Analysis of properties of deafeners to design personal ear protectors

The article reviews some basic researches into acoustic properties of different materials suitable for manufacturing of personal hearing protection devices. The major after-effects of long-term noise exposure of personnel in the coal mining industry are listed. Based on the review, it is summarized that it is of the current concern to create a universal effective deafener. To this end in view, acoustic absorption properties of two porous materials and one acoustic membrane are studied. The main assessment criterion is the ability to absorb noise generated by mining machines during underground coal cutting in the mediumand high-frequency bands. The acoustic design provides the acoustic absorption ratios. The found acoustic characteristics are compared with the regulatory requirements to determine the noise protection class. The best effective deafener is identified. The authors propose a combination of deafeners to ensure industrial noise absorption within the whole frequency range. The result is compared with the device available on the market. The authors come to a conclusion on the need to continue the studies into the properties of a combination of acoustic materials to absorb sound.

Rudakov M. L., Duka N. E. Analysis of properties of deafeners to design personal ear protectors. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2022;(3):165-180. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2022_3_0_165.

M.L. Rudakov¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Professor, e-mail: Rudakov_ML@pers.spmi.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7428-5318,
N.E. Duka¹, Graduate Student, e-mail: duka.nikita996@mail.ru,
¹ Saint-Petersburg Mining University, 199106, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

N.E. Duka, e-mail: duka.nikita996@mail.ru.

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