Air Transport & Noise Pollution:

Atul K Mittal
akmittal@civil.iitd.ac.in

Environmental Engineering Laboratory

Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
 Noise:
™ Noise is defined as
"unwanted sound”

™ In contrast to other
environmental pollution,
noise pollution is special in
that Personal and
subjective judgment is a
big part of recognizing a
sound as noise pollution or
not.

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Noise is everywhere

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Basics of Sound:

¾Characteristics of Sound
¾Physical Parameters
¾Sound Fields
¾Measurements of sound

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Characteristics of Sound -- Amplitude:

P = Pressure
Amplitude..
The higher the
amplitude, the
higher the
sound pressure
Pressure Amplitude
level
Pmax = maximum deviation of the
pressure from atmospheric
pressure
P = Pmax sin(kx-wt)
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Characteristics of Sound -- Frequency:

Frequency
f = number of
pressure
fluctuations
per second
Frequency is related to the period: The
f = 1/T
Frequency is measured in
Hertz (Hz)
1 Hz = 1 cycle per second
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Characteristics of Sound -- Wavelength:

Wavelength
λ = The
distance
required for the
Wavelength is related to frequency by wave to repeat
the speed of sound: λ = c/f itself

low frequency – long wavelength

high frequency – short wavelength

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Physical Parameters – Sound Pressure:
Pressure equation: P = Pmax sin(kx-wt)
Displacement equation S = Smax cos(kx-wt)

Pmax = (Bk) Smax

Where
B = Bulk modulous of elasticity
k = angular wave number
w = angular frequency

If the velocity of sound = V then B = V2p

So Pmax=(V2pk)Smax = (Vpw)Smax

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Physical Parameters – Sound Power:
Kinetic Energy dK of a differential mass of air
(dm = pAdx) propogationg the sound wave is
dK = ½ dm Vs2
dE/dt = 2dK/dt = pAVw^2Smax^2sin^2(kx-wt)
Average power over a whole number of
wavelengths

Power W = (dE/dt)avg = ½pAVw2Smax2

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Physical Parameters – Sound Intensity:

The Intensity of a sound wave is defined as the

average rate at which power is transmitted per
unit cross sectional area in the direction of travel.

I = ½(pVw2Smax2)
or
I = Pmax2/(2pV)

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Outdoor Noise Propagation:

¾The Sound Intensity

I = Q (P/4pi r^2) or I = P/S

¾Where
Q = directivity
P = Power
S = area (spherical or non-spherical)

Sound levels

Lp ~ Li = Le + 10 log(Q/r^2) - 11

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Indoor Noise Propagation:
¾The Sound Intensity

I = Q (W/4pi r2) or I = W/S

Where
Q = directivity
P = Power
S = area (spherical or non-spherical)

Sound levels

Lp ~ Li = Le + 10 log (1/4pir2 + 4/R)

Where R = room constant

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Measurement of Sound:
A sound level meter (SLM) or a microphone &
data acquisition system is used to measure
sound pressure levels

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Sound Pressure Level (Decibels):
Unit of measurement : Decibel
Decibel is logarithmic
Decibel dB = 10 log(x/y)
Where x – value of any measure
y = reference value of the same measure

Sound Pressure Level Lp(dB) = 10 log (P^2rms/4x10^-10)

Sound Intensity Level Li(dB) = 10 log (I/10^-12)
Sound Power Level Lw(dB) = 10 log (W/10^-12)

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Some Numbers (SPL):

• Rustling leaves: - 10db • Classroom: 85 db

• Whisper: 30 db • Stereo: 90 db
• Normal speech: 60 db • Bagpipes: 90-110 db
• Television: 70 db • Power saw: 100 db
• Traffic: 75-80 db • Fire cracker: 115-120 db
• Blow dryer: 85 db • Rock concert: 120 db
• Noisy hall: 85 db • Gunshot/train/jet: 150 db

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Mathematics of decibels:
¾Decibels are logarithmic, not linear
¾Cannot simply add, subtract, or average sound levels
¾We can only add the ‘intensity values’, ‘power values’
or the ‘rms values of pressures’
¾ Two sources with equal sound levels increase sound
level by 3 dB

Example: 90 dB + 90 dB ≠ 180 dB
90 dB + 90 dB = 93 dB

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Noise Pollution

Sound that is unpleasant and unwanted by

the listener because of its bothersome
nature, interference with the perception of
wanted sound or its harmful physiological and
psychological effects
„ Industrial
„ Vehicular
„ Aircraft
„ Others
Sound Levels
Sound levels are
measured in units of
pressure
„ Decibels (dB)—each
10 dB indicates a
doubling of
sound/noise
(logarithmic scale)
Types of Noises
Continuous
„ Near a busy Interstate highway
Intermittent
„ The approach to an airport runway with aircraft
spaced a few minutes apart
Impulsive
„ A fireworks explosion, a thunderclap, a vehicle
backfire, or a single truck using “jake brakes”
Impulsive noises are the most disturbing to
most people
Transportation creates all three types
Effects
Health experts argue noise pollution in India is a
major cause of heart attacks and other stress
related illnesses.
Most transportation noise in the US is now well below
the pain threshold
Noise is much more a quality of life issue than a human
health issue
„ Sleep disturbance is the most common complaint of
people annoyed by noise
Š Probably has some health implications
„ Startle or fear is next
„ Speech interference is next

Excessive noise can reduce residential property values

How Noise Affects our Ears :

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 Health effects of aircraft noise

High levels of aircraft noise that commonly exist near major

commercial airports causes:

High blood pressure

Hearing loss
Heart diseases
Immune deficiency
Asthma
Other stress related problems
Noise Regulation: LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO 398
ON 21.08.2000
The Noise Regulation Rules 2000
Section 3 of the Environmental Protection Act of 1986.

AMBIENT NOISE STANDARDS: CENTRAL POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD.

S.No. Area LeqdB(A)
Day Time* Night Time**
1 Industrial Area 75 70
2 Commercial Area 65 55
3 Residential Area 55 45
4 Silence Zone*** 50 40

* Day Time -- 0600 hour to 2100 hour (15 hours)

** Night time --2100 hour to 0600 hour (09 hours)
*** Areas upto 100 metres around certain premises like hospitals, educational institutions and
courts may be declared as silence zones by the competent authority
NOISE MODELING METHODOLOGY

To evaluate the expected noise levels for

future conditions

Since future noise levels cannot be directly

measured, it is necessary to simulate the
expected future condition through noise
modeling.

It is the only way that alternative airspace

designs can be compared to one another to
identify the relative noise effects for each
proposal.
Data Req
General Study Data: NIRS requires general
information about the study to perform the noise
calculations. Study area information such as the
coordinates of the center of the study, the length
and width of the study area and the altitude ceiling of
the study are necessary inputs. Also
required is climatologically data such as average
headwind speed, average annual temperature
and average annual pressure. Finally, any special
regions within the study area need to be
identified.
IIT DELHI STUDY: Aircraft
Operation
Predict the noise levels, in Delhi, due to the
airports in the city.
Noise levels at IIT were monitored in order to
cross reference the predictions
Aircraft noise is variable and intermittent. It is
not continuous as in the case of road traffic
noise. There are peak noise levels when
aircrafts are flying overhead, or are taking-off
and landing at the airports.
Environmental Conditions
Ground conditions may greatly impact noise
propagation
„ Hard ground (e.g. concrete) has little impact
„ Mixed ground (e.g. grass and other vegetation)
may attenuate noise to some extent
„ Soft ground will absorb a great deal of noise
Wind either blunts the spread of noise or
carries it farther, depending on the wind
direction and speed; at short distances, wind
effects are minor
Environmental Conditions
Temperature
„ On clear nights, temperatures may actually be lower
near the ground and increase with altitude
Š This leads to an air inversion
Š Sounds are trapped near the surface and noises will carry
farther near the surface under such circumstances

High ambient air pressure, cold temperatures,

and low relative humidity/no precipitation are
the best weather conditions for noise
propagation
Airport Runway and Configuration
Data:
Information specific to airport in the study.
The location of each runway, the elevation of
the runway ends, and the length of each
runway.

Input data for configuration data includes

annual percentage use for each operational
configuration for each airport within the
study. This data includes annual configuration
use for the airports and runways use for each
of those configurations.
INPUT
Airport settings
„ Latitude and longitude of the airport reference
point (decimal degrees)
„ Runway end-point x, y positions relative to the
reference point (feet)
„ Airport elevation (feet MSL)
„ Airport average annual day temperature (degrees
Fahrenheit)
„ Airport average annual day relative humidity
(percent)
„ Airport average annual barometric pressure
Population and Grid
Location Data:

Users input population centroid

identification, location & population
 Flight Event/Track Data:

FLIGHT

FLIGHT EVENT FLIGHT TRACK

•Geometry of the fight in

•Flight identification,
series of points
•City-pair
•Latitude,
•Time
•Longitude
•Runway
•Altitude
•Airframe/engine type
Aircraft types & Input
Database
Aircraft flight an acoustic
operation type database of noise
Number of flight vs. power vs.
operations for each distance (NPD)
of three time values
periods (day,
evening, and night)
during an average
annual day
Assumptions
•No military flights land on the airports.
•No cargo planes land on the airports.
•All flights (national or international) land on IGI Airport only.
•Out of the two existing runways only the one that is used most
often shall be considered.
•Flight schedule for one week is fixed and is repeated every
week.
•The weather conditions in every part of the city are constant.
•For one whole flight series (e.g. Boeing 737, Boeing 734,
Boeing 738) only one representative aircraft (e.g. Boeing 737)
will be considered.
Airport Data

Elevation: ............. 777 Feet / 237 Meters

IATA: .................. DEL
ICAO: .................. VIDP
Latitude: .............. 28°33' 59" N
Longitude: ............. 77°6' 11" E
Runway 1 Length: ......12500 Feet / 3810 Meters
Runway 2 Length: ....... 9229 Feet / 2813 Meters
Exposure Based Contour (SEL)
 Noise Levels at IIT

Metric → Actual (dB) INM Metrics

Day↓ SEL (dB) PNLTM (dB) LAMAX (dB)

Day 1 78 >80 75-80 75-80

Day 2 72 >80 75-80 75-80

Day 3 71 >80 75-80 75-80

Day 4 79 >80 75-80 75-80

Day 5 72 >80 75-80 75-80

Day 6 73 >80 75-80 75-80

Day 7 76 >80 75-80 75-80

Noise levels at the selected
locations
Metrics → PNLTM (dB) SEL (dB) LAMAX (dB)

Location ↓

IITD 75-80 >85 75-80

V.VIHA 80-85 >85 80-85

AIMS 70-75 >85 70-75

R.G. 40-45 70-75 30-35

LNAGAR 65-70 >85 70-75

R.M.L. 40-45 70-75 35-40

DU.S.C. 55-60 >85 50-55

R.S.TB. 60-65 >85 55-60

C.P. 35-40 65-70 35-40

Noise Levels in Selected Cities
MoEF Study
Cities New Method Standard Method

Day/Night Industrial Commercial Residential

Calcutta
Day 78 82 79
Night 67 75 65

Mumbai Day 76 75 70
Night 65 66 62

Chennai Day 71 78 66
Night 66 71 48
How to tackle noise from the
aircrafts: Solution I: Noise reduction at the
source

•Changing the flight path of the aircrafts at the

airport.
•Changing the flight schedule and trying to spread
out the noise evenly throughout the day.
•Using less noisy engines in the aircrafts.
•Changing the location of the airport.
•Shortening the length of the take off and landing
flight segments.
Solution II: Noise reduction at the
target

We can use many kinds of sound barriers to this effect.

These barriers can be further subdivided in two categories: passive and

active.
The Web-based program pinpoints a home’s
location relative to the aircraft noise contours.
Anyone with Internet access can type in a street
address and quickly learn if the property is within
one of the noise contours.

As of December 31, 2004 total disbursements for

106 schools with executed grant agreements as
$252.4 million.

Or Community is outreaching
Aircraft Noise Reduction