Determination of noise source height, part I: The measurement of equivalent acoustic source height above a reflecting surface

• Published in: Journal of sound and vibration Vol. 143; no. 1; pp. 19 - 37
• Main Authors: Glegg, S.A.L., Yoon, J.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 22.11.1990
• ISSN: 0022-460X; 1095-8568
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-460X(90)90565-H

This is the first of two companion papers which describe the measurement of the equivalent noise source height on highway vehicles. The first paper considers the measurement method, and the second its application to highway vehicles. This paper shows how measurements may be made of the equivalent source height of a distribution of sources above a reflecting plane. First the equivalent point source position is defined for an arbitrary distribution of acoustic sources. The effects of source directionality and the impedance of the reflecting surface are also discussed. A measurement method is proposed which minimizes the effect of horizontal source mislocation and ground impedance. This method is then used to measure the equivalent height of a number of source distributions, and is shown to be accurate over the frequency range 200–2500 Hz for sources which are less than 2.5 m above the ground.