Abstract

Québec companies with noisy workplaces rarely perform acoustic analyses of their sites, as they lack the tools with which to predict the effectiveness of potential corrective measures. Predictive acoustics is a technique which predicts the noise reduction achieved by the acoustic treatment of industrial workplaces. Predictive acoustics software is available in Europe, and Rayscad+™, a French program, is one of the most popular of these.

In the first phase of the project, the accuracy of the software’s predictions was validated in industrial workplaces. Comprehensive studies in two companies demonstrated a high correlation between predicted and observed levels, both before and after acoustic treatment.

Evaluation of the likelihood that joint sectoral associations would use the Rayscad+™ software effectively was the object of the second phase of the project. The software was found to require modification to satisfy the specific needs of Québec companies. This information was communicated to the software’s publisher, and implementation of these suggestions is under way. An operational version of the modified software will soon be available.