How to find the sound power in a collision?

[ajsmith595]

How would you go about calculating the sound power and sound pressure given the pressure (as in collisions [force/area]) of the collision, kinetic energy in the collision, velocities of both objects, densities and masses. Is this possible? Is the pressure of the collision equal to the sound pressure produced?

I am sorry if I put the thread in the incorrect difficulty level.

 

[anorlunda]

As I think of automobiles or airplanes crashing, and I think of all the crunching and tearing, I am led to believe that finding the fraction of energy given of as sound to be something impossible to calculate.

Perhaps you have a much simpler ideal case in mind. Smooth rigid objects of particular shapes? Even then, it would be exceedingly hard. I think of the different sounds given off by colliding spheres of glass, wood, metal, and ceramics (i.e. billard balls). Some ring, some thud.