Considerations in Developing a Model for Assessing the Annoyance of Small Arms Ranges

摘要

A new small arms model, SARNAM (Small Arms Range Noise Assessment Model), is being developed by U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories and U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine. The model calculates and plots noise contours for small arms range complexes. It includes consideration of type of weapon and ammunition (including spectrum and directivity and both muzzle blast and projectile bow shock), number and time of rounds fired, range attributes such as size and barriers, propagation conditions, penalties, metrics and long-term assessment period and procedure. SARNAM is constructed in a modular fashion to facilitate future enhancements, features a graphical user interface, and operates in a Windows environment. This paper discusses several key decisions in the development of this small arms noise assessment model. This model draws upon considerable information and source data from many NATO members and could serve as the basis for a new NATO-wide small arms model.