1. Home
  2. RIP
  3. View Record
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27432/critical-issues-in-transportation-for-2024-and-beyond

Project 24 - Noise Exposure Response: Annoyance

The goal of PARTNER Project 24 is to develop a deeper understanding of how noise affects annoyance in communities in proximity to airports. The ultimate aim is to construct models that can be coupled with sound prediction models to predict annoyance that would result from future airport developments or changes in air traffic patterns. Part of the research is focused on assessing how different attributes (loudness, spectral balance, roughness, tonality, and fluctuation strength) of aircraft noise can impact annoyance. Currently, only average level is considered in many environmental noise metrics, though it is known that other attributes can negatively impact annoyance; for example, the presence of discernable pitches (tones). Another aspect of the research is focused on understanding the impact of low frequency noise on annoyance. High levels of low frequency noise can cause vibration and rattle and sometimes people can feel as well as hear the sounds. This might be a particular problem for transient sounds from next-generation supersonic aircraft. Included in Project 24 activities is a design study for the development of a portable indoor sonic boom/noise simulator. This device would allow researchers to "boom" existing residences with arbitrary waveforms and survey people to determine annoyance caused by the "booms." It could also be used to characterize the physical responses of different types of construction and improve sound transmission models for prediction of noise exposure indoors. This device could also be used for subsonic studies of noise transmission and human response. In another part of Project 24, researchers are investigating whether knowledge of the noise source (e.g., air, road, rail) influences annoyance, and, if so, how to quantify that source dependence in the annoyance model. Metrics will be developed to better account for cumulative effect of noise events over time. Such models could help project the annoyance impact of an airline switching to a quieter fleet but increasing the number of daily operations. Another part of the research has been focused on gathering old survey data to determine if it is feasible to use it in validation of proposed annoyance models that take into account sound attributes other than average level. While noise is identified as the top environmental concern in most surveys of communities near airports, current annoyance models are relatively simple and do not fully take into account the complexity of human response to sound. Project 24 research will result in more accurate tools to predict how a community will react to changes in airport operations. The results will help planners and policymakers assess more effective approaches to address problems and reduce negative impact.

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Completed
  • Funding: $405000.00
  • Contract Numbers:

    Grant 10896541

    Grant 1096541

  • Sponsor Organizations:

    Federal Aviation Administration

    800 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, DC  United States  20591
  • Project Managers:

    Hileman, James

    Maurice, Lourdes

  • Performing Organizations:

    Purdue University, West Lafayette

    610 Purdue Mall
    West Lafayette, IN  United States  47907-2040

    Pennsylvania State University, University Park

    210 Old Main
    University Park, PA  United States  16802-1589
  • Principal Investigators:

    Waitz, Ian

  • Start Date: 20120510
  • Expected Completion Date: 0
  • Actual Completion Date: 0
  • Source Data: RiP Project 30574

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01572521
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: Department of Transportation
  • Contract Numbers: Grant 10896541, Grant 1096541
  • Files: RIP
  • Created Date: Aug 8 2015 1:01AM