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At least 73 records · Page 4

Noise effects on passenger communication in light aircraft

This paper considers the effect of noise on conversation between two persons seated in a close, side-by-side position such as in a small aircraft. Twelve pairs of subjects were required to converse while being exposed to noises of various levels and spectra similar to those currently found in general aviation aircraft. After a period of noise exposure, subjects rated the disruptive effect of the noise on conversation and judged the acceptability of the noise. Subjective estimates of the maximum times for pleasant conversation in the noises were also obtained.

Rupf, J. A.↗

Validation of Aircraft Noise Prediction Models at Low Levels of Exposure

Aircraft noise measurements were made at Denver International Airport for a period of four weeks. Detailed operational information was provided by airline operators which enabled noise levels to be predicted using the FAA's Integrated Noise Model. Several thrust prediction techniques were evaluated. Measured sound exposure levels for departure operations were found to be 4 to 10 dB higher than predicted, depending on the thrust prediction technique employed. Differences between measured and predicted levels are shown to be related to atmospheric conditions present at the aircraft altitude.

Page, Juliet A.↗

Validation of Aircraft Noise Prediction Models at Low Levels of Exposure

Aircraft noise measurements were made at Denver International Airport for a period of four weeks. Detailed operational information was provided by airline operators which enabled noise levels to be predicted using the FAA's Integrated Noise Model. Several thrust prediction techniques were evaluated. Measured sound exposure levels for departure operations were found to be 4 to 10 dB higher than predicted, depending on the thrust prediction technique employed. Differences between measured and predicted levels are shown to be related to atmospheric conditions present at the aircraft altitude.

Page, Juliet A.↗

Evaluation of noise pollution level based upon community exposure and response data

The results and procedures are reported from an evaluation of noise pollution level as a predictor of annoyance, based on aircraft noise exposure and community response data. The measures of noise exposure presented include composite noise rating, noise exposure forecast, noise and number index. A proposed measure as a universal noise exposure measure for noise pollution level (L sub NP) is discussed.

Edmiston, R. D.↗

On the Modeling of Urban Air Mobility Vehicle Takeoff and Landing Operations in the FAA Aviation Environmental Design Tool

Urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles are anticipated to operate in close proximity to the public. A possible barrier to the introduction of UAM vehicles as a transit solution is their community noise impact, particularly around vertiports. The Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) is the mandated tool to assess aircraft noise and other environmental impacts due to federal actions at civilian airports, vertiports, or in U.S. airspace for commercial flight operations. However, AEDT was designed to model fixed-wing aircraft and conventional helicopter operations, not UAM vehicles. Prior work by the authors showed significant differences in noise contours of UAM departures and approaches when modeling operations as fixed-wing and helicopter types in AEDT. This paper identifies the sources of those differences. Additionally, a NASA time-marching simulation tool is used to generate noise exposure predictions for equivalent operations to help identify differences associated with the noise model implemented in AEDT and offer possible changes to assess UAM community noise impact more consistently with simulation-based modeling.

aeroacoustics↗

On the Modeling of Urban Air Mobility Vehicle Takeoff and Landing Operations in the FAA Aviation Environmental Design Tool

Urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles are anticipated to operate in close proximity to the public. A possible barrier to the introduction of UAM vehicles as a transit solution is their community noise impact, particularly around vertiports. The Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) is the mandated tool to assess aircraft noise and other environmental impacts due to federal actions at civilian airports, vertiports, or in U.S. airspace for commercial flight operations. However, AEDT was designed to model fixed-wing aircraft and conventional helicopter operations, not UAM vehicles. Prior work by the authors showed significant differences in noise contours of UAM departures and approaches when modeling operations as fixed-wing and helicopter types in AEDT. This paper identifies the sources of those differences. Additionally, a NASA time-marching simulation tool is used to generate noise exposure predictions for equivalent operations to help identify differences associated with the noise model implemented in AEDT and offer possible changes to assess UAM community noise impact more consistently with simulation-based modeling.

aeroacoustics↗

Subjective Response to Simulated Sonic Booms in Homes

One of the environmental issues affecting the development of a second-generation supersonic commercial transport is the impact of sonic booms on people. Aircraft designers are attempting to design the transport to produce sonic boom signatures that will have minimum impact on the public. Current supersonic commercial aircraft produce an 'N-wave' sonic boom pressure signature that is considered unacceptable by the public. This has resulted in first-generation supersonic transports being banned from flying supersonic over land in the United States, a severe economic constraint. By tailoring aircraft volume and lift distributions, designers hope to produce sonic boom signatures having specific shapes other than 'N-wave' that may be more acceptable to the public. As part of the effort to develop a second-generation supersonic commercial transport, Langley Research Center is conducting research to study people's subjective response to sonic booms. As part of that research, a system was developed for performing studies of the subjective response of people to the occurrence of simulated sonic booms in their homes. The In-Home Noise Generation/Response System (IHONORS) provides a degree of situational realism not available in the laboratory and a degree of control over the noise exposure not found in community surveys. The computer-controlled audio system generates the simulated sonic booms, measures the noise levels, and records the subjects' ratings and can be placed and operated in individual homes for extended periods of time. The system was used to conduct an in-home study of subjective response to simulated sonic booms. The primary objective of the study was to determine the effect on annoyance of the number of sonic boom occurrences in a realistic environment. The effects on annoyance of several other parameters were also examined. Initially, data analyses were based on all the data collected. However, further analyser found that test subjects adapted to the sonic booms during the first few days of exposure. The first eight days of each testing period consisted of eight introductory exposures that were repeated on randomly selected days later in the testing period. Comparison of the introductory exposures with their repeats indicated that the test subjects adapted to the new sonic boom noise environment during the first days of the testing period. Because of the adaptation occurring, the introductory days were deleted from the ds set and the analyses redone. This paper presents the updated analyses. Elimination of the introductory days did not significantly affect the results and conclusions of the initial analyses. This paper also presents analyses of the effects on annoyance of additional factors in the study not previously examined.

McCurdy, David A.↗

Characterization of Urban Air Mobility Vehicle Operational Noise and Community Noise Impact

This presentation focuses on the process for predicting urban air mobility (UAM) vehicle noise at the source and how that can be used to estimate and mitigate the impact on the community. Following conceptual design, in which the vehicle is appropriately sized for its intended mission, a comprehensive analysis must be performed for a range of operating conditions spanning the flight envelope to determine the corresponding configurations of the vehicle, that is, the trimmed states. Many UAM vehicles have redundant controls, so the trimmed state for any particular operating condition may not be unique, with some states producing more noise than others. For each trimmed state, the noise produced by each source, for example, steady and unsteady rotor noise, inclusive of propulsion airframe aeroacoustic effects, may be computed and so-called source noise (hemi)spheres generated. The data may be used for analyses supporting noise certification or serve as input to auralizations (turning the numerical data into an audible sound) that can subsequently be used as part of a perception-influenced acoustic design process. Land use planning tools, including those using simulation and integrated modeling approaches, also use these (or derived) data to generate noise exposure maps on the ground. Finally, the data may be used to support development of low noise flight operations using an acoustic flight simulator or acoustically aware flight control.

urban air mobility↗

Reduced-Noise Gas Flow Design Guide Developed as a Noise-Control Design Tool for Meeting Glenn's Hearing Conservation and Community Noise Goals

A Reduced-Noise Gas Flow Design Guide has been developed for the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field by Nelson Acoustical Engineering of Elgin, Texas. Gas flow systems are a significant contributor to t he noise exposure landscape at Glenn. Because of the power of many of these systems, hearing conservation and community noise are importan t issues. The purpose of the Guide is to allow Glenn engineers and de signers to address noise emission and control at the design stage by using readily available system parameters. Although the Guide was deve loped with Glenn equipment and systems in mind, it is expected to hav e wide application in industry.

Cooper, Beth A.↗

An in-home study of subjective response to simulated sonic booms

The proposed development of a second-generation supersonic commercial transport has resulted in increased research efforts to provide an environmentally acceptable aircraft. One of the environmental issues is the impact of sonic booms on people. Aircraft designers are attempting to design the transport to produce sonic boom signatures that will have minimum impact on the public. Current supersonic commercial aircraft produce an 'N-wave' sonic boom pressure signature that is considered unacceptable by the public. This has resulted in first-generation supersonic transports being banned from flying supersonically over land in the United States, a severe economic constraint. By tailoring aircraft volume and lift distributions, designers hope to produce sonic boom signatures having specific shapes other than 'N-wave' that may be more acceptable to the public and could possibly permit overland supersonic flight. As part of the effort to develop a second-generation supersonic commercial transport, Langley Research Center is conducting research to study people's subjective response to sonic booms. As part of that research, a system was developed for performing studies of the subjective response of people to the occurrence of simulated sonic booms in their homes. The In-Home Noise Generation/Response System (IHONORS) provides a degree of situational realism not available in the laboratory and a degree of control over the noise exposure not found in community surveys. The computer-controlled audio system generates the simulated sonic booms, measures the noise levels, and records the subjects' rating and can be placed and operated in individuals' homes for extended periods of time. The system was used to conduct an in-home study of subjective response to simulated sonic booms. The primary objective of the study was to determine the effect on annoyance of the number of sonic boom occurrences in a realistic environment.

Mccurdy, David A.↗

Hearing loss in space

BACKGROUND: Temporary and, in some cases, permanent hearing loss has been documented after long-duration spaceflights. METHODS: We examined all existing published data on hearing loss after space missions to characterize the losses. RESULTS: Data from Russian missions suggest that the hearing loss, when it occurs, affects mainly mid to high frequencies and that using hearing protection often might prevent the loss. Several significant questions remain about hearing loss in space. While the hearing loss has been presumed to be noise-induced, no clear link has been established between noise exposure and hearing loss during spaceflight. In one documented case of temporary hearing loss from the Shuttle-Mir program, the pattern of loss was atypical for a noise-induced loss. Continuous noise levels that have been measured on the Mir and previous space stations, while above engineering standards, are not at levels usually associated with hearing loss in ground-based studies (which have usually been limited to 8-10 h exposure periods). Attempts to measure hearing in space using threshold-based audiograms have been unsuccessful in both the American and Russian programs due to noise interference with the measurements. CONCLUSIONS: The existing data highlight the need for reliable monitoring of both hearing and noise in long-duration spaceflight.

manned↗

Noise Considerations for V/STOL Transports

Noise consideration may well be as important a factor in future aircraft concept selection as such economic factors as operating cost and profitability. The impact of noise on some of the design and operational aspects of future V/STOL transports is examined in detail, including consideration of configuration, attitude-control system, lift system, and terminal flight pattern. Extended vertical rise of VTOL aircraft as a method of limiting the intense noise exposure to the terminal area is shown to be only partially effective as well as costly. Comparisons are made of noise contours for conceptual V/STOL transports for several PNdB criteria. The variation in extent of affected area with configuration and criterion emphasizes the importance of establishing an "acceptable" noise level for "city-center" operation.

Kenyon, George C.↗

Community Noise Impact of Urban Air Mobility Vehicle Operations

Advanced air mobility (AAM) missions, carried out by electrically driven air vehicles, are characterized by ranges of less than about 300-500 nm (about 500-900 km) and include both rural and urban operations. The missions may include public transportation, cargo delivery, air taxi, and emergency response. While the urban air mobility (UAM) subset of AAM is projected to have high economic benefit, it is also the most difficult to develop because it must overcome many barriers, including those associated with the airspace system, safety, and community noise. This presentation focuses on the utilization of UAM source noise data for assessment of community noise impact. Although a limited number of acoustic flight measurement campaigns have been made to characterize the source noise of prototype and preproduction UAM aircraft, prediction-based approaches are primarily considered herein. Following conceptual design, in which the vehicle is appropriately sized for its intended mission, a comprehensive analysis must be performed for a range of operating conditions spanning the flight envelope to determine the corresponding configurations of the vehicle, that is, the trimmed states. For each trimmed state, the noise produced by each source, for example, steady and unsteady rotor noise, may be computed and so-called source noise (hemi)spheres generated. These source data may subsequently be used in various community noise impact analyses. Several use cases are presented including those supporting noise certification and those for auralizations that may, in turn, be used as part of a perception-influenced design process. Land use planning tools for generating noise exposure maps, including those using simulation and integrated modeling approaches, are also presented. Finally, use cases supporting development of low noise flight operations, including an acoustic flight simulator and acoustically aware flight control, are considered.

aircraft community noise↗

Preliminary evaluation of the effect of a dynamic preferential runway system upon community noise disturbance

A dynamic preferential runway system (DPRS) was developed for John F. Kennedy International Airport for the purpose of controlling short term noise exposure in the neighboring communities. The DPRS is a computer-aided procedure for optimum selection of runways from the standpoint of noise and is based upon a community disturbance model which takes into account flyover levels, size of exposed populations, time of day and week, and persistence of overflights. A preliminary evaluation of the DPRS is presented on the basis of social survey data and telephone complaint records, for the trial period of August and September, 1971. Comparative use is made of data taken in a previous survey of the same community areas in 1969.

Patterson, H. P.↗

Medium-Sized Helicopter Noise Abatement Flight Test

An extensive flight test campaign was recently completed which aims to reduce the noise generated by helicopters in an effort to improve community acceptance. Using a ground-based microphone array, acoustic measurements were acquired on helicopters in the medium-size vehicle weight class over a number of flight conditions including steady level flight, steady descents, and approaches. While data were collected across four helicopters, the Leonardo AW139 and Sikorsky S-76D will be the focus of this paper. The extent of measured ground noise con- tours was limited due to the site constraints. Thus, the Noise Informed Community Environment Operations Planning System (NICEOPS) in conjunction with the flight test data was used to estimate how changes in the operating procedures impact noise exposure over a wider area during approaches. It was found that even small longitudinal accelerations can have a substantial influence on the noise generation processes during approach and must be modeled appropriately to develop new flight procedures which minimize the acoustic impact on the ground.

Flight Testing↗

Laboratory and community studies of aircraft noise effects

The noise effects programs objective is to develop aircraft noise criteria and noise reduction methods for achieving greater community and passenger acceptance of air transportation systems. The approach consists of laboratory tests to subjectively evaluate the properties of aircraft-generated noise that are responsible for causing annoyance and field surveys to study the broader problems of community and passenger acceptability. The program is organized into two major thrusts: community acceptance and passenger acceptance. The community acceptance includes subjective response studies of single and multiple aircraft overflights as well as longer term community noise exposure. Emphasis is on the development of units and indices which accurately quantify annoyance. The passenger acceptance program includes studies to determine acceptably levels of interior noise and vibration for speech intelligibility and comfort of crew and passengers. Selected results from several recent studies are presented to indicate the nature, scope, and methods of the research program.

Stephens, D. G.↗

Community response to aircraft noise.

Organized community resistance to any plan of airport development has become so intense that noise exposure is a primary consideration in plans for new airports, runway extensions, and the introduction of new types of aircraft. Approaches for evaluating the amount of aircraft noise and the annoyance produced by it are discussed. The sociometric studies considered show that fear of crash is the strongest single variable.

Whitten, R. P.↗