Acoustical characterization of exploding hydrogen-oxygen balloons

Exploding hydrogen-oxygen balloons are popular chemistry demonstrations. Although initial research experimentally quantified potential hearing risk via analysis of peak levels [K. L. Gee et al., J. Chem. Educ. 87, 1039-1044 (2010)], further waveform and spectral analyses have been conducted to more...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2012-03, Vol.131 (3), p.EL243-EL249
Main Authors: Vernon, Julia A., Gee, Kent L., Macedone, Jeffrey H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustical measurements and instrumentation
Acoustics
Architectural acoustics
Exact sciences and technology
Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications)
Physics
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Summary:Exploding hydrogen-oxygen balloons are popular chemistry demonstrations. Although initial research experimentally quantified potential hearing risk via analysis of peak levels [K. L. Gee et al., J. Chem. Educ. 87, 1039-1044 (2010)], further waveform and spectral analyses have been conducted to more fully characterize these impulsive noise sources. While hydrogen-only balloons produce inconsistent reactions and relatively low, variable levels, stoichiometrically mixed hydrogen-oxygen balloons produce consistent high-amplitude noise waveforms. Preliminary consideration is also given to the potential use of these exploding balloons in architectural acoustics applications.
ISSN:0001-4966
1520-8524
DOI:10.1121/1.3684741