, individuals' reactions to noise were assessed by means of objective cognitive measures (short term verbal memory and executive functions) and subjective evaluations (noise and visual annoyance). Overall, the results showed that the introduction of a projected motorway in the environment can have immediate detrimental effects of people's well-being depending on the distance from the noise source. In particular, noise due to the new infrastructure seems to exert a negative influence on short term verbal memory and to increase both visual and noise annoyance. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

灰色理论及其模型在北京典型城市区域声环境研究中的应用

以北京市某典型区域作为研究对象,在收集大量相关资料与实测历史噪声数据的基础上,对研究区域内的声环境质量影响因素进行灰色关联度分析,并运用灰色理论建立GM（1,1）模型进行预测。结果表明,影响城市区域声环境质量因素从大到小的排序依次为：机动车辆﹥常住人口数量﹥平均车流量﹥地区生产总值﹥城市道路桥梁﹥基础设施投资﹥治理噪声环保投资;以研究区域内噪声污染实测历史数据建立的GM（1,1）模型精度符合要求标准,根据GM（1,1）模型预测北京市“十二五”期间声环境质量达标且有轻微下降趋势。     

Objective approach for analysis of noise source characteristics and acoustic conditions in noisy computerized embroidery workrooms

It is highly important to analyze the acoustic properties of workrooms in order to identify best noise control measures from the standpoint of noise exposure limits. Due to the fact that sound pressure is dependent upon environments, it cannot be a suitable parameter for determining the share of workroom acoustic characteristics in producing noise pollution. This paper aims to empirically analyze noise source characteristics and acoustic properties of noisy embroidery workrooms based on special parameters. In this regard, reverberation time as the special room acoustic parameter in 30 workrooms was measured based on ISO 3382-2. Sound power quantity of embroidery machines was also determined based on ISO 9614-3. Multiple linear regression was employed for predicting reverberation time based on acoustic features of the workrooms using MATLAB software. The results showed that the measured reverberation times in most of the workrooms were approximately within the ranges recommended by ISO 11690-1. Similarity between reverberation time values calculated by the Sabine formula and measured values was relatively poor (R ²?=?0.39). This can be due to the inaccurate estimation of the acoustic influence of furniture and formula preconditions. Therefore, this value cannot be considered representative of an actual acoustic room. However, the prediction performance of the regression method with root mean square error (RMSE)?=?0.23 s and R ²?=?0.69 is relatively acceptable. Because the sound power of the embroidery machines was relatively high, these sources get the highest priority when it comes to applying noise controls. Finally, an objective approach for the determination of the share of workroom acoustic characteristics in producing noise could facilitate the identification of cost-effective noise controls.