Noise in the Plastics Processing Industry

This practical guide for managers and engineers in the plastics industry shows how to reduce high noise levels which often occur in the workplace and reduce the risk of noise-induced hearing damage to employees. Practical methods for reducing noise from industrial machinery are described and illustrated with about twenty-five case studies relating to plastics processing machines such as granulators, shredders, extruders and injection moulders. Noise-control techniques include standard noise-control measures: enclosures, silencers and the use of sound insulating, sound-absorbing materials, vibration isolation and damping; and nowthe use of active noise control methods. Along with fresh case studies this new editionadds chapters on environmental noise, on European Union machinery noise emission regulations, hearing protection, prediction of noise levels, and the design of quieter workplaces.

1. Basic Concepts and Terminology of Sound and Vibration 2. Principles of Noise Generation and Control 3. Noise Control in the Plastics Processing Industries 4. Noise in the Workplace 5. Hearing Protection and the Use of Personal Hearing Protectors 6. Noise in the Environment 7. Prediction of Noise Levels 8. Specification of Noise Emission from Machinery and Machinery Noise Regulations (The European Union Machinery Noise Regulations) 9. Towards a Quieter Workplace 10. Case Studies

Bob Peters PhD, CEng, FIOA, CPhys has spent almost fifty years working in acoustics and noise control – in teaching, research, consultancy. He is a principal acoustic consultant for Applied Acoustic Design, a visiting fellow at London South Bank University, and distance learning course tutor for the Institute of Acoustics. He is also author of Acoustics and Noise Control 3rd edition, published by Routledge, and editor of Uncertainty in Acoustics, on acoustic measurements, with CRC Press.