EFFECTS OF SONIC BOOM ON AUTOMOBILE-DRIVER BEHAVIOUR

Test results are presented on the response and behaviour of automobile drivers subjected to sonic boom disturbances under actual driving conditions. A description is given of the design and development of a portable sonic boom simulator, auxiliary equipment and experimental techniques used to study the nature and severity of the disturbance effects. The sonic boom simulator, consisting basically of loudspeakers and a function generator was mounted inside a test vehicle. It was able to produce sonic booms that were very similar to what drivers would experience following SST overflights. The simulated booms had overpressures of 3 psf, rise times of about one millisecond and durations of 100 milliseconds. Two aspects of driving were investigated; the Tracking Manoeuver and the Stopping Task. Results from both tests indicated that driver behaviour was not affected by the simulated booms, even though some drivers considered it annoying or disturbing. It may therefore be concluded from present limited statistical tests that current commercial supersonic aircraft under normal flight conditions (without superbooms) would not produce adverse effects on a driver's stopping distance or his ability to follow a particular course.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Toronto

  Institute for Aerospace Studies, 4925 Dufferin Road
  Toronto, Ontario  Canada  M5S 1A1
• Authors:
  • Nowakiwsky, O V
• Publication Date: 1974-6

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 60 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acoustic equipment; Behavior; Drivers; Reaction time; Simulation; Sonic boom; Stopping distances; Supersonic transport planes; Tracking systems; Training simulators
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver reaction; Loudspeakers; Tracking
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00083862
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
• Report/Paper Numbers: UTIAS TN No. 188
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 29 1975 12:00AM