Noise is a hazard which does not have an immediate perceivable danger. However, over time, exposure can erode significantly and irreversibly the performance of the human auditory system. In particular, impulsive noise, associated with impact or explosive processes, may cause immediate and permanent hearing loss. Unfortunately, unlike continuous noise, the impulsive noise case is difficult to quantify and mitigate. An experimental method based on an enclosed shock tube is used to examine the vibration of earmuff protector structure as it is subject to a high-level noise impulse pulse of 158 dB peak level. The results indicate significant vibration of the protector structure is induced when excited by a high-level noise environment. These effects are more pronounced in the high-level impulse noise case and appear to affect the noise attenuation characteristics of the protector.
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