Laboratory Measurements of Air Carbon Arcing Sound Power Levels

Details

• Personal Author:
  Miller RE ; Peterson, Jeffrey S.
• Description:
  Investigative field reports show that air carbon arcing generates sound levels between 108 dB(A) and 120 dB(A) at the operator's ear. Sound levels above 115 dB(A) are in excess of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) compliance limit, potentially resulting in hearing loss from short-term exposure. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is conducting research to understand the effects of air carbon arcing parameters on the noise produced, specifically to reduce hearing loss in the mining industry. Repeatable laboratory experiments have been conducted in an accredited reverberation chamber to measure the sound power levels generated by air carbon arcing. To reduce variability between gouges, air carbon arcing was performed using an automated machine with consistent sample material. Typical electrodes, 1.27 cm (1/2 in) and 0.95 cm (3/8 in) in diameter, were investigated. Amperage, air pressure, and gouging speed were measured. This paper will describe the measurement procedures and document the results obtained. The implications in terms of how the parameters affect the generated sound power will be discussed. The largest effects were seen by altering the amperage and air pressure settings. The highest sound power level measured was 130 dB(A), when gouging with a 1.27-cm electrode. The lowest sound power level observed was 116 dB(A), using a 0.95-cm electrode. Lowering current to the minimum effective setting had a larger effect than lowering the air pressure. However, lowering both current and air pressure to the minimum effective settings produced the lowest observed sound power levels. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pressure Ear Electricity Environmental Monitoring Hearing Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Laboratories Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Metal Workers Mining Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Power Plants Safety Sense Organs Welding

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• Keywords:
  Air-pressure Arc-welders Arc-welding Cutting-tools Ears Electrical-measurement Exposure-assessment Exposure-chambers Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Laboratory-testing Machine-operators Machine-tools Measurement-equipment Metalworking Mining-equipment Mining-industry Noise-induced-hearing-loss Noise-levels Noise-measurement Permissible-limits Power-generation Pressure-testing Short-term-exposure Sound

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  The Institute of Noise Control Engineering of the USA (INCE/USA)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OMSHR - Office of Mine Safety and Health Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20039291
• Citation:
  NOISE-CON 2011. The 25th Conference of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering, July 25 - 27 2011, Portland, Oregon. Washington, DC: The Institute of Noise Control Engineering of the USA, 2011 Jul; :1-9
• Contact Point Address:
  R. E. Miller, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, 315 E. Montgomery Ave., Spokane, WA 99207
• Email:
  rom9@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon (CAS RN 7440-44-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  NOISE-CON 2011. The 25th Conference of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering, July 25 - 27 2011, Portland, Oregon
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b72b2965c54cc09d43af5cdc1744b23b0bd484117ecfc78df0ab3d88db22121c86a95d166e94d329e499c56b931706174244adfafa9f44e31dc49fe2a28a43c3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227332/cdc_227332_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 265.81 KB ]