Noise and Vibration Control

Author(s): G. H. FERGUSON
Source: Canadian Public Health Journal, Vol. 31, No. 12 (DECEMBER, 1940), pp. 613-618
Published by: Canadian Public Health Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41978045 .
Accessed: 15/06/2014 00:18

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Canadian Public Health Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to
Canadian Public Health Journal.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.210 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:18:13 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Noise and Vibration Control

G. H. FERGUSON, B.A.Sc.
Chief, Public Health EngineeringDivision,
Departmentof Pensions and National Health, Ottawa

TVTOISE, along withmanyothersocial evils thrustupon us by the complexity

of modernurban life and accepted with resignationas a necessarycon-
comitantof a highlyindustrializedsociety,has at last been given recognitionas
a genuinesocial evil,and thatthe task of its abatementis not a hopelessone has
beendemonstrated by theactivitiesof the Noise AbatementCommissionof New
York City.
Centralizationof trafficand industryin citieshas so intensified
the destruc-
tive effectsof vibrationand noise as to constitutethese conditionsa major
engineeringproblem. Various circumstancesinteract to bring this about.
Transitdevelopment, as well as growingstreettraffic,bringsa rapid and con-
tinualincreasein the sourcesof vibrationand noise. Increased traffic facilities
are accompaniedby increasedheightof buildings,and since the susceptibility to
vibrationof steel or concretestructuresincreaseswith theirheight,the effects
of vibrationare intensified.Modern businessconditionsincrease human sus-
ceptibility,moreover,so thatvibrationand noise becomea menaceto health.
It has been estimatedthat 80 per cent of the noise in all districtsexcept
industrialones is caused by traffic.An investigation tendsto show thatit is the
interrupting and loud noises thatirritateand perturb.
The noise problemis serious,as noise breeds noise. Loud trafficnoises
requireloud warningsignals. This increasesthedin and in turncalls forlouder
warningsignals. Note, for instance,the sirens in use by the Police and Fire
Departmentsat the presenttime. A fewyearsago a warninggong was all that
was necessaryand it could be heardforblocks.
Noise in industryis due to the runningof machineryand to actionseffected
by machines ; to vibrationand din caused by partsof machinesthatare not well
equilibrated ; to transmissiongear,such as defectivedrivingbeltsor bad running;
to such tools as hammersand saws; and to the manipulationand transportof
material.
The noisytrades-havebeen classifiedas follows:
Metallurgicaltrades. Smeltingand casting,especiallyfettling and removing
sand by meansof pneumatichammers; mechanicalstampingby steamhammers;
rolling,beatingand drawingmetals; and forgework. But the noisiestwork of
all is riveting,eitherby hand or mechanically.In this lattercase the hammer
maybe rigidor movable,and eitherheld in the hand or fixedon a rest. Auto-
maticrivetingmaybe carriedout by means of compressedair, steam,or electric
power. A different technique,whereinhydraulicpressuretakes the place of the
blow, is noiseless. The unpleasantconditionsthat accompanyrivetingvary
accordingto the methodemployed,dependingon the workman'sposition,and
613

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.210 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:18:13 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
614 Canadian Public Health Journal

on augmentation of noise by resonance,accordingas the work is carriedon in

the open air or not, in workshopsor even inside boilers,reservoirs,and gaso-
metersthatare being riveted. The mechanicalcleaningof boilersby means of
pneumaticpicks,delivering6,000 blowsa minute,is also verytryingwork. The
cutting,milling,planing,boring,and drillingof metals,all of whichmake dis-
cordantsounds, must also be classed among noisy operations. The polishing
of metalsand solderingoperations,especiallywiththe electricarc, make a shrill
whistlingnoise; thegas blow-pipemakesmoreraspingsounds.
: Weaving and spinning. In flax spinningthe noisest
Textile industries
operationsare thoseof preparationand spinning; mechanicalcombingand card-
ing are less noisy; bleachingof cottonis very noisy. In the garment-making
industriesthe sewingmachineis an extremelynoisyfactor.
Felt industry: The mechanicalprocessesof pullingout and scrapingthe
hair,and also hair clipping,are verynoisy.
Transportindustries: Especially railways. Workers in the workshops,
mechanics,stokers,and engine-drivers are all exposed to the din and whistling
of thetrains,and also to noisesfromoil engines(Mazout), fromwhichthe hum
of the combustionis far louderthanfromcoal-drivenengines.
Building trade: Noisy operationsare stone-breaking, construction of tun-
nels,breakingdown walls and foundationsby use of pneumaticpicks,and work
on buildingstonewithstonesaws.
Other noisyindustriesare : the manufactureof cement , of earthenware,of
refractory of
goods, porcelain, and of emery wheels ; the wood industryincluding
sawing,smoothingand planing; flourmills, chemicalindustries',extractionof
oil by pressure; manufactureof india-rubbergoods; multigraphing processes,
especiallythoseconnectedwithrapid printingpresses; telephonework, fromthe
cracklingnoises in the instrument;telegraphy , fromthe noise caused by the
apparatus and the operators; gunpowder and armament industry : while testing
firearms,manufacturing rifles,and tendingshootingranges.
Apart fromthesevarious sourcesof noise, mustbe noted,in all industries
and in everyplace, dull noise and vibrationof the ground and walls, due to
machineryin rapid motion,such as dynamos,motors,and drivingbelts; and,
above all, worncog wheels. Increasein thesenoisesis due partlyto thedevelop-
mentof machinery, and also to the factthatmodernconcretebuildingsare first-
rateconductorsof sound.
All theworkmenemployed,say, in copperworks,ironworks,or a big ship-
buildingyard are not exposed to an equal degree to the noises peculiar to the
industry. The differences may amountto a slighteffect,or to double,ten-fold,
or a hundred-fold effect, thismay go on foryears. Besides, in some work-
and
shops the noise may be deafeningin some places, but quite bearableelsewhere,
in
e.g. stampingout metaland in factoriesforstampedmetalboxes. The degree
ofnoise so variesaccordingto the machinerythatin workshopswhichare essen-
tiallyvibratingand noisy,theremay be, as a matterof fact,cornerswhichare
tolerablyquiet. In boilermaking,for instance,those who are most exposed to
noise are theyoungapprenticeswho help the rivetersby holdingup rivetsfrom
insidethe boilers,whilsttheyare beinghammeredhome. The same applies to

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.210 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:18:13 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Noise and Vibration Control 615

boiler-scrapers, young boys who go inside boilers in works and on ships to

removethe scale.
It is also necessaryto mentionshops and modernoffices. The latterare
speciallynoisy; this is due to several causes: the cost of modern buildings,
which makes it necessaryto economize.as far as possible in space; and new
methodsof organizationwhichtend to createa moderncentralofficeinsteadof
an officeforeach department.The numberof officemachinesgoes on increas-
ing; thereare machinesfortyping,calculating,binding,classifying, multiplying
copies,and addressing. As in the case of factories,modernbuildingsare hard
and fireproof, and are builtof concretein such a way that theydo not absorb
sounds,whichis accentuatedby thefactthatthereare rarelyany curtains,hang-
ings,or carpetsto deadenthesound. Then again officesmaybe situatedin noisy
streets,quiet one day and busy the next. In summerthere is the additional
complicationofferedby open windows.
Noises act byintensity, pitchand tone. The mostintenseare themostinjur-
ious. Some authoritiesconsiderthepitchto be the importantelement. The din
in boiler-making works is more injurious than the roaringin cotton-spinning
mills; the reportof small calibre artilleryand machineguns is more injurious
than the booms of big guns (Cheatle). The pitchis more difficult to estimate
than the intensity;but it may be estimatedby comparisonwith sounds of a
knownpitch.
Tone in combinationwithpitchgives to certainnoises the particularlydis-
agreeablecharacterwhichdistinguishesthem,such as the raspingand rattling
soundof flintsor thegratingof saws or files. Tone may easilybe distinguished
with considerableaccuracy. It is tone which makes it possible to pick out
different machinesin motionwithoutseeing them.
To thesefundamental of noises mustbe added otherharmful
characteristics
factors. First thereis the time that the sounds last- the exposure to noises;
the noises thatlast the longestare said to be the most harmfulto the workers
exposed to them.
Rhythmis also an importantfactorin the harmfulnatureof an industrial
noise. Noises that vary in intensityand are uncertainand irregularas to the
momentof theirproductionare more harmfulthan constant,hummingsounds
to whichone may learnto get accustomed.
Accountmustalso be takenof resonanceand the reflection of noise. Reson-
ance mayvaryaccordingto the positionof the workmenin relationto the noise.
Work withinclosed walls is more injuriousthan work in the open air. Thus
hammeringinside a boiler,the resonanceof enclosedworkshopswhere engines
are built, or firingfrom warships or in enclosed rifle ranges are all very
dangerous.
Apart fromthe resonance,it is necessaryto ascertainwhethervibrations
are mingledwiththe actual noise.
The influence of noiseson thehealthof workerspresentsan important prob-
lem,for it concernsnearlyeverymodernindustry. As a matterof fact,there
are few industriesto whichthe introduction of machineryhas not brought,in
additionto radical changes in methodsof work, more or less serious disad-

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.210 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:18:13 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
616 Canadian Public Health Journal

vantagesfromnoise and vibration. The studyof industrialnoises is of com-

parativelyrecentdate, and the increasinginterestwhichit arouses is accounted
forpartlyby the increasein industrialnoises,and partlyby a betterrealization
of theirharmfuleffect,and of the waste of energywhichtheycause.
Noises consistof a more or less rapid successionof sounds, irregularin
periodicityand in intensity. Sound properlyso called is, on the contrary,uni-
form,steadyand withoutvariationsin its constituent parts. It is an acceptedfact
that all noises may be referredto pure musical sounds; for theyare similarly
constituted withregardto intensity, pitchand tone.
In industrythereare metwith:
(1) Musical sounds properlyso called, e.g. in industrieswhere sonorous
metalsare beaten,as when copper boilers and other copper ware articlesare
wrought. However,moreor less pure sounds rarelyoccuralone.
(2) Noises properlyso called.
(3) Tremorsof varyingintensity, affectingthe groundand the bodies of
workers,due to the vibrationof machinery. Althoughthese tremorsare some-
timesaccompaniedby the productionof fairlyloud noises, these noises cannot
as a rulebe regardedas excessive. Besides, it is oftendifficult to decide at what
point noise ceases and vibration begins. The decisive factoris the numberof
sound waves per second,and it is difficult to decide if it is the ear by itself,or
the wholebodywhichdetectsthe sound or vibration.
Vibrationsare generallyoriginatedby out-of-balance conditions,by impacts,
and in many cases also by rotatingmachinerywhich may be consideredcom-
merciallybalancedbut whichcauses transmissionof noise and vibration.
Vibrationsfrommachinesmay be deadenedby arrangingthemon bases of
special materialsor on special foundations, independentof the floorused by the
or
personnel, enclosing them in special rooms closed by stoutiron doors. The
same considerations in officesand business premiseslead to placingtypistsand
othermachineoperatorsin separaterooms.
Modernindustrynow generallyrecognizesmachineryvibrationtransmission
as a sourceof loss thatcannotbe toleratedunderpresentconditionsof keen com-
petition. Actuallyvibrationis just as mucha problemto machineryownersand
operatorsas incorrectlubricationso far as operatingand maintainingcosts are
concerned.
Measures applicableto workcan onlybe arrangedaftercarefulexamination
of the surroundingconditions,and aim at protectionagainstnoises by isolating
or deadeningthem. First of all, it is advisableonlyto allow noisyworksto be
set up in neighbourhoods where theywill not be a nuisance,so that work can
be carriedon in the open air or withopen windows. The same considerations
shouldlead to thechoice,forthe situationof offices, of quiet streetsor at the top
of highbuildings. Again, it would be advisableto prohibitnoisyworkin build-
ings of several floors.
Walls, ceilingsand especiallyfloorscan be coveredwithanti-noisematerials
whichdiminishthe productionof vibrationsfromtheground. With thisobject,
theremay be used feltmade of leather,hair, asbestos,or wood pulp, whichcan
be made fireproof in some cases by silicateof soda or india-rubber, while,fbr

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.210 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:18:13 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Noise and Vibration Control 617

the floorsparticularly,linoleum,or numerousspecial compoundsnow on the

market,and special plastersare used.
In recentyears greatprogresshas been made in the fieldof sound control.
Certaintypesof windowventilatorswill reducethe amountof noise thatenters
throughthem; walls,ceilings,and floors,whenproperlydesignedand constructed,
will materiallylowerthe amountof sound transmitted fromroom to room; and
sound-absorbing materials will reduce the noise due to interioras well as
extraneous sound.
Considerabletimeand studyhas been given by the specialistsof the Codes
and SpecificationsSection of the National Research Council to the elimination
of noise in dwellingsin connectionwith the developmentof the Health and
SanitationSectionof the National BuildingCode.
The Bureau of Standards,Washington,has studied the transmissionand
absorptionof sound by materialsused in construction. The materialstested
were panels of lime or gypsum,withor withoutwoodenframes,coveredwitha
moreor less smoothvarnish.
The absorptionof soundin thecase of thesame substancevariesa greatdeal
withthefrequencyof the sound; thus,forinstance,felt,undera thicknessof 25
millimetres, absorbs94 per centof a sound incidentat a frequencyof 2,190,and
33 per cent of a sound of frequency297. In the case of some substancesthe
maximumabsorptioncorrespondsto average frequencies. The less absorbent
substances,however,lose theirpower of absorptionin proportionas the fre-
quencyincreases.
The natureand qualityof the soil and the floorconstruction are of impor-
tance in solvingvibrationisolationproblems. Considerableresonancemay be
set up and may transmitvibrationsto surprisingdistances. The locationof the
machinein regardto supportingbeams,buildingcolumnsand main walls must
be takeninto consideration.
The characterand intensity of thejolts and jars mustbe carefullyanalyzed;
also thedirectionof the impacts,if verticalor horizontal,shouldbe investigated.
Since thedistributing frequencyis fixedthroughthe prevailingconditionsit
becomes necessaryto choose an isolator which provides an adequate natural
frequencyand thus a satisfactory isolationefficiency.Local conditionsgovern
the requiredisolationefficiency.Hotels, auditoriums,concerthalls and residen-
tial sectionsrequirea greaterisolationefficiency thanfactories,warehousesand
manycommercialinstallations.
Anti-vibration equipmentmay be consideredunder two general classifica-
tions,namely: steel springunits,and units employingorganic materials,par-
ticularlynatural cork, as a resilientmedium. The choice betweenthese two
classifications restsmainlyon limitationsof local conditionsand the degree of
vibrationisolationdesired. With certainexceptions;both typescan be applied
directlyto the machinebase or legs, as well as undera sub-baseor foundation.
Certainsteel springunits provideisolatingefficiencies closelyapproaching100
per cent and are consideredthe most accurateand successfulvibrationcontrol
possible. Units employingorganic materialsare not quite so efficient as steel

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.210 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:18:13 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
618 Canadian Public Health Journal

springisolators,but also provideeffectivepermanentand economicalisolation

of vibrationand noise,particularly againstsound transmission.
The protection of workmenis possibleby theuse of substanceswhichisolate
the vibration,by wearingboots with softsoles, and by using straw mats,felt
braid and special chairs with springs. But all these methodsof eliminating
vibrationsvary accordingto particularcases. Thus, in hammeringoperations
the úse of benches with springs,for supportingthe materialwhich is being
hammered,does muchto reducethe vibrationsexperiencedby the workmanat
each blow.
These prophylactic measuresshouldbe accompaniedby:
(a) Medical examinationon engagement,whichenables a selectionto be
made and the eliminationof workmenaffectedby diseases of the auditory
apparatus.
(b) Periodicalmedicalexaminationsof workmenin noisy occupations.
(c) Measures relatingto scientificorganizationof work; changesof shifts
in noisy work; changeof occupation,whichis sometimesdifficult to realize,or
simplychangeof processin the same occupation; the prohibitionof the employ-
mentof workmennot used to noisywork. A usefulschemeconsistsin regula-
tionsforrestpauses.
First and foremost,propermeans should be taken to protectthe hearing.
Numerousear protectorshave been made,but the metalkinds,whichmay break
and allow fragments to penetrateintothe interiorof the ear, should be avoided.
It is of value to bear in mindthat,fromthe economicalpointof view,noise,
even thoughof slightintensity, causes a markeddiminution in capacityforwork,
a
and diminution of outputwhichmayfallas low as to 40 per centof thenormal,
and an increasein labourturnover; whencefollowsa diminutionof production.
The eliminationof noises will be profitable to all concerned; to the workers,
because it improvestheirhealthand theirenthusiasm,diminishesabsences and
lessensfrictionbetweenemployersand employed; and to the employersbecause
it increasesoutputand diminishesthe cost of production.
Legislationcan bringefficient help in the fightagainstnoises,firstof all by
recognizingofficially noisy industriesas dangeroustrades,and then extending
the benefitsof compensationto industrialdiseases caused by the noises.

REFERENCES
Effectof Noiseson the Hearingof Workmen.Monthly LabourReview,Washington
May1925,p. 1133.
-
Noise A HealthMenace. Weeklybulletin oftheChicagoSchoolof Sanitary Instruction,
March19,1929.
CityNoise. NoiseAbatement of of
DepartmentHealth,City NewYork.1930
Commission,
NoiseandVibration Engineering. E. Slocum,
Stephen Consulting
Engineer.
1931.
The Measurement ofNoise. AnnualReportoftheSmithsonian 1932.
Institute,
Keeping Noisein Its Place. The PowerSpecialist,
March1934.
Noises. Occupation andHealth,InternationalLabourOffice,
Geneva,1934,p. 365.
Preventive
Medicine andHygiene.M. J.Rosenau, 6thed.,1935.
and Practiceof Preventive
Principles Medicine.C. W. Hüttand H. HyslopThompson,
1935.
The NoiseNuisance.American City,January1936.
Elimination
ofUnnecessary NoisesinDwellings.SectiononHealthandSanitation,
National
BuildingCode,NationalResearchCouncil, 1940.

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.210 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:18:13 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions