Noise, its measurement, Physiological

Effects and Control

Dheeraj Gunwant
Ph. D. (Mechanical Engineering)
Id. No. 41268
Department of Mechanical
Engineering
G. B. P. U. A. T., Pantnagar
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Contents:
Introduction
Operator Exposure to Noise
Sound Pressure Level
Sources of noise in a Tractor
Physiological Effects of Noise on Operator
Overall Effect of Several Noise Levels
Different Sources and Levels of Noise
OSHAs (Occupational Safety and Health Act) Noise
Criteria
Protection From Noise

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 Introduction:
Human Engineering or Ergonomics deals with the aspect of
man-machine system which means modifying the product or
machine to fit the operator.
Different factors which need to be considered in tractor/farm
machinery design from human factor point of view are:
Operator-Machine interface.
Operator exposure to environmental factors.
Location, arrangement and easy operation of controls.
Operator Seating.
Noise and its Control.
Vibration and its Control.

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 Operator Exposure to Noise:
Noise is defined as acoustic sound; and is wasted energy
damaging to human ear; characterized by frequency, amplitude
and phase.
Noise is one of the important factors which needs to be
considered while designing any farm machinery in general.
The simplest noise is a pure tone that is sinusoidal in nature as
shown in the figure below.
The frequency is given by:

Where, is the time period in seconds. Time

4 Fig.1. A sinusoidal pure tone

 Operator Exposure to Noise (contd)

The magnitude of noise is usually expressed in terms of

RMS (root mean square) value, given by:

Noise is measured with the help of Noise level meter or

Decibel meter which has got three frequency weighing
scales A, B and C (expressed in terms of dB).
A scale is generally used for frequencies that can be
detected by human ear.

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 Sound Pressure Level:
It is expressed as sound pressure level (SPL) relative to
reference sound pressure.

Where,
Measured RMS sound pressure .
Reference sound pressure.

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 Sources of Noise in a Tractor:
Various sources of noise in tractors are:
Tractor engine
Engine exhausts Tractors generate sound in the range
Intake
of 125-500Hz while the hearing range
Combustion
FI pump of human ear is 16-22000 Hz.
Valve train
Gears
Crank Shaft
Engine Fan
Bearings

Hydraulic System
Differential Gearbox
Brakes
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 Physiological Effects of Noise On Operator:
According to Nebraskas Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) tractor tests, the noise at operators site
should be in the range of 89-98dB.
Noise associated with various farm machineries may have
following main effects on the operator.
Lowering of concentration.
Fatigue due to longer exposure and interference which
decreases the speed, quality and precision of work.
Hearing loss due to continuous and prolonged exposure to high
levels.

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 Physiological Effects of Noise On Operator (contd)

Damage to hearing caused by noise (temporary and

permanent) due to hearing threshold.
Heart rate of tractor operator increases with increased
exposure of noise.
Greater incidence of physical illness and increased strain
among those exposed to high intensity noise.

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 Overall Effect of Several Noise Levels:
Three methods are used for determination of combined
effect of several noise levels.
By using table given below for combining decibels of
multiple noise sources:

Table 1: Determining combined decibels of multiple noise sources

By combining all the sources together:

The sound power of two or more than two sources can be
combined by using the following equation:
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 Overall Effect of Several Noise Levels (contd)

Where, is the combined power level, dB.

are the power levels of individual machines.
By using the following chart:

Fig.2. Determining the combined decibels of multiple noise

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 Different Sources and Levels of Noise:

Table 2: Different sources and Levels of Noise

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 OSHAs (Occupational Safety and Health Act)
Noise Criteria: For every 5dB increase
in the noise level, the
exposure time is halved.
Table 3: OSHAs noise criteria

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 Protection From Noise:
The following measures can be taken to control noise.
Control at source of sound. Proper lubrication of machine
Rubber mounting
Replace the machine with quieter machines / replacing noisy
components.
Enclosing the source.
Modifying the acoustic properties of the surroundings (damping or
materials such as fiber glass, foams etc.)
Modifying noise path by using acoustic barriers (noise can be reduced
by 5-8 dB (A), cabs can reduce noise levels by 20 dB (A)).
Using personal protective devices such as ear plugs / earmuffs.
Proper layout of machines.
Reduction in exposure time of workers.
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 Thank You!!!

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