A project report on noise pollution. This project report will help you to learn about: 1. Meaning of Noise Pollution 2. Decibel of Noise Pollution 3. Sources 4. Effects 5. Control 6. Automobile Noise Pollution 7. Noise Pollution Control in Automobiles.
Contents:
- Project Report on the Meaning of Noise Pollution
- Project Report on the Decibel of Noise Pollution
- Project Report on the Sources of Noise Pollution
- Project Report on the Effects of Noise Pollution
- Project Report on the Control of Noise Pollution
- Project Report on Automobile Noise Pollution
- Project Report on Noise Pollution Control in Automobiles
Project Report # 1. Meaning of Noise Pollution:
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Sound, a normal feature of our life, is the means of communication and entertainment in most animals, including human beings. It is also a very effective alarm system. A low sound is pleasant whereas a loud sound is unpleasant and is commonly referred to as ‘noise’. Noise can be defined as an unpleasant and unwanted sound at a wrong time and at a wrong place.
Noise is a physical form of pollution and is not directly harmful to the life supporting systems namely air, soil and water. Its effects are more directly on the receiver i.e., man. Noise pollution is the result of modern industrialised urban life and congestion due to over population.
Even though noise pollution is not fatal to human life, yet its importance cannot be overlooked because repeated exposure to noise reduces the sleeping hours and productivity or efficiency of human beings. It affects the peace of mind and invades the privacy of a human beings.
Project Report # 2. Decibel of Noise Pollution:
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Unit of measurement of sound. It is represented by dB is ratio expressed as the logarithmic scale relative to a reference sound pressure level
dB = 10 log I/I0
where
I = Intensity of unknown sound in watt/m2
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I0 = Reference sound intensity in watt/m2
Project Report # 3. Sources of Noise Pollution:
Major sources of noise pollution are:
i. Industrial Sources:
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Progress in technology (industrialisation) has resulted in creating noise pollution. Textile mills, printing presses, engineering establishments and metal works etc. contribute heavily towards noise pollution.
ii. Transport Vehicles:
Automobile revolution in urban centres has proved to be a big source of noise pollution. Increasing traffic has given rise to traffic jams in congested areas where the repeated hooting of horns by impatient drivers pierce the ears of all road users. Noise from airplanes constitutes an increasing serious problem in big cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
Airport situated in the vicinity of population centres and the airplanes pass over residential areas. Heavy trucks, buses, trains, jet-planes, motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, jeeps the list of vehicles is endless but the outcome is same-noise pollution.
iii. Household:
The household is an industry in itself and is a source of many indoor noises such as the banging of doors, noise of playing children, crying of infants, moving of furniture, loud conversation of the inhabitants etc.
Besides these are the entertainment equipment’s in the house, namely the radio, record-players and television sets. Domestic gadgets like the mixer grinders, pressure cookers, desert coolers, air-conditioners, exhaust fans, vacuum cleaners, sewing and washing machines are all indoor sources of noise pollution.
iv. Public Address System:
In India people need only the slightest of an excuse for using loud speakers. The reason may be religious function, birth, death, marriage, elections, demonstration, or just commercial advertising. Public system, therefore, contributes in its own way towards noise pollution.
v. Road Traffic Noise:
Vehicles on road produce irritation for more people than any other noise source. Traffic noise has been increasing over the years continuously. This is because of steady increase of the number of road vehicles and consequently increase of road traffic density.
Traffic speed is one of the major causes of noise. The noise volume increases with increase in traffic speed. Modern highway and traffic systems encourage higher speeds.
Road traffic noise varies depending on a number of operating factors of vehicle and also on traffic density and the hour of day in general, on Urban roads there are distinct traffic peaks in the morning and evening as people travel to and from work (e.g., 10: hrs. and 18:00hrs). Heavy diesel-engine trucks are the noisiest vehicles on roads now.
Traffic noise is accurately measured in dB and noise levels given on the L (18 hr) index.
This situation is in UK. The actual noise limits in force in residential areas are obviously different in different countries. Thus, the limits for diesel or petrol engine cars are 70 dB in U.K. 83 dB in France, 70 dB in Switzerland and 80 dB in India.
The central pollution board (India) has prescribed permissible sound levels for cities, divided into four zones.
Miscellaneous Sources:
The automobile repair shops, construction – works, blasting, bulldozing, stone crushing etc. are other sources of noise pollution.
Project Report # 4. Effects of Noise Pollution:
Noise is generally harmful and a serious health hazard. It has far reaching consequences and has many physical, physiological as well as psychological effects on human beings.
i. Physical Effects:
The physical manifestation of noise pollution is the effects on hearing ability. Repeated exposure to noise may result in temporary or permanent shifting of the hearing threshold of a person depending upon the level during the exposure.
The immediate and acute effect of noise pollution is impairment of hearing (i.e., total deafness). Human ears have sensory cells for hearing, if these cells are subjected to repeated sound of high intensity before they have an opportunity to recover fully can become permanently damage leading to impairment of hearing.
ii. Physiological Effects:
The physiological manifestation of noise pollution are as mentioned below:
(a) Headache by dilating blood vessels of the brains.
(b) Increase in the rate of heart – beat.
(c) Narrowing of arteries.
(d) Fluctuations in the arterial blood pressure by increasing the level of cholesterol in the blood.
(e) Decrease in heart output.
(f) Pain in the heart.
(g) Digestive spasms through anxiety and dilution of the pupil of the eye, thereby causing eye-strain.
(h) Impairment of night vision.
(i) Decrease in the rate of colour perception.
(j) Lowering of concentration and effect on memory.
(k) Muscular strain and nervous breakdown.
iii. Psychological Effects:
The psychological manifestation of noise pollution are:
(a) Depression and fatigue which considerably reduce the efficiency of a person.
(b) Insomnia as a result of lack of undisturbed and refreshing sleep.
(c) Straining of senses and annoyance as a result of slow but persistent noise from motorcycle alarm clocks, call bells, telephone rings etc.
(d) Affecting of psychomotor performance of a sudden loud sound.
(e) Emotional disturbance.
Table gives the acceptable noise level for buildings and human health.
Boiling point of the ear the intensity exceeds 120 db. such as 130 is very painful sensation which is termed as boiling point of the ear.
Project Report # 5. Control of Noise Pollution:
It is evident that noise is not merely a nuisance but is a serious environmental problem and a health hazard. Like all other pollutions, noise pollution needs to controlled by measures which will maintain the acceptable levels of noise pollution for human beings and buildings.
Noise pollution can be effectively controlled by taking the following measures:
i. Control at Receiver’s End:
For people working in noisy installations ear-protection aids like earplugs, ear-muffs, noise helmets, headphones etc. must be provided to reduce occupational exposure.
Ear plugs are simple to use, inexpensive and can be relatively comfortable.
Ear Muffs – provides a complete cushion entirely surrounding and isolating each ear.
Helmets – normally consists of a shells of reinforced and glass fibre lined with sound proofing material formed into a close filling seal around the face and neck together with fitted ear pad or ear proofs.
ii. Suppression of Noise at Source:
This is possible if working methods are improved by:
(a) Designing, fabricating and using quiet machines to replace the noisy ones.
(b) Proper lubrication and better maintenance of machines.
(c) Installing noise machines in sound proof chambers.
(d) Covering noise-producing machine parts with sound-absorbing materials to check noise production.
(e) Reducing the noise produced from a vibrating machine by vibration damping i.e. making a layer of damping material (rubber, neoprene, cork or plastic) beneath the machines.
(f) Using mufflers silencers to control noise from automobiles, ducts, exhausts etc. and convey system with ends opening into the atmosphere.
(g) Using glass wool or mineral wool covered with a sheet of perforated metal for the purpose of mechanical protection.
iii. Acoustic Zoning:
Increased distance between source and receiver by zoning of noisy industrial areas. Bus terminals and railway stations, aerodromes etc. away from the residential areas would go a long way in minimising noise pollution. There should be silence zones near the residential area, educational instatements and above all, near hospitals.
iv. Sound Insulation at Construction Stages:
(a) Sound travels through the cracks that get left between the door and the wall. For reducing noise, this space (jamb frame gap) should be packed with sound absorbing material.
(b) Sound insulation can be done by constructing windows with double or triple panes of glass and filling the gaps with sound absorbing materials.
(c) Acoustical tiles, perforated plywood etc. can be fixed on walls, ceilings, floors etc. to reduce noise (especially for sound proof recording rooms etc.)
v. Planting of Trees:
Planting green trees and shrubs along roads, hospitals, educational institutions etc., help in noise reduction to a considerable extent.
vi. Legislative Measures:
Strict legislative measures need to be enforced to curb the menace of noise pollution.
Some of these measures could be:
(a) Minimum use of loud speakers and amplifiers especially near silence zones.
(b) Banning pressure horns in automobiles.
(c) Framing a separate Noise Pollution Act.
Project Report # 6. Automobile Noise Pollution:
Automobile noise pollution is assuming increasing dimensions with increase in the number of vehicles and urbanisation. The explosion of gases inside the engine cylinder puts a forces on the bearings, causing the outside of the engine to vibrate and produce noise. Wheeling buses and racing cars and trucks are yet another source of noise produced due to the friction of tyres on road.
Most annoying source, however, is horn honking and driving silencer-less vehicles. Diesel engine trucks are generally 10 dB nosier than petrol engine trucks and 12 to 18 dB nosier than cars. Technologies for noise emissions control and legislative measures regarding the use of horn and silencers have been discussed.
i. Motor Vehicle Noise:
Motor cycles and scooters to produce noise for fun. Horn honking is a major source of noise in our areas. Drivers have long been notorious for their horn honking, they honk not only at other vehicles but also at people walking along the road, especially pretty girls.
The surface transportation threshold noise levels recommended by MCGB are based on landscape categories e.g., residential, business, commercial, industrial etc. Highway noise in the collective contribution of noise produced by individual motor vehicles. Today, highway vehicles continue to have a tremendous noise impact.
ii. Rail Transport Noise 90-110 dB:
Rail transport noise results from operations of railcars, locomotives and warning signals. The major source of noise are railway wheel noise and population system noise. Fast trains produce more noise due to friction of wheels on the railway tracks. Noise levels in subways are harsh. Many commuters spend considerable period daily on subways, where the sound levels are very close to 90 dB or even higher.
iii. Aircraft Noise 100-110 dB:
The take-off and landing of an aircraft produce noise. The higher the speed of an aircraft, the greater is the noise pollution. Another source of noise pollution connected with aircrafts is scaring of birds. One method of moving birds from air field is to scare them with strong noise stimuli.
Various types of devices for noise making have been used for this purpose. Air craft noise has become a problem now-a-days. It has become an increasing sources of annoyance to the large number of people who live in the vicinity of air ports.
Project Report # 7. Noise Pollution Control in Automobiles:
For noise emission control, the only alternative is to reduce noise at sources.
This could be done by:
(a) Avoiding the engine enclosure as far as possible.
(b) Alternating the timings of fuel injection and the control of airflow to the cylinder.
(c) Reduce the coupling between the engine block and the engine head.
(d) By reducing the engine revolution per minute.
(e) By increasing the size of silencer. 