Archive for January 2011
How Is Noise Measuring Equipment Used?
Noise refers to any unwanted sound that is unpleasant to the mind and ears. It is always best to keep the noise levels under control to have a pleasant and peaceful mind. In our daily life, nearly all equipment produce noise, however, noise produced in audio equipment such as microphone, amplifiers and recording systems should be very low.
Recording studios, radio stations and other commercial places use noise measuring equipment for producing good results. There are many types of noise measuring equipment suitable for measuring environmental noise, community noise, music noise, machinery noise, and road vehicle exhaust noise. Some measuring equipment is useful for testing fire alarms, pyrotechnics, and fireworks. While some noise test equipment is used for quality control of engines, gearboxes, axles etc.
Due to the fact that noise contains energy spread over a wide range of frequencies and levels, a simple level meter or voltmeter does not produce useful results instead a special noise-measuring instrument is required. The instruments for measuring noise include sound level meters, noise dosimeters and auxiliary equipment. The sound level meter is a basic instrument which is an electronic instrument consisting of a microphone, an amplifier, various filters, a squaring device, an exponential averager and a read-out calibrated in decibels (dB).
Sound level meters are categorized by their precision a type 0 is the most precise while type 3 is the least precise. In laboratories a type 0 meter is used, while a type 1 meter is used for other precision sound level measurements. Type 2 is the general purpose meter, and type 3 is the survey meter, which is not recommended for industrial use.
Sound level meters have built-in frequency weighting devices that allow most frequencies to pass. The A-weighting network is the most commonly used filter which simulates the response curve of the human ear at moderate listening levels. These meters offer different levels of meter responses to choose from.
The “slow” response comes has a 1-sec time constant, whereas the “fast” response has a 0.125-sec time constant. The “impulse” response has a 35 ms response for the increasing portion of the signal and a 1500 ms time constant for the signal’s decay. Results are displayed in the form of a graph on the screen of the measuring equipment. Lately, sound level meters are becoming increasingly small portable devices that can be easily connected to a range of software and via a range of communications options.
Try Working in the Mining Industry
You want to earn the sort of salary you can be proud of, don’t you? You’re probably even sick of your smug Uncle who went to medical school getting all the attention at family gatherings? The mining industry is turning many regular people like you and me into very rich, happy individuals.
Forget all the stereotypes- like the one about it being a boys club only- the mining industry has evolved into one of the most professional industries in the world. Men and women of all ages and from all backgrounds are finding extremely satisfying employment as miners. It’s a diverse and equitable pastime.
And with salaries of well over a hundred thousand dollars a year being very achievable, it’s no wonder people are taking a change in direction with their career and heading off into the remote areas of the world to make their fortune. In fact, some miners earn three or four times what an executive can.
Driven by the booming industrial revolutions of India and China, mines in countries like Canada, Australia and parts of Africa are in overdrive and consequently suffering from acute skills shortages. This means that they are in need of skilled workers to mine their ample resources and turning to overseas workers to fill the void.
So what skills do you need?
The good news is that you don’t need to be an engineer to work in mining- although being an engineer certainly puts you at the top of the pile- many trades like electrical and mechanical are in high demand. But then there’s the other jobs.
For open cut mining, dump truck drivers are required in large numbers. Don’t be over awed by some of those trucks either, they are as easy to drive as your average family sedan.
For remote mines, like in central Australia, employees are needed for typical mining jobs as well as facility jobs like catering and cleaning.
Maybe you like the idea of running your own business?
Mining contractors can range from safety consultants to environmental advisors. But that’s only the start; organizations are required for contracted work like cleaning, maintenance, security and a host of other services.
So how do you find out more?
The mining industry is often considered one of the world’s best kept secrets and so many people, like me some time ago, just don’t know where to start. That was until I found a great site that introduces people to the mining industry and gives great information on which companies are hiring staff and where.