Causes of noise and vibration: Airport Activities
With the increase in the use of airways in recent years, certain counter effects associated with the air traffic in aviation industry has increased as well. The most significant one is the problems faced by people living near the airport. Continuous exposure to the noise might have an negative effect on health and well being of the people who are exposed to such noises. The vibrations are often caused by normal operations of aircraft, which includes, take off, landing and cruising[1].
During these operations, the vibration and noises are maximum, which affects the environment. With the present and advanced technologies, it is possible to control and reduce the negative effects of vibration and noises associated with the aviation industry, which will be addressed in this literature review. The purpose of the literature review is to understand the different types of noise and vibrations and its negative effect on human and environment[2]. The literature review will be highlighting the regulations which are in place and the preventive measures that are taken in order to reduce the negative impacts of the vibration and noise associated with aviation industry.
Literature Review
The noise and the vibrations that are generated from the aircraft industry are considered to be a significant problem as it impacts the lives of people who live around airports. There are a number of reasons behind the cause and generation of aircraft noise[3]. The main sources of noise and vibration that are generated from aircrafts are aircraft’s engine and the noise generated as a result of air going over fuselage and wings. The engine noise is caused and generated by the exhaust and jet behind the engine[4].
The effect of noise and vibration generated from aircraft is huge on the people who live near the airport. The purpose of the literature review is to perform an extensive literature search and analysis of the secondary sources based on the cause and effects of vibration and noise in aviation industry[5]. Evaluation of the same is necessary as noise is considered one of the most detrimental environmental effects associated with aviation. It is one detrimental environmental effect since it can possibly crease community annoyance. Therefore, findings ways for reducing the noises and vibration generated is essential.
1. Causes of noise and vibration: Airport Activities
Aircraft vibration during a flight is not at all unusual. The most prominent causes of vibration include mechanical malfunctioning and atmospheric turbulence. The noises that are created by the airport activities can be categorised into two categories, based on its operations. These operations include groundside and airside operations[6]. Majority of the noises generated from aviation industries are mainly concerned with the air side operation including landing and takeoff. These basic operations of airplanes are one of the main reasons behind the generation of noises and vibration community[7]. In order to reduce the noise and vibrations, certain preventive measures are needed to be taken.
The causes and possible sources of noise and vibrations associated with the aircraft are needed to be identified. High frequency vibration in aircraft is mainly associated with sound over the aircraft wings, which are mainly caused by ailerons or other wing components. Aerodynamic vibration can occur as a result of atmospheric turbulence, which is normal. Normal vibration in aircraft occurs as a consequence of mass distribution and structural stiffness[8]. Certain abnormal vibrations in aircraft can be identified as well which can be identified readily[9]. This is because this type of noise has a distinct frequency[10]. Abnormal vibrations can be caused due to engine rotor imbalance, airflow disturbances, unstable power control system and structural failure. 2. Negative-effects of noise and vibrations in aviation industry
Negative-effects of noise and vibrations in aviation industry
Extreme and continuous exposures to the noise might accelerate adverse health conditions that include cardiovascular diseases, hearing impairment and disturbance in sleep. The cardiovascular diseases will be a consequence of stress caused by extreme exposure to noise. Furthermore, with the increase in air traffic, it is expected that the exposure to noise will increase.
The increase in demand of commercial aviation has caused increased environmental impact on quality of air, noise and change in the climate[11]. Thus, certain regulations around noise abatement are necessary in order to reduce the health issues associated with noise and abnormal vibrations. Aero-elastic instability is one of the main causes of abnormal vibrations. The vibrations contribute to the annoyance of the residents near the airport. The physiological impact of aircraft noise is therefore a serious concern in comparison to the physical impacts of the noise.
3. Evolution of changes in aviation Industry
A lot of changes in the aviation industry have been observed in last 20 years. The major one is the absorption of the vibration and the noise that results from the operation of aircraft. Absorption of noise and vibration is necessary to provide safe services to the customers. The absorbers are mainly mounted to the skin of fuselage of aircraft or are mounted on fuselage skin. In the last two decades, vibration absorbers are being used for controlling the noise levels in the interior of the aircrafts[12].
This is a replacement to the absorbent blankets which were used earlier. Previously different supplementary techniques were in place, which includes damping materials, stiffener and additional mass[13]. The noise control framework that is mostly being used in controlling the aircraft noise is ASAC. Nowadays, advanced Vibro Acoustic techniques are used for noise control in helicopters and aircrafts.
4. Present technologies for reducing the noise
With the advent of modern technology, reduction of the noise caused by aircraft is possible. In order to reduce the noise and vibrations associated with aviation industry, NASA is working on development of new aviation technology that will considerably reduce the noise generated from airplanes[14]. As of now, the airplane engine manufacturers are working with modern models to replace the noisiest jets by making use of a quieter technology community. According to the Airport Noise and Capacity act of 1990, all stage 2 aircrafts were needed to be replaced by a quieter stage 3 aircraft technology by the year 2000[15]. However, certain other long term plan for reduction of noise is essential to achieve the breakthrough.
Reduction of the noise from source is necessary for controlling the noise. Exhaust velocity is one significant reason behind the generation of engine noise. In order to reduce the noise there is a recent trend of developing engines of bigger diameter as it helps in noise reduction and further increases the fuel efficiency. In the manufacturing phase, the aircrafts are generally listed by the certification noise values.
5. Human against high frequency jet noise and vibration
The extreme jet noise affects the people who are residing near the airport and the regular passengers of airways. The increase in the use of airways is expected as it is one of quickest means of transport[16]. The noise created by an airplane takeoff is around 140dB which is way above the normal level. Therefore, it is needed to ensure that the machines and engines associated with airways generate less vibration and noise.
Evolution of changes in aviation Industry
The negative effects of noise and vibrations on environment are monitored by Noise a Flight Path Monitoring System (NFPMS). Presence of community aviation and consultation group can be see, where community members can raise their issues and opinions regarding noise and vibrations generated from aircrafts.
6. Regulations regarding the vibration and noise levels
The issues with aircraft noise can be highly technical as well as complex. For controlling the aircraft noises, the Federal Aviation Administration or FAA pursues a program associated with aircraft noise control for effective co-operation with the aviation community[17]. The noise control measures as per the regulation of FAA include reduction of noise at source[18]. This is possible with the development and adoption of quieter aircrafts, soundproofing of the buildings near airports and taking operational flight control measures.
The noise generated from aircrafts is controlled by certain standards. These standards are acquired internationally and require the airways authorities to meet the desired noise levels. The noise generated from the airplanes is divided into 4 stages, where stage 1 is the loudest and stage 4 is the quietest[19]. In February 2013, ICAO’s CAEP has agreed on a new global noise reduction standard[20]. On the other hand, FAA has been working on an active program for noise reduction, which is known as CLEEN or The Continuous lower Energy Emission and Noise.
Governments take necessary measures for reducing the negative effects of noise and vibrations. This includes, restriction in development of airport near a city or a highly populated area (Urassa, Mkoma & Kihampa 2014). Along with that, the construction of buildings is associated with the development of soundproof buildings in order to reduce the negative effects of extreme noise generated from aviation.
In order to improve the passengers comfort, Active Noise control mechanism is used. It is a method that aims in reducing an unwanted noise like the extreme noise of airplanes, by addition of a second sound that can cancel the first. This technique is mostly used to improve the passengers comfort.
In the recent years, use of noise barriers at airport in safeguarding the nearby residential areas has increased as well[21]. The airport barriers include the most effective noise abatement solution as it reduces the extreme noises by blocking direct travel of the sound waves[22].
There has been a government mandated curfew operating at Sydney Airport between 11 pm to 6 am. This curfew exists in order to reduce the negative effects of airport noises. Under the existing rules of the curfew, no more than 24 international passengers are allowed to land in a single week between 5 am 6 am 11 pm and midnight. This is one leading step towards the control of increasing noise in the areas surrounding the airport.
7. The current picture
The regulations associated with the development and manufacturing of quieter aircraft engines, and rules on noise levels caused by the aircrafts in airport, help in reducing the negative impacts[23]. It is seen that the number of people exposed to significant noise were reduced by 90 percent between the year 1975 and 2000. This could have been possible as the newer generation airplanes produces less noise.
Present technologies for reducing the noise
It has been observed that technological progress is able to push the aviation community in limiting the negative effect of aviation noise. The newly designed aircrafts with advanced engine provides and efficient way of managing and controlling the noise emitted from the airplanes. According to the general rules, Aircraft operating in Australia must meet certain standards, which are specified in Air Navigation Regulations 2018[24]. The use of aircraft noise exposure forecast is prevalent across the globe. All the aircraft operations are required to comply with the noise standards and different noise abatement procedures. Each and every airport across the globe has noise abetment process that aims in reducing the negative impact of aircraft noise on community[25].
This includes reduction in the number of flights over the residential areas along with the noise abatement areas[26]. Apart from that, the presence of noise reduction or amelioration initiatives provides much needed help to the residential areas near the airports. Under this initiative, if the noise impact assessed for a specific location is considered unacceptable, the said building or residence can be considered for noise amelioration that includes acoustic insulation or relocation.
Conclusion
The primary aim of the literature review was to identify the effect of vibration and noise from aircrafts and the process by which the negative effects can be reduced. The report reviews the causes of noise and vibration and its effect of human and environment. Since prolonged exposure to noise can result in certain health hazards, the exposure to the noise must be limited. This is guided by certain rules and regulations associated with the manufacturing of airplane engines and construction of buildings near airports.
The preventive measures that are generally taken in order to reduce the adverse effect of aviation are further discussed in the report. The report analyses the current picture that suggests that the noise and vibration generated from aviation could be reduced with proper planning and following the rules and regulations. Manufacturing of quieter airplanes is one of the lading technological advancements in aviation industry.
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[2] Amoo, L. M. (2013). On the design and structural analysis of jet engine fan blade structures. Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 60, 1-11.
[3] Zhou, H., Yu, R., & Song, Y. (2016, November). A novel noise-induced annoyance measurement method. In Region 10 Conference (TENCON), 2016 IEEE (pp. 584-587). IEEE.
[4] Abbaspour, M., Karimi, E., Nassiri, P., Monazzam, M. R., & Taghavi, L. (2015). Hierarchal assessment of noise pollution in urban areas–A case study. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 34, 95-103.
[5] Lawton, R. N., & Fujiwara, D. (2016). Living with aircraft noise: Airport proximity, aviation noise and subjective wellbeing in England. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 42, 104-118.
[6] Schäfer, A. W., & Waitz, I. A. (2014). Air transportation and the environment. Transport Policy, 34, 1-4.
[7] Weinhold, D. (2013). The Happiness?Reducing Costs of Noise Pollution. Journal of regional science, 53(2), 292-303.
[8] Stewart, J., McManus, F., Rodgers, N., Weedon, V., & Bronzaft, A. (2016). Why noise matters. In Why Noise Matters(pp. 15-31). Routledge.
[9] Lee, S. C., Hong, J. Y., & Jeon, J. Y. (2015). Effects of acoustic characteristics of combined construction noise on annoyance. Building and Environment, 92, 657-667.
[10] Urassa, H. E., Mkoma, S. L., & Kihampa, C. (2014). Noise Pollution and Community Response to Aircraft Noise at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania.
[11] Yan, H. K., Wang, N., Wei, L., & Fu, Q. (2013). Comparing aircraft noise pollution and cost-risk Effects of inland and offshore airports: The case of Dalian International Airport, Dalian, China. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 24, 37-43.
[12] Lin, Z. M. (2013). Making aviation green. Advances in Manufacturing, 1(1), 42-49.
[13] Ancona, C., Golini, M. N., Mataloni, F., Camerino, D., Chiusolo, M., Licitra, G., … & Davoli, M. (2014). Health Impact Assessment of airport noise on people living nearby six Italian airports. Epidemiologia e Prevenzione, 38(3-4), 227-236.
[14] Zeller, T. (2014). Histories of transport, mobility and environment. The Journal of Transport History, 35(2), III.
[15] McManus, F. (2016). Noise and the Law. In Why Noise Matters (pp. 141-171). Routledge.
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