Abstract
According to studies by Airbus, one of the biggest concerns among the public regarding drones is the noise they produce. ICAO have also stated that when drones are flown “low and in great numbers” they will cause a significant level of noise. To date there is literature around the public’s perception of drone usage and noise, however there is currently no recommended software package for modelling drone noise. There has also been little work done into the level of noise that is likely to be emitted by drones used in the commercial market for tasks such as parcel delivery. This research aimed to investigate the noise emitted by drones and determine suitable operating conditions and flight paths to mitigate this noise. The research also aimed to investigate the suitability of the software package ‘iNoise’ for modelling noise emission by drones. The results showed noise emission can be mitigated by maintaining high altitudes and high speeds, as well as vertical take offs and landings. Although many of the noise levels recorded in this research for different flight conditions and flow numbers were lower than the maximum recommended LDEN for road traffic noise, they did approach this value at low speeds. As the sound power level used in this project came from a small quadcopter, it is reasonable to assume larger, commercial drones will have a higher sound power level, thus increasing the need for noise mitigation measures. The research also demonstrated the suitability of iNoise for modelling noise emissions caused by drone activity.
Highlights
Drone usage has become widespread in recent years due to their range of applications from aerial photography, construction, and package delivery systems
The results show in each case that the velocity of the drone impacts the noise exposure level at the residential building below the flight path
Increasing the velocity in each case caused a reduction in the L value, suggesting that at higher velocities, the impact caused by noise can be reduced
Summary
Drone usage has become widespread in recent years due to their range of applications from aerial photography, construction, and package delivery systems. Companies such as Amazon and Alphabet have begun trials using drones to deliver packages to their customers [1, 2] and pharmacies have trialed medication delivery using drones as well [3]. There is likely to be an increase in environmental noise, which could cause annoyance among residents living under/near regularly used flight paths [4]. A study by Airbus found that noise is one of the top concerns among the public in relation to increased drone usage [5]. According to the World Health Organization, noise is a “growing concern” and has been linked with hearing loss, cognitive impairment, and cardiovascular disease [7]
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