International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering (IJITEE)
ISSN: 2278-3075, Volume-9 Issue-1, November 2019
4776
Published By:
Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering
& Sciences Publication
Retrieval Number: A4781119119/2019©BEIESP
DOI: 10.35940/ijitee.A4781.119119
Abstract: Noise is one of the industrial hygiene agents of
greatest concern, which explains the large amount of regulations
and literature that attempt to reduce it. In most industries in Peru
and the world the welding process is indispensable as part of their
production process, nevertheless this activity involves several risks
for people, not only for those who perform the activity but also
those who are adjacent to it, within these risks, exposure to high
levels of noise is one of the most difficult to control because the
control at the source of noise is almost, one of the great passive
controls in noise reduction is the use of screens or acoustic
curtains. It is for this reason that the objective of this article is to
propose a design of acoustic barriers through screens, responding
to the problem of noise generated in welding workshops. The
stages in the process of designing acoustic screens for a welding
plant are presented in chronological order.
Keywords : Acoustic Screen, Noise, Sound Level, Welding
plant.
I. INTRODUCTION
After the industrial revolution, industrial processes are
increasingly common, whether in urban or rural areas.
However, industries have caused environmental damage to
soil, water and rivers [1]. As well as large generators of noise,
emitting excessive noises that affect the health of workers
and individuals in the surrounding area [2]. Various studies
have been conducted to have more information about this
phenomenon; demonstrating that chronic exposure to heavy
noise for several consecutive hours causes workers to
develop a hearing impairment, which results in total hearing
loss [3] [4]. This is because continuous or repetitive exposure
to high auditory frequencies easily and progressively
destroys the cells and nerves of the inner ear. If there is a
sufficient number of cells and nerves destroyed, there will be
permanent hearing loss [5].
However, while hearing loss is the most common and
probably the most serious harmful effect, it is not the only
consequence of industrial noise. Other harmful effects
Revised Manuscript Received on November 08, 2019
* Correspondence Author
Alexi Delgado*, Department of Engineering, Mining Engineering
Section, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru. Areli Luyo,
Mario Moreno, Environmental Engineering Faculty, Universidad Nacional
de Ingeniería, Lima, Peru.
Chiara Carbajal, Administration Program, Universidad de Ciencias y
Humanidades, Lima, Peru.
include tinnitus (ringing in the ears), interference with oral
communication and the perception of alarm signals,
disturbances in work performance, discomfort and
extra-auditory effects [6]. It is also responsible for
physiological and psychological transformations in the
organism that manifests itself in a direct effect on quality of
life and behavior [7]. In conclusion, noise not only causes
alterations in the auditory apparatus, but also acts on the
bulbar centers, vegetative centers, and cortical centers of
association and will [8].
And while the high noise levels generated by welding work
(peaks of up to 102.8 dB) are meant to be mitigated by the use
of EPP earplugs (disposable earplugs of NRR 33dB -
auditory adjustment) - whether made disposable by the
company or the workers themselves - the discomfort and
stress caused by this agent affects workers in the surrounding
areas, deteriorating their health indirectly [9].
Therefore, it is crucial to think of other ways of controlling
noise or, in other words, the different actions that are taken to
combat noise, tackling it from any of its three propagation
phases: actions at the source of the noise, in the transmission
phase, or acting on the receiver [10].
Generally, when it comes to combating noise generated by
the machinery, the most commonly adopted solutions are
those that address the problem at the source of the noise, but
what to do when the characteristics of the task do not allow
the encapsulation of the machinery [11]. In this report, the
design of a method of acoustic insulation of noise through
screens, which are defined as devices formed by continuous
walls, interposing between the noise source and the receiver,
is discussed.
In them, the sound is reflected mainly to the emitting
source; nevertheless, part of the energy is transmitted through
the barrier, and great part of it is diffracted by the edge of the
same one, being the use of these screens generally used for
the reduction of the traffic noise and sometimes as solutions
of industrial [12] .
It is worth mentioning that the effect of a screen is not very
significant for frequencies whose wavelength exceeds the
width or height of the screen. Therefore, a frequency study is
needed before deciding to build such an artifact.
II. METHODOLOGY
Acoustic screens produce a noise attenuation effect in the
receiver area. This attenuation depends fundamentally on the
dimensions of the screen, which determine the amount of
direct and diffracted sound energy [13]. The efficiency in
relation to the transmission of noise is given by the isolation
capacity of the screen, which,
besides its dimensions, depends
on the construction material, as
Acoustic Insulation Design of Noise in Welding
Plant through Screens
Alexi Delgado, Areli Luyo, Mario Moreno, Chiara Carbajal