Shame on all versions of Niume

Laenole wrote:

Post by Silverwall » Tue Jul 26, 2016 7:03 pm

You can live with deafness, you can't live with lung cancer which is why asbestos makes a poor comparison point for your argument.

PS what materials are you going to use to make these earmuffs? remember you have cotton and leather and I doubt they want to spend precious spring steel in making the head clip for these ear muffs in order to give the good fit needed to be effective. Also what are you using as your filler given the total lack of a petrochemical industry or synthetic sponges to make the acoustic absorbing foam. Does Safehold have sponges? I can't remember anything in the books and even then they generally would need to be wet to work well as sound deadening.

Yes but asbestos is only really dangerous when in less than mm particles and breathed in. The cartridges present minimum risk before firing as long as they are whole. After firing, they are only around the firer for a minimum amount of time. They probably do represent a long term risk for people who subsequently live in the area if particles from them become airborne.

As for construction technique for ear muffs, use a bow wood for the spring steel. You would only have to make a weak "bow". The main protection they provide is from the hard outer shell that stops the pressure wave. This could be made from a gourd or wood. The fit to the head could be cotton battening in a hide or treated linen. Any lining would probably need experimentation, but I could see some combination of a cotton fill with hot wax poured in to keep it in place. The inner lining is to dampen any sound generated by the outer shell. I am not an acoustic engineer and can not tell you what would work best.

BTW. My real objection is the mention of people with cotton balls in there ears thanking them for dampening the sound as the Captain of the river ironclad barge in MTAT. This could get DW in trouble if some idiot beleives him.

Laenole

WeberFan wrote:And for the "Right Honorable Gentleman" I cite:

LAMA February Year of God 897.III Royal Palace, City of Manchyr, Princedom of Corisande, and Charisian Embassy, Siddar City, Republic of Siddarmark

(emphasis mine)

Right at the very beginning of the chapter: "Iris Aplyn-Ahrmak concentrated on her instructor's soothing words. They sounded a bit off through the hearing protection the instructor insisted she wear whenever they visited the range, whether or not they were actively shooting."

And a bit later in the same chapter: "And now, if you'll excuse us Lieutenant," she said, "I have to ask you to step back behind the safety line and cover your ears since you don't appear to have brought plugs with you."

I think we can put this one to bed, n'est ce pas?

“We’re coming up on the designated range, Sir Hainz,” Lieutenant Ahdym Stormynt, his flag lieutenant, reminded him tactfully, and he snorted.

“Always a good thing to remember,” he acknowledged, dropping the double-glass to hang from the strap around his neck. He dug into his tunic pocket for the earplugs and fitted them into place. He didn’t like the sound-deadening effect, but he liked the thought of what Eraystor’s heavy guns would do to his hearing without them even less.

Laenole wrote:Rereading the series I was struck by the lack of concern with a hearing safety.

Stuffing cotton balls or fingers in your ears is totally inadequate protection against any loud noise. Cotton wads provide only 7 decibels (dB) of noise protection which is good against rustling leaves which is 10 dB. The scale is logarithmic. Conversational speech is around 50 dB. Anything above 90 requires protection if experienced for long enough. A belt sander at 103 if used for more than 7.5 minutes can damage hearing. By the time you get to 120 dB (up close to an ambulance siren) you will experience pain and the immediate chance of damage. A firecracker is 150 dB.

While the age old practice of covering your ears, turning away, and opening your mouth can help a crew firing their guns it is not adequate protection, especially in an unit.

Artillery crews at least should be issued suitable ear protection, especially the ironclad crews. Niume should know better.

"All that glitters is not gold"
Laenole

She discusses hearing issues in the book and writes that weapons and explosions "are the biggest contributors tothe $1 billion a year the Veterans Administration spends on hearing loss and tinnitus". Audiologists do a lot of testing and try to come up with solutions for use in the field. But when a group of special-ops personnel was asked if an audiologist had ever done anything positive for them, the on'y reply, Roach says, was, "They fitted me for my hearing aids."

Laenole wrote:On further thought, protection could be mounted on a cotton strap that ties below the chin. It could be belted for universal fit.

Laenole