Sonic boom acceptability studies at NASA Langley Research Center

Abstract

As part of the High Speed Research Program at NASA, Langley Research Center conducted a series of studies during the period 1990–1995 to evaluate human responses to sonic boom impact. This work, in combination with aircraft configuration design efforts, was aimed at determining the feasibility of overland supersonic flight. NASA conducted a three part program, comprising laboratory studies, in-home field experiments and community surveys. The laboratory studies used a sonic boom simulator and were designed to quantify relative loudness and annoyance response to a wide range of shaped boom signatures that might be produced by advanced aircraft configurations. The primary conclusion was that several common noise metrics were able to reliably predict judged loudness/annoyance. Field experiments were conducted in people’s homes using a noise simulation system. A controlled sound environment of booms of known level and number was introduced into a realistic home setting and human responses to a variety of boom exposures were assessed. It was found that the ‘‘equal energy’’ hypothesis was applicable to these boom exposures. Community surveys were conducted in two areas routinely impacted by sonic booms from military aircraft. Relationships between boom exposure and residents annoyance were developed for the two survey areas.