Mining Publication: Noise Source Identification on a Continuous Mining Machine
Original creation date: July 2008
Noise Induced Hearing Loss is the most common occupational disease in the U.S. and of paramount importance in the mining industry. According to data for 2006 from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Continuous Miner operators accounted for 30.2% of underground mining equipment operators with noise doses exceeding the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL). This figure becomes more significant considering that 49% of the 2006 national underground coal production was extracted using continuous mining methods. Thus, there is a clear need to reduce the sound radiated by Continuous Mining Machines. The first step towards efficient noise control of a Continuous Mining Machine requires identification of the various noise sources under controlled operating conditions. To this end, a 42-microphone phased array was used in conjunction with 4 reference microphones to sample the acoustic field of a machine in the Hemi-anechoic chamber of the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory. These data were processed using a frequency-domain beamforming algorithm to obtain acoustic maps of 5 sides of the machine. The focus of the test was on the conveyor noise since previous studies showed that operation of the conveyor is the most important contributor to the sound radiated by the machine. From the acoustic maps, the following potential areas for noise control were identified, and included: chain-tail-roller interaction, chain flight tip-side board interaction, and chain-upper deck interaction.
Authors: HE Camargo, AK Smith, PG Kovalchik, RJ Matetic
Conference Paper - July 2008
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20034634
NOISE-CON 2008: Proceedings of the 2008 National Conference on Noise Control Engineering, Dearborn, Michigan, July 28-31, 2008. Burroughs C; Lim T; Kim J; Maling G; eds., Indianapolis, IN: Institute of Noise Control Engineering of the USA, 2008; :1-8
See Also
- Application of Phased Array Technology for Identification of Low Frequency Noise Sources
- Development and Evaluation of a Urethane Jacketed Tail Roller for Continuous Mining Machines
- A Dual Sprocket Chain as a Noise Control for a Continuous Mining Machine
- Limestone Mining: Is It Noisy or Not?
- Modified Tail Section Reduces Noise on a Continuous Mining Machine
- Noise and Hearing Protection: Development of Two Training Exercises for Drillers
- Noise Source Identification on a Horizontal Vibrating Screen
- Underground Evaluation of Coated Flight Bars for a Continuous Mining Machine
- What Does a Hearing Loss Sound Like?
- Working in Noise with a Hearing Loss: Perceptions from Workers, Supervisors, and Hearing Conservation Program Managers
- Page last reviewed: 9/21/2012
- Page last updated: 9/21/2012
- Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program