Saturn V noise level at launch

"As loud as a Saturn V at lift off" is sometimes quoted as one of the
loudest man-made sounds. Are there any published noise measurements for
the Saturn V launch?

--
Steve

Stephen Jones wrote:
"As loud as a Saturn V at lift off" is sometimes quoted as one of the
loudest man-made sounds. Are there any published noise measurements for
the Saturn V launch?

--
Steve


I was not able to find noise data for a Saturn V launch, but here are
reports about noise generated by Saturn I launches and Saturn V ground
tests:

Predicted acoustical performance of the S-IC SOUND suppressor

Kramer, F.
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI)
NASA-TN-D-3398 , 19660501; May 1, 1966
Scale model acoustical tests for predicting performance of S-IC static
test facility sound suppressor
Accession ID: 66N23853
Document ID: 19660014564

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1966014564.pdf

================================================== ===========
Far-Field Noise Characteristics of Saturn Static Tests
Dorland, Wade D.
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI)
NASA-TN-D-611 , 19610801; August 1961
A far-field survey has been conducted to determine the characteristics
of the noise generated by the Saturn static firing tests. Data obtained
for the first series of eight tests indicate the noise has high power,
broad directivity, a low frequency spectrum, and low efficiency.
Initial tests were made firing two engines on the first test and four
engines on the second test. These tests produced sound power levels of
0.56 megawatt and 1.6 megawatts, respectively, with low efficiencies of
0.04% and 0.06%. The remaining six tests were made with eight engines.
They produced sound power levels ranging from 25 megawatts to 40
megawatts, with an acoustic efficiency of approximately 0.7%. Frequency
spectra peaked between 10 cps and 100 cps, with a severe dip at 250 cps
and a minor peak at 1000 cps. The effects of impingement on the the
flame deflector and the dampening of the cooling water make it very
difficult to isolate the effects of clustering the engines.
Document ID: 19990040687

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1999055009.pdf


================================================== =========
Results of acoustical survey of sa-2 launch

Dorland, W. D.; Tedrick, R. N.
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI)
NASA-TM-X-51699; MTP-TEST-62-5 , 19620820; Aug 20, 1962
Sound measurements during launch of saturn i /sa-2/ vehicle
Accession ID: 64N24000
Document ID: 19640014086

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1964014086.pdf


================================================== ==========
Ground testing at MSFC

NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI)
NASA-TM-X-53486 , 19650101; Jan 1, 1965
Ground test research on empirical sound fields, static testing
instrumentation, and rocket engine sound suppression
Accession ID: 66N34346
Document ID: 19660025056

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1966025056.pdf


================================================== =========

Interaction of structure and liquid in the sound suppressor system
Bauer, H. F.
NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI)
NASA-TN-D-3178 , 19660101; Jan 1, 1966
Interaction of structure and liquid of the Saturn V sound suppressor
system
Accession ID: 66N15315
Document ID: 19660006026

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1966006026.pdf


================================================== ==========
SATURN S-I-10 STATIC TEST VIBRATION AND ACOUSTIC DATA

NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI)
NASA-TM-X-53377 , 19660111; JAN 11, 1966
VIBRATION AND SOUND INTENSITY MEASUREMENTS OF SATURN S-I-10 VEHICLE IN
STATIC TESTING
Accession ID: 66N15826
Document ID: 19660006537

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/ca...1966006537.pdf


================================================== ==========

Rusty

Stephen Jones wrote:

"As loud as a Saturn V at lift off" is sometimes quoted as one of the
loudest man-made sounds. Are there any published noise measurements
for the Saturn V launch?


A lot, and it seems no two agree. A quick Google search showed
everything from 120 decibels to 235 decibels depending on the distance
from the rocket during launch.
I think most large conventional bombs are far louder than that close-up.
I imagine the loudest man-made sound ever came from the Soviet 50 to 58
megaton H-bomb test in 1961:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_Bomba
The detonation was so loud that it broke windows in Finland and created
a seismic wave that traveled around the Earth three times.

Pat

"mike flugennock" wrote in message
ervers.com...

What year was it, again, that The Who made the Guinness Book for Loudest
Band In The World? Iirc, their decibel level was well into three digits,
reportedly louder than a 747.

"Disaster Area, a plutonium rock band from the Gagrakacka Mind Zones, are
generally held to be not only the loudest rock band in the Galaxy, but in
fact the loudest noise of any kind at all. Regular concert goers judge that
the best sound balance is usually to be heard from within large concrete
bunkers some thirty-seven miles from the stage, while the musicians
themselves play their instruments by remote control from within a heavily
insulated spaceship which stays in orbit around the planet - or more
frequently around a completely different planet.

"Their songs are on the whole very simple and mostly follow the familiar
theme of boy-being meets girl-being under a silvery moon which then explodes
for no adequately explored reason.

"Many worlds have now banned their act altogether, sometimes for artistic
reasons, but most commonly because the band's public address system
contravenes local strategic arms limitations treaties.

"This has not, however, stopped their earnings from pushing back the
boundaries of pure hypermathematics, and their chief research accountant has
recently been appointed Professor of Neomathematics at the University of
Maximegalon, in recognition of both his General and his Special Theories of
Disaster Area Tax returns, in which he proves that the whole fabric of the
space-time continuum is not merely curved, it is in fact totally bent."

Douglas Adams, _The Restaurant at the End of the Universe_

So now you know :-)

mike flugennock wrote:


A lot, and it seems no two agree. A quick Google search showed
everything from 120 decibels to 235 decibels depending on the
distance from the rocket during launch.


Damn; that's lower than _I_ would've guessed.


Me also; I was expecting around 500 decibels.
The Who toped out at 126 decibels, but Man-O-War claims to have hit
129.5 decibels in 1994.

Pat

Rusty wrote:
Stephen Jones wrote:
"As loud as a Saturn V at lift off" is sometimes quoted as one of the
loudest man-made sounds. Are there any published noise measurements for
the Saturn V launch?


I was not able to find noise data for a Saturn V launch, but here are
reports about noise generated by Saturn I launches and Saturn V ground
tests:


% Snipped list of useful references

Thank you for the references - I'll convert the watts into dBs and post
what I think these bound the problem quite well. I've also been sent a
reference to an acoustic power of 200 million watts!

Stev

Neil Gerace wrote:

"Disaster Area, a plutonium rock band from the Gagrakacka Mind Zones, are
generally held to be not only the loudest rock band in the Galaxy, but in
fact the loudest noise of any kind at all. Regular concert goers judge that
the best sound balance is usually to be heard from within large concrete
bunkers some thirty-seven miles from the stage,



Guinness stopped listing loudest concerts after The Who, so as not to
encourage bands to further damage the hearing of the audience. Hearing
damage starts at around 80 decibels.

Pat

Stephen Jones wrote:


Thank you for the references - I'll convert the watts into dBs and
post what I think these bound the problem quite well. I've also been
sent a reference to an acoustic power of 200 million watts!


The Shuttle's SRBs are supposed to be mighty loud as well.

Pat

On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 13:33:42 -0500, Pat Flannery wrote
(in article ):



mike flugennock wrote:


A lot, and it seems no two agree. A quick Google search showed
everything from 120 decibels to 235 decibels depending on the
distance from the rocket during launch.


Damn; that's lower than _I_ would've guessed.


Me also; I was expecting around 500 decibels.
The Who toped out at 126 decibels, but Man-O-War claims to have hit
129.5 decibels in 1994.

Pat

Bear in mind that decibels are a logarithmic scale.

--
Herb Schaltegger
"You can run on for a long time . . . sooner or later, God'll cut you
down." - Johnny Cash
http://www.angryherb.net

Pat Flannery wrote:


Stephen Jones wrote:

"As loud as a Saturn V at lift off" is sometimes quoted as one of the
loudest man-made sounds. Are there any published noise measurements
for the Saturn V launch?


A lot, and it seems no two agree. A quick Google search showed
everything from 120 decibels to 235 decibels depending on the distance
from the rocket during launch.

This 235 dB figure is quoted quite frequently, but meaningless without a
distance from the launch pad. The 120 dB figure sounds (aargh!) like a
more realistic measured value - the noise might at least be survivable
to a person taking the measurement!

Steve

I think most large conventional bombs are far louder than that close-up.
I imagine the loudest man-made sound ever came from the Soviet 50 to 58
megaton H-bomb test in 1961:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_Bomba
The detonation was so loud that it broke windows in Finland and created
a seismic wave that traveled around the Earth three times.

Pat