Project Title: Table Saw Noise
Project Team:
John Sherer jas632@psu.edu
Michael Reed mjr266@psu.edu
Hamed Al-Dalali hsa104@psu.edu
Brett Walmsley btw118@psu.edu
Executive Summary:
The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) has identified a serious problem with the current sound levels produced by power tools on construction sites. This problem is so severe that it is estimated that over half of all construction workers have some hearing impairment. One of the major contributors to the noise at a construction site is a table saw. It was the goal of this group to significantly reduce the harmful sound emitted from a standard DeWalt DW-744S table saw. The group reduced the sound pressure level of the table saw from 92 dBA unloaded at the position of the operator to 85 dBA. After performing a frequency spectrum to determine what and where in the frequency range of the noise levels were dominant, a FFT analysis was performed to confirm the frequency spectrum findings. Also, the FFT accurately pinpointed what sources were contributing the noise and at what frequencies. The design modification was constructed, consisting of an intake muffler and a motor casing combination made out of a cardboard barrier lined with sound absorptive foam. The final results compare the original design with that of the modified design using a Fast Fourier Transform analysis (FFT).
Date:
Spring 2002
Faculty Consultant:
Dr. John Lamencusa - Mechanical Engineering Department
Sponsor:
National Instutue of Occupational Safety and Health
Contact:
Chuck Hayden, P.E., M.S.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Division of Applied Research and Technology
Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch
4676 Columbia Parkway C27
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998
Ph: (513) 533 – 8152
Email: chayden@cdc.gov