Master Handbook of Acoustics by F. Alton Everest

Author:F. Alton Everest
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
Published: 2015-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

The Noise Survey

Factors such as land value, building cost, and rental cost must be considered when locating a business. Clearly, more desirable properties will demand higher prices. It is also expensive to provide sound isolation for a building. To identify a suitable location, while minimizing acoustically mandated construction or remodeling costs, it is important to compare potential locations on the basis of a noise-level survey. A noise-level survey conducted over a period of time is a simple procedure, but one that can yield valuable information.

In the methodology described here, a noise survey is taken “by hand” with a sound-level meter that measures only sound levels. This might seem elementary and time-wasting, but it will provide a learning experience to those conducting the survey, giving them a fundamental understanding of the process. Moreover, although it is laborious, this kind of survey is inexpensive and yields good results.

First, a single measuring point outdoors is selected that is on the proposed building site, and which appears to sample the known noisemakers of the neighborhood. A 24-hour period of measurements is then scheduled for this point. A sampling interval could be hourly, or every 15 seconds. It is suggested that a measurement be taken every minute on the minute. This yields a set of 1,440 samples, which should give a reasonable picture of the environmental noise. Readings should be taken with the sound-level meter set for A-weighting, resulting in dBA measurements.

A suggested data sheet template for recording noise measurements is shown in Fig. 16-4. Sound-level readings will not be written down as numbers, but only as slashes in the appropriate column in which the levels fall, marked in the lower part of the template. The fifth slash in any given column should be a diagonal to help in the counting later. Each column contains 3-dBA readings, such as 48—50, 72—74, and so on. Little final accuracy will be lost through this simplified 3-dBA coarseness. Once every minute, a slash will be added to this form in the appropriate column. This is the only duty until the 24-hour measurement period is completed.

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