Seminar 9th October 2012 4 p.m. Building 13, Room 3021
Affective response to noise from wind turbines
Sabine von Hunerbein
University of Salford
- Categories
- Complex Systems
- Submitter
- Luke Goater
Abstract
Public concern about noise annoyance from wind turbines is currently holding up a number of wind farm developments throughout the UK and worldwide. While there are still questions about the source mechanisms of wind turbine noise one of the most under-researched areas is the response of listeners to this type of noise.
The presentation will address two aspects of the affective response. The questions asked were: “Is noise annoyance from large wind turbines generally different from that of small turbines?” and “How much does the fluctuation in wind turbine noise contribute to annoyance?” Listening tests were conducted in a controlled environment using idealised wind turbine sounds from very quiet levels that would normally be experienced inside a house to higher levels that are typical of the outdoor environment.
Because the main differences in noise from large and from small wind turbines are in the frequency range that tones occur in, the study focused on the question whether annoyance changes with the frequency of the tone. Audibility thresholds and equal annoyance contours have been established for idealised wind turbine sounds containing low frequency tones. The test sounds consisted of a broadband spectrum with a specific low frequency tone. To verify that recorded sounds would give comparable results to the idealised stimuli, wind turbine recordings from a large and a small wind turbine were also compared in annoyance with steady traffic noise. Results will be presented on the appropriateness of current standards to establish masking thresholds and on the frequency dependence of annoyance as well as the significance of spectral content on annoyance.
Fluctuation strength is a psychoacoustic measure of sound perception of amplitude modulated sounds in general. However, not much is known about the effects of specific spectral content and masking noise on annoyance. First results are presented on the affective response of listeners to two different types of idealised modulated wind turbine sounds.
Speaker Biography
Sabine teaches Audio Systems and Level 1 Mathematics as well as Level 2 Electroacoustics and Broadcast Systems on the Acoustics related degree programmes, at the University of Salford.
Sabine's research interests are in the area of developing and applying the atmospheric acoustic remote sensing instrument "SODAR" in the fields of meteorology and outdoor sound propagation. These measurements can be applied to urban air quality studies, outdoor noise control modelling, wind farm siting and monitoring, and air traffic control.