• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.658-661
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• 2005

In many fire emergencies, the auditory fire alarm signals are very important to save the occupant's life. But as the sound insulation of building elements has been improved, it is more difficult for occupant to recognize the fire alarm signals when the audible fire alarm worked. This is the first study to show the sound attenuation of audible fire alarm device in apartments. We measured and analyzed the sound attenuation level in seven units. The result showed that it was not sufficient to detect the sound from the fire alarm device in bedrooms. Whether the fire alarm device worked or not, the differences of sound level in bedrooms were below 1$\sim$10dBA. To give the minimum sound level 60dBA in bedrooms, the proper sound levels from alarm device installed in livingrooms were suggested using computer simulation.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.16 no.6 s.111
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• pp.593-601
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• 2006

In many fire emergencies, the auditory fire alarm signals are very important to save the occupant's life. But as the sound insulation of building elements has been improved, it is more difficult for occupant to recognize the fire alarm signals when the audible fire alarm worked. This is the first study to show the sound attenuation of audible fire alarm device in apartments. We measured and analyzed the sound attenuation level in seven units. The result showed that it was not sufficient to detect the sound from the fire alarm device in bedrooms. Whether the fire alarm device worked or not, the differences of sound level in bedrooms were below 1$\sim$10 dBA. To give the minimum sound level 60 dBA in bedrooms, the proper sound levels from alarm device installed in livingrooms were suggested using computer simulation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.1162-1168
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• 2007

In many fire emergencies, the audible fire alarm signals are very important to save the occupant's life. But as the sound insulation of building elements has been improved, it is more difficult for occupant to recognize the fire alarm signals when the fire alarm worked. This is the study to show the sound attenuation of the fire alarm sounder system in apartment buildings. We measured and analyzed the sound attenuation level in 17 units, and the results were compared with the minimum sound level at sleeping area by NFPA(National Fire Protection Association) 72. When only the fire alarm worked in stair hall, the sound levels in bedroom were in the range of $30.6{\sim}42.8dB(A)$ and the differences between sound level and ambient sound level in bedrooms were in the range of $7.1{\sim}13.8dB(A)$. And when the emergency broadcasting device in the livingroom and the fire alarm worked simultaneously, the sound levels in bedrooms were in the range of $54.2{\sim}63.0dBA$. Finally, it was showed that the fire alarm sounder system didn't give a sufficient sound level in bedroom to awake out of sleep.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.89-96
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• 2019

In this study, alarm sound generated as a priority alert system propagation through an elevator shaft in apartment buildings were simulated using room acoustic simulation software. The simulations were conducted on three kinds of elevator hall plan with a different number of elevators and placement. First, the elevator shaft without sound absorption material was simulated as a condition of the present. When the distance from the alarm sound generating floor became farther, alarm sound level was decreased. However, the alarm sound level three-floor distance was about 54 dB(A)~56 dB(A) which were louder than a background sound level of typical apartment buildings. Sound absorption material placement proposed by previous studies were simulated and the alarm sound levels were decreased about 12 dB~16 dB. These levels were similar or lower than the background level of apartment buildings. From these results, it can be concluded that placing sound absorption material on the surface of the elevator shaft wall can be one of the methods to control the alarm sound as regulated in NFSC.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.97-103
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• 2015

The people who are in the noise factory are difficult to hear and recognize about fire and to evacuate quickly when a fire occurs. This study was conducted to analyze workplace's background noise of 31 factories in Incheon and to know the workplace noise level comparing to fire alarm sound level. The measured average noise level was 96.8dB(A). Noise level of measured result was exceeded as 6.8dB(A) comparing to NFSC (National Fire Safety Code) noise level of 90dB. NFPA suggests that when background noise exceeds 85dB or more than that, other methods should be considered to know alarm sound. Also fire alarm sound should exceed more than 15dB(A) comparing to background noise level. Therefore it was concluded that the design of the fire alarm systems should not be applied to the workplace without considering background noise and it needs to be improved with regulations and the systems.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.67-75
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• 2018

To reduce the number of casualties in the case of fire, an alarm sound needs to be delivered to the people who remain in the apartment unit. On the other hand, it was reported that the fire alarm sound generated in the elevator hall was not delivered sufficiently to the people staying in the apartment units. In this study, the background noise level and noise level generated in an apartment unit were measured during the day and night time. In addition, the transmission of the fire alarm sound into the each room of apartment units was simulated and compared with the background noise level. The fire alarm sound generated in the elevator halls was reduced by the fire door and doors, and was not transmitted sufficiently into the internal spaces of the apartment units. Starting evacuation action was difficult after hearing the fire alarm sound generated outside the apartment units. To improve the transmission of an alarm sound to the inner spaces of apartment units, an acoustic simulation was carried out for cases where the alarm sound generator was installed on a wall-pad in the living room and the alarm sound generator was installed on the ceiling of each rooms in apartment units. Background noise of + 15 dB and 75 dB (A) were satisfied when alarm sound generator was installed on the ceiling of each room.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.153-160
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• 2009

This study aims to review the propagation characteristics of fire alarm sound in building through computer simulation. In order to achieve this goal, the sound power level of existing three different emergency alarms were measured in an anechoic chamber. Sound power level of alarm bell was 98.6dB and electronic-siren speaker was 95.7dB, and electronic-siren phon was 101.8dB at the voltage of DC 24V in the condition of anechoic chamber. As the results of acoustic simulation, it was shown that sound levels at the corridor of the building were relatively high and even. But, there were large difference in sound level at all the frequency bands between corridor and lecture rooms. This mean that alarm sound couldn't be recognized sometimes in lecture rooms. Through the computer simulation, the propagation characteristics of fire alarm sound could be forecasted and compared due to plans of buildings.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.29-35
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• 2020

This study was conducted to examine the performance in the space for a single alarm type detector installed in a single house. Three types of houses were used, including two types of one-story and two-story houses. A computer simulation program was used to predict the sound pressure level in response to the occurrence of an alarm sound in a residential space. The characteristics of the sound source applied to the simulation were directly measured and used as input data. As a result of simulation, it was found that the sound pressure level in the kitchen and living room generally met the standard when the alarm sound of the detector occurred. However, the sound pressure level in the bedroom was predicted to be at least 20 dB (A) lower than the American Fire Protection Association standard of 75 dB (A). Therefore, a plan should be prepared to maintain a sufficient sound level in the bedroom space inside the house, and efforts will be needed to ensure safe evacuation in case of fire by establishing relevant standards.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.153-160
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• 2023

This research experiments on the workers' recognition of the fire alarm sound for sirens and portable loudspeakers in a small construction site. As a result of analyzing the siren alarm sound recognition from measuring on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th floors, the sound was more unrecognizable on the 4th floor than on the 1st, and 1 person on the 1st floor was unable to recognize all sounds. In the case of the 2nd floor, one person could not notice the alarm in the last 3rd trial, and another did not realize it all three times. For the 4th floor, 3 people demonstrated unrecognition in all 3 tests. As a result of analyzing the recognition of portable loudspeaker alarm sounds, 1 person could not recognize all sounds on the first floor. In the case of the 2nd floor, 2 people were confirmed to be unable to notice, and lastly, 4 people could not recognize all trials on the 4th floor. The subjects who didn't recognize the sound were unable to distinguish between portable loudspeaker alarm sound and work noise due to the workspace and obstacles.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.406-416
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• 2023

Alarm system performance is a critical aspect of safety. While existing research has extensively examined the influence of acoustic attributes on alarm performance, consonance's impact remains largely uncharted territory. This study bridges this research gap by investigating the effect of consonance on alarm systems. We extend our investigation to encompass not only the sound characteristics of the alarm but also the acoustic qualities of the surrounding environment, recognizing their potential impact on alarm efficacy. Prior studies consistently link consonance to annoyance levels, resulting in a negative user experience. Thus, we explore the relationship between consonance and alarm system performance, with a particular focus on modulating annoyance as an explanatory factor. Utilizing an oddball paradigm, we categorized standard and oddball sounds into consonant and dissonant types, creating four sound combinations. Participants were asked to respond to the irregularly presented oddball sounds while ignoring the constantly presented standard sounds. Our results reveal significant differences between groups, with the Standard Consonant/Oddball Dissonant (SC/OD) group displaying notably slower response times than the Standard Dissonant/Oddball Consonant (SD/OC) group. This reaction time variation aligns with differences in annoyance levels, as the SC/OD group reports higher annoyance, suggesting that reaction time discrepancies may be linked to increased arousal due to heightened annoyance.