Standards and test codes for individual noise sources

Meaningful noise measurements require more than the precise measurement of the sound level at some point in space at a particular instant of time. The additional considerations which apply to measurements of the noise emission of individual stationary sources fall into two categories: (1) Installation and operation of the source so that its noise emission is relevant to the purpose of the test. (2) Acquisition and processing of sufficient data to extract the information desired. The first category is the responsibility of industry-specific sound test codes. Such test codes need not go into any detail concerning the acoustical measurements since these are covered by a coordinated set of ANSI Standards for which the Acoustical Society of America is responsible. The present paper provides an overview of the relevant ANSI Standards (and their ISO counterparts) in order to help the writers of a sound test code determine which part of the set is most appropriate for the particular type of source to be tested. The proper selection of a descriptor and other provisions of ANSI Standard S12.1-1983 will also be discussed.