Empirical evaluation using impulse noise of the level-dependency of various passive earplug designs

Abstract

An objective in the development of hearing protection devices (HPDs) has been the design of a passive earplug that provides modest or no attenuation at low sound levels, with greater protection at high sound levels. This raises the issue of not only how to construct such a device, but also how to evaluate it. There is the related question of whether conventional HPDs are actually level independent. Passive level dependency is typically accomplished via an orifice that causes sound transmission to decrease as input level increases. We utilized an impulsive noise source (explosives) with peak levels from 110 to 190 dB SPL to measure the insertion loss of a variety of commercially available and developmental earplugs. The tests were conducted at frontal incidence in a reflection-free outdoor environment using the Institute of Saint-Louis acoustical test fixture specifically constructed for HPD attenuation measurements. Conventional foam and premolded earplugs exhibited attenuation that was essentially constant with level, whereas the best of the level-dependent designs provided attenuation that increased by about 25 dB over the 80-dB range of test impulse levels. This latter design has been successfully utilized since 2000 in the Combat Arms™ Plug widely fielded in the U. S. Military.