Military standard 1474E: Design criteria for noise limits vs. operational effectiveness

• Main Author: Amrein, Bruce E.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1939-800X
• DOI: 10.1121/2.0000207

In April 2015, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) published a significant revision to Military standard 1474: Design criteria--Noise limits (MIL-STD-1474). Through the efforts of a DoD multi-service working group, every aspect of MIL-STD-1474 has been revised to improve readability, reduce conflicting guidance, and consolidate requirements common to steady-state and impulsive noise produced by weapons systems and ground-, air-, and water-borne platforms. Noise conditions in military environments differ significantly from typical industrial or occupational situations, and mission success requires offensive equipment and weapons to be more lethal and survivable than those used by the adversary. Producing materiel suitable for military operations requires unique design criteria often exceeding civilian national or international standards. MIL-STD-1474E provides the design tools and measurement techniques necessary to satisfy these unique and often contradictory requirements. A unique advance in MIL-STD-1474E is a computer-based, electro-acoustic model of the human auditory system that is used in place of hypothetical calculations to evaluate hazards from impulsive noise events typical of weapon firing. This paper describes the salient requirements necessary to produce and deploy military systems, maximizing warfighter effectiveness while minimizing hearing damage caused by their use.