Airplane Pods

Ariana S., Lena P., Nalani H.

TAF@Saghalie

Abstract
When thinking of airplanes, a struggle many people face is the noise level. Not talking

about the airplane itself, but noisy passengers. The source of the noise tends to come from

families, especially with small children. A question that arises is how can soundproof

pods be created for use on airplanes increase plane experience for all passengers? This is

an interesting topic, because most people are either on a noisy airplane limiting their

sleep, and peace of quiet or feeling bad for others when their child is a bit too loud. The

creation of soundproof pods can address this problem. Plywood planks were used for the

facade, and acoustic foam was installed on the inside of the pod creating a soundproof

room. The decibel (dB) level or Noise level was tested with and without the pod. Result

indicated a 30-decibels decrease in noise level in presence of pod, which is approximately

43%. With a crying child it will sound like conversation level, and with conversation it

will sound like a quiet room. Next steps that would be taken is to make the actual model

of the pod.

Background Information/Literature Review

How can we create a soundproof pod for use on airplanes to reduce noise level from families
with young children and improve the overall passenger experience?

Purpose / Problem: Noisy Families on Airplanes

Criteria:
● Soundproof
- The pod must be soundproof to ensure that noise does not travel in and out.
● Accessible to Emergency Exits
- With accidents happening, the pod must be able to open easily for passengers to
leave in case of an emergency
● Sturdy and Hold 3 Seats
 - Pod must be sturdy so that it will not fall apart. It should be able to hold a typical
size for a family (2 parents and child).

Constraints:
● Time
- With such limited time to build, things had to be rushed just to finish by the
deadline
● Money
- Winning the Innovation Challenge, money was provided, but there was a limit of
$100
● Materials
- Materials were provided from teachers, plywood and acoustic foam arrived from
Amazon

Experiment Design
o Materials (May be a bullet point list BUT be specific & explain quantity)

Materials Quantity (unit)

Plywood planks (12” x 12”) 10 planks ($71)

Acoustic Foam (12” x 12”) 1 pack($28.99)

Tools (Jig saw, sandpaper, wood glue, spray 4 ($0)

paint)

Noise dosimeter app 1 ($0)

Procedure

1) Phase 1: Research
a) Find best suited plane to base dimension off of - Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Measurements for materials needed to construct the full size model.
b) Look into what materials would work best to construct the soundproof pod. Both
plywood and acoustic foam seem to be fairly inexpensive and effective.
c) Observe what places children learn best (quiet rooms which the soundproof pod
provides).

2) Phase 2: Plan
 a) Move into planning the design of the pod and include scaling down the model.
Building a full sized model proves to be too much in too little amount of time.

b) Plan on how to attach the acoustic foam effectively to the inside of the pod.

3) Phase 3: Execute
a) Cut the plywood planks based on pre-marked measurements.
b) Sand down any sharp edges to make it smooth.
c) Glue together two pairs of plywood planks so that it would meet at right angles.
d) Keep planks compressed and standing to dry
e) Glue on the acoustic foam to each of the four inside parts of the model.
f) Glue all the parts together to form a small model box. Make sure to not glue the
top on for viewing purposes.
 4) Phase 4: Collect Data
a) Download “Decibel X” app that measures the decibels (dB) of sound to collect
the data.
b) Play a recording of a child screaming/crying to simulate a real child’s scream.
Measure the dB level with no soundproof pod and the dB level outside of the
soundproof pod with the audio playing.
5) Phase 5: Data Analysis
a) Analyze collected data and construct two graphs. One containing predictions for
how loud the child’s scream would be and as well as the ideal reduction of
decibels the pod would have. The second graph will then contain the actual results
of the experiment with and without the pod.
b) Determine the average decibel level with the recorded trials for each location
(with and without pod).

Results

Location Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

Decibel level without 93.1 96.1 93.9 94.47
pod

Decibel level with pod 66.6 62.8 62 63.8

The daat here describes the decibels, or level of sound produced with and without the pod. Based
off of the data table, the Airplane Pod decreases the sound on airplanes. The average amount of
decibels with pod is 63.8, and without pod is 94.47. The average was found by taking each trial
data, and finding the average by adding it up and dividing it by three for both locations. With the
pod, there is about a 30 decibel decrease in sound.

This graph shows that with the pod there is a decrease in sound on airplanes. The average
amount of sound without pod is about 95 decibels. With the pod it is about 65 decibels. This
shows that with a pod there is a large decrease in sound about 30 decibels.

Conclusion
According to the data, our Airplane Pods will increase airline passenger experience. The data
table shows without the pod it's about 94.47 dB and with the pod it's about 63.8 dB. This shows
that the pod decreases the sound by about 32.4%. The graph shows the average decibels without
the pod is about 95 dB, and with the pod it’s about 65 dB. This shows that with the pod the
decibels inside the airplane decreases by about 30 dB. In conclusion, airplane pods will increase
airplane passenger experience by decreasing the amount of sound heard by noisy children and
families.

Bibliography

Dulley, J (2000). New materials and kits can help soundproof house: [five star lift edition]
.
Pulitzer.inc. Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/404092269/fulltext/923FB5625FAB4019PQ/1?
accountid=2057

Koncius,J (1994). Toys. toys. toys. toys. toys: [final edition]. WP Company LLC d/b/a The
Washington Post. Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/307732485/abstract/AEE8D1688B3B4127PQ/1?
accountid=2057

Borlea, A., Rusu, T., & Simon, S. (2010) Necessity of today: noise reduction.
Scientific Bulletin Series D : Mining, Mineral Processing, Non-Ferrous Metallurgy, Geology and
Environmental Engineering; Baia Mare Vol. 24, Iss. 1, 71-80.

Honarvar, M.G., Jeddi, A.A.A., & Tehran, M.A. (2010) Noise Absorption Modeling
of Rib Knitted Fabrics. Textile Research Journal; Princeton Vol. 80, Iss. 14, : 1392-1404.

Klages, K. E. (1996). Experts whisper tips on making home a quiet haven. The Salt Lake
Tribune Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/288722847?accountid=2057

Schwab, C. M. (2015). An Indoor and Inclusive Play- Away Room can be a Building Block for
Happy Children. The Exceptional Parent (Online), 45, 35-38. Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1753015153?accountid=2057

Ted, W. (2010). Soundproofing vs sound absorbing – what’s the difference? Stop Noise.
Retrieved from
https://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/blog/soundproofing/blog-soundproofing-
blogsoundproofingsound-proofing-vs-sound-absorbing-the-difference-between-blocking-and-
absorbing/