Determination of the Noise Attenuation of Hearing Protectors by Numerical Modeling of the Outer Ear

ABSTRACT: This paper addresses the important practical issues of hearing protectors used in industry to protect the workers from high noise levels. Comments on the difficulties in measuring hearing protectors noise attenuation is discussed. A new work is presented on the numerical modeling of the outer ear canal as a straight tub, considering eardrum acoustic impedance, using finite elements (FEM), for the quantification of noise attenuation is presented. This numerical model can serve as a quick and low cost tool for the optimization of the protector project and the investigation of the effect of different parameters such as protector insertion, effect of leakage, materials, and others on the protector noise attenuation