Noise and vibration under control

14. January 2022 Laurent Cosandey Vibrations
#Acoustics, #Expertise, #Measurement, #Monitoring, #Vibrations

Transportation infrastructures moving ever closer to populated areas, long construction sites in cities, and increasingly sophisticated industrial machinery in workplaces create the need to characterize noise nuisances in real time. For several years, G+P has been using new monitoring-based measurement techniques that allow direct and continuous monitoring of the generated nuisances and enable a faster response.

Noise and vibration under control

Why measure only 30 minutes when you can measure 24 hours a day?

Have you ever heard or uttered the phrase "Today is not the right day to measure, we have too little noise!"? When an acoustician takes a noise measurement, either the activity is not loud enough, the weather conditions are unfavorable for the noise to propagate, or the number of train passes or road traffic is not representative. Instead of looking for THE RIGHT day and the RIGHT time slot, it is better to measure continuously over a longer period of time!

With the help of noise monitoring, it is possible to measure the noise and vibrations of an activity over several days, weeks or even years, making the assessment more accurate and therefore more reliable.

 

Why monitor the noise and vibration of an activity?

Whether it is a factory, bus stops in the city, a heat pump or any other fixed installation, if you want to evaluate the noise generated by an activity, you need to characterize the noise phases.

Monitoring allows :

  • Identify noise phases and characterize them (loudness, duration, frequency, representativeness)
  • To point out anomalies and peculiarities of the activity
  • To avoid failures (cracks in buildings, breakage of machine parts, etc.)
  • To inform and reassure the people concerned
  • To reduce complaints

Ultimately, monitoring adds a new dimension to the measurement and assessment of noise pollution.

 

Do you want to reduce noise and vibration complaints on your construction site? Continuous monitoring is the key.

In Switzerland, all construction sites must comply with the Construction Noise Directive. This directive is based on the need to take measures to limit noise, but it does not guarantee consistent compliance with limits or acceptance of noise pollution by local residents.

At G+P, we advise and assist building owners in the continuous monitoring of construction noise and vibration. This cost-effective and very effective solution is already being used on numerous highway and railroad construction sites. In this way, compliance with the requirements can be checked, while at the same time residents are informed and a large number of complaints to the construction management can be avoided.

Richtlinie_Baulärm_Bund_Schweiz_Cover
Figure 1: Construction noise directive

G+P developed a monitoring system on an online platform accessible to clients with automatic generation of regular reports.

Image 2: Exemple de l’évolution du bruit d’un chantier pendant 24 heures.Figure 2: Example of the development of noise from a construction site during 24 hours.

The monitoring of noise levels with the definition of user-defined alarms makes it possible to inform the site manager at any time about the generated noise and vibrations, and to notify him by SMS or e-mail about a possible exceeding of the limits.

Evaluation du bruit hebdomadaire et détection des alarmesFigure 3: Weekly noise assessment and alarm detection

In many cases, this measurement method enabled immediate correction of the noise situation. This responsiveness led to a positive image among residents and better acceptance of the construction site, with the advantage for the client of reducing the number of complaints while keeping to the construction schedule.

And you? What are you waiting for to monitor the nuisance caused by your activity?

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