What type of saw makes the least amount of noise? Industrial noise is now a significant factor in designing machines and cutting tools due to the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Excessive exposure to load noise can result in hearing severe loss. This study was conducted to see if a saw with perturbed blades (blades not evenly spaced) is quieter than a saw with evenly-spaced blades.

An experiment was conducted to see which type of saw (one with even blade spacing (conventional) and another with uneven blade spacing (perturbed)) would be the quietest. Twenty-eight pieces of wood were randomly chosen from a lumber yard. Before each piece of wood was cut, the saw used to cut it was chosen at random. After the wood was cut the noise in decibels was then recorded.

Note: In the data-set Column 1 represent the measurements for the conventional blade, and Column 2 gives the measurements for the saw with perturbed blades.

Reference: Data based on experiment conducted by Jack Hu, University of Michigan, Mechanical Engineering