Psychoacoustic Test to Determine Sound Quality Metric Indicators of Rotorcraft Noise Annoyance

Noise certification metrics such as Effective Perceived Noise Level and Sound Exposure Level are used to ensure that helicopters meet regulations, but these metrics may not be good indicators of annoyance since noise complaints against helicopters persist. Sound quality (SQ) metrics, specifically fluctuation strength, tonality, impulsiveness, roughness, and sharpness, are explored to determine their relationship with annoyance. A psychoacoustic test was conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center Exterior Effects Room to assess annoyance to helicopter-like sounds over a range of SQ metric values. The amplitude, phase, and frequency of the AS350 helicopter main and tail rotor blade passage signal harmonics were manipulated to produce 105 unique helicopter-like sounds with prescribed values of SQ metrics. All sounds were set to roughly the same loudness level. These sounds were played to 40 subjects who rated each sound for annoyance. Analyses given in this paper point to which SQ metrics are important to the helicopter noise annoyance response.