CVN and LHD Aircraft Carrier Noise Assessment

High noise levels occur on aircraft carriers during flight operations. Noise levels on deck can be upwards of 150+ dB(A), and noise in many living and working spaces under the flight deck can be upwards of 100 dB(A). NCE was tasked by the Office of Naval Research and PEO Carriers with assessing the root causes of noise within compartments on these vessels, including identification of primary propagation paths through the structure and dominant noise radiation mechanisms. NCE performed noise and vibration testing on-board multiple vessels during flight operations, typically collecting data from over 100 different sensors simultaneously. This data was then used to develop and refine acoustic models to gain a deeper understanding of how sound and vibration is transmitted from the sources to receiver compartments, and how this noise can be controlled.