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Research undertaken at the University of Manchester (UoM) considers the association between aircraft noise, human health and everyday life. In partnership with an eminent Japanese acoustic scientist, the issue of noise emanating out of the Kadena US airbase (Okinawa Island) and Tokyo Narita Airport was addressed through the creation of an innovative exhibition. The key impact is that local government officials in Japan used the exhibition to enhance their own and citizen groups' understanding of acoustic science. This has helped to breach a long-standing impasse in negotiations over aircraft noise, involving citizens, local authorities, the military and the private sector. In addition, the research has been utilised by the makers of a leading sound-monitoring device (Nittobo), and the multimedia exhibition has been displayed and discussed outside Japan.
Theoretical and experimental research on urban sound environments has been carried out by Professor Kang and his team at the University of Sheffield since 1999. This includes acoustic theories and models for urban sound propagation, soundscape theory and framework, and acoustic theories for sustainable building elements. Consequently, they have developed design guides/ tools that have become common standards in professional practice; invented sustainable low-noise products that have led to commercial outputs; organised networks and workshops that have set up the practice agenda for designing better urban sound environments; and delivered keynote presentations to international audiences of planning professionals and government policy-making organisations.
The Research Centre for Creative Research in Sound Arts Practice (CRiSAP) works to develop, extend and support the emerging disciplinary field of sound arts, and has played a role in defining, scoping and shaping contemporary sound arts practice. This case study demonstrates impact on the creative community, museums and galleries, and the general public, with work reaching a wide audience and developing a greater recognition and understanding of sound and sound arts.
Research carried out in UCL's Department of Mathematics addresses the accurate coupling of acoustic source fields to noise propagation models, for the determination of far-field environmental noise exposure. The work has increased understanding of issues related to noise propagation from infrastructure including roads and wind turbines, in the UK and internationally. For example, it has led to changes in thinking about freeway noise mitigation strategies at Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), discussion of concerns about the UK's assessment of noise propagation from wind turbines by the Institute of Acoustics, and improved understanding of sound-related issues associated with a gas compressor station in the southwestern US that are of interest to local Indian tribes. The research also stimulated interest and discourse by groups and individuals including the Acoustic Ecology Institute in the US, a community group in Germany, Washington State Department of Transportation, the US Federal Aviation Administration, and an artist based in Berlin.
In response to many EU directives (e.g. 89/629/EEC, 2002/30/EC), and to the threat of financial penalties, the aircraft industry has long considered it a matter of the utmost importance to develop tools for the reduction of aircraft noise. Chapman's ray theory of aeroengine noise, created and developed in 1994-2000, provided such a tool. The impact of this work has extended through aircraft industry giants such as Rolls-Royce to consumers and the general public worldwide, because of its influence on the design of quieter aircraft.
Following application of the same theory to broadband underwater acoustics, the impact now extends to the government's plans for the next generation of nuclear submarines. This is a £25 billion project to design and build the Successor class, to replace the Vanguard class of Trident submarines. Chapman's ray theory has been used in the current Assessment Phase leading to Main Gate in 2016, when the Government will decide on production.
Research at the University of Bradford has resulted in more accurate and efficient predictions of traffic sound propagation and faster determination of sound reflection effects, enabling more effective design and positioning of noise barriers. Software derived from our research is used in 40 countries to map traffic noise and plan evidence-based targeting of Noise Reduction Devices (NRDs), thus increasing efficiency and sustainability. Beneficiaries include the public, through improved quality of life from reduced noise pollution from transport and wind turbine sound, and governments and public administrations through policy tools to influence noise management. The reach of our research is demonstrated by its incorporation into national and EU-wide policy and guidance on sustainability in design and use of NRDs.
Work at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) has led to a sophisticated new understanding of a number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) problems in acoustics. The effects are wide ranging, attracting heavyweight industry sponsors and driving valuable new innovations in home entertainment, construction, aviation and defence. In particular, research has led to the deployment of new "active" methods for controlling noise and vibration within aircraft. Systems have been installed in over 200 propeller aircraft since January 2008, giving a total number of 1000 aircraft treated to date and benefitting 177 million passengers worldwide. Noise reduction systems based on patents resulting from the unique ISVR methods are being developed for maritime use by BAE Systems. The underpinning science has significantly cut the cost of noise tests on Rolls-Royce jet engines, saving US$4 million to date and reducing their environmental impact. It has led to the development of mass-produced systems for living-room 3D sound, global sales of which have reached US$7.2 million.
Applied acoustics in the built environment and its broader uptake is focused on the development and commercial adoption of techniques and technologies resulting from research in applied acoustics, demonstrating the following impact:
Organ of Corti is an experimental instrument by David Prior (Associate Prof. Falmouth University) and Frances Crow that filters the sound around it into new listening experiences. Winner of the `Performing Rights Society (PRS) for Music Foundation's New Music Award' in 2010, Organ of Corti toured England in the summer of 2011. The piece was presented in partnership with nationally recognised regional music festivals reaching an estimated audience of over 400,000 during its tour, both live and via National and International media coverage [Section: 5, Ref:14-23].
Organ of Corti has received recognition from a number of International awards within the disciplines of new music, acoustics and technology [Section: 5, Ref 10-12]. The project has contributed to research within the areas of meta-materials, policy implementation on `soundscape design' and new ways of listening [Section 5, Ref: 5-9]. Organ of Corti has received planning permission for a permanent sound sculpture on the banks of the river Severn in Worcester [Section: 5, Ref: 25].
Ross Brown's research has been instrumental in shaping theatre sound into a specialist discipline in its own right. It has influenced the practices, organisation and status of sound within professional theatre. Constructing a dialogue with a potentially hostile theatre industry over two decades, Brown's central formulation of a `dramaturgy of sound' has changed the ways in which theatre professionals, independent artists, academics and specialist students think about and work with sound. In doing so it has helped make sound design a more central artistic consideration of theatre production and thus raised its profile in the industry.