Impulse Noise: Can Hitting a Softball Harm Your Hearing?

Figure 2

Time domain wave forms and spectra. The time domain wave forms are shown in black with energy lasting on average around 0.1 seconds. As can be seen, the aluminum bat wave form shows signs of “ringing” beyond the initial impulse. The spectra of the three highest bat measurements are shown in blue (wood), red (composite), and green (aluminum). Although all three bat spectra are broad in nature, the aluminum bat has somewhat higher energy between 4000 and 8000 Hz, and the two distinct peaks at approximately 1700 and 2260 Hz are shown. These peaks are at least 20 dB above the rest of the broadband energy (noise floor).