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Navcon Engineering Network offers w wide range of noise and vibration engineering services

Noise has a multitude of effects on our environment and society.  As part of modern civilizations standards and legal ruling have been developed and are continuously updated to set parameters for equipment limits, city, state or federal requirements.  These standards and legal rulings regulate what is consider audible, acceptable, allowable or significant.

Navcon engineers have a strong background in physics, mechanical design, digital data acquisition, noise and vibration. Navcon Engineers provides a wide variety of acoustic and noise services to serve the objectives of manufactures, environmental or city planners, home owners and government agencies.

Following is a brief list of our general acoustical services:

  • Industrial & Theme Park Noise Control
  • Community & Industrial Noise Surveys
  • Community Relations
  • Environmental Impact Studies (EIS)
  • Expert Testimony
  • Short & Long Term Noise Monitoring
  • Room Acoustics / Indoor Noise Propagation & Control
  • Product Noise Testing
  • Product Noise Control

Product Noise Testing, Environmental Noise Monitoring & Architectural Noise Testing

For a variety of Environmental Noise Projects Navcon engineers conduct community surveys to determine conformance with noise ordinances and regulations and to trend noise levels in and around industrial facilities.   The noise survey typically include statistical noise descriptors, event recording, octave and narrowband spectra.  In order to document and trend noise levels within industrial facilities, Navcon often conducts noise contouring surveys (Industrial Plant Noise Contouring). Navcon has transportable monitoring systems for short and long term monitoring of environmental noise. The systems, manufactured by Larson & Davis can be set up to record specific events (e.g., aircraft fly over, industrial flaring & venting, etc.) as well as the statistical distribution of noise.  Navcon engineers download the data from the monitoring sites and prepare environmental noise reports.

  1. Sound Pressure & Sound Power Testing,  Qualification & Product Noise Testing Navcon engineers conduct specification tests (sound pressure, sound power, acoustic intensity) in accordance with ANSI, ISO, MSHA/OSHA, Commercial/Military and other standards and guidelines. Navcon test instrumentation is calibrated in accordance with, and is traceable to the National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST), military (MIL-STD 45662) and manufacturer guidelines.  The test instrumentation is also portable allowing us to conduct tests at customer facilities and at remote sites. Navcon has a reverberation chamber for small product testing and access to an off-site semi-anechoic chamber.
  2. Architectural Acoustics, Transmission Loss, Impact Isolation & Impulse Response Navcon engineers have conducted numerous projects involving noise planning and control in interior spaces (e.g., offices, board rooms, medical centers, warehouses, manufacturing areas, etc.)  The overall approach varies of course with the room use and project objectives.  For new construction, Navcon engineers will determine the required impact insulation class (IIC) and/or sound transmission class (STC) for walls, ceilings and floors.  In existing buildings, we will study (through measurement or analytical model) the situation and make the appropriate noise (or vibration) control recommendations.  Navcon has the measurement hardware and software tools to quantify the sound quality of a room, locate noise sources and trace airborne/structureborne noise paths.  Navcon has conduct numerous Field Sound Transmission Class (FSTC) or Field Impact Isolation Class (FIIC) measurements to verify the acoustic quality of existing constructions.
  3. High Pressure Blasting (Weapons, Mining, etc.) Navcon provides Blast Overpressure and Heat Flux measurement services for both commercial and military applications. The data is often used to assess the suitability of containment shelters and personnel injury when subjected to extreme pressure waves and temperature gradients. Navcon measurement systems can record blast overpressures greater than 185 dB (10 PSI) at sample rates of 260 kHz. [ Reference MIL-STD-1474D, MIL-STD-398, MIL-STD-882, MIL-STD-2105C, ... ]

Diagnostic and Noise Control Design Services

Navcon provides both problem diagnostic and noise control design services.  In addition to the more conventional noise control approaches, our vibration experience gives us a unique insight into structurally radiated noise and its mitigation.

  1. Amusement Park Noise Monitoring, Assessment, Modeling & Control Navcon engineers are experienced in the design and specification of a variety of noise control measures including barriers, enclosures, lagging, silencers, resonators, etc.  Often times we can reduce overall costs by modeling the situation and optimizing the noise control design (i.e., cost vs. decibel reduction, Noise Barrier Design).
  2. Wind Energy Project Noise Monitoring, Assessment, Modeling & Control The consideration of the Wind Turbine noise is very critical for Wind Energy projects.  Navcon has experience on measuring and predicting wind turbine noise.  Due to the limit range of noise control means the placement of wind turbines is very critical. It our experience that development of 3D noise models at an early development stage is very beneficial.
  3. Road & Rail System Noise Monitoring, Assessment, Modeling & Control Transportation Noise is the primary noise source affecting our environment.  The noise impact on residential homes, schools, hospitals, parks are of concern as part of the City planning, residential development or major new transportation corridors.  Navcon develops noise models that show the effect on communities, housing or open spaces.  Depending on the objectives noise mitigation such are noise barriers or earth berms can be optimized.
  4. Noise Modeling Calculation Services For environmental consultants or planner Navcon provides noise modeling calculation services.  As part of the services Navcon develops 3D noise models and predicts the noise impact based on project specification.  The project data is documented in Excel spreadsheets and colored graphic presentation such as contour maps, difference and conflict maps.
  5. Product Noise Control Navcon provides both problem diagnostic and noise control design services. In addition to the more conventional noise control approaches, our vibration experience gives us a unique insight into structurally radiated noise and its mitigation.

Navcon engineers have a strong background in physics, mechanical design, digital data acquisition, vibration and noise. This combination of theory & application, analysis & test allows us to attack a wide variety of vibration or noise related projects. Following is a brief list of our general vibration services:

  • Commercial & Military Vibration Testing
  • Vibration Control
  • Modal Testing

Commercial & Military Vibration Testing

Navcon engineers conduct specification tests to commercial, military and manufacturer standards and guidelines. Commercial tests are often performed to verify compliance with engineering and purchase specifications. Military tests such MIL-STD 740B, 740-2 and 167 Type II are performed to determine whether the system meets shipboard vibration requirements. Navcon's vibration test systems are calibrated in accordance with, and are traceable to the National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST), military (MIL-STD 45662) and manufacturer guidelines. The test instrumentation is also portable allowing us to conduct tests at customer facilities, on board ships, in aircraft and at remote sites. The Navcon laboratory is equipped with an 18,000 lbf reaction mass table, several damped vibration test fixtures and a base excitation table.

Vibration Control

Navcon provides both problem diagnostic and vibration control design services. Utilizing signature analysis and frequency response testing methods, Navcon engineers: characterize vibration sources, track propagation paths and classify structural response (forced vibration, resonant vibration, instabilities, etc.) Using impedance models and/or finite element methods, Navcon engineers investigate possible vibration control methods including such measures as vibration isolation, surface damping, tuned dampers, stiffness changes, etc. Once the vibration control approach has been selected, Navcon will construct, implement and verify the effectiveness of the fix (click here for a sample project).

Modal Testing

Navcon engineers conduct approximately 10 to 15 modal surveys per year on structures such as automobiles, ships, aircraft, space vehicles, sporting equipment, disk drives, turbine blades, industrial piping systems, compressors, floors & mezzanines, etc. The surveys are usually conducted as part of a vibration control project or for the verification of a finite element model (FEM). The modal test data is often used to create impedance models for sensitivity analyses. Modal parameters (damped natural frequencies, damping factors and mode shape vectors) can be imported into FEM post processors, plotted and animated. Navcon's modal systems are based upon Data Physics Analyzers (Quattro - 4 channel & Abacus - 32 channel), APS Dynamics & Ling shakers, PCB Piezotronics transducers (impact hammers, sledge hammers, accelerometers & load cells), Polytec laser vibrometer and modal software by Vibrant Technology.

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