Rolling noise - Forecast of tire noise propagation - application and validation of the calculation tool SPERoN to design new low noise road surface layers (sub-project B)
Overview
Background & policy context:
Traffic noise is still considered as one of the most important sources of discomfort by neighbouring populations of urban and high-trafficked roads. Before the introduction of low noise pavements, acoustical reinforcements of building façades and noise barriers were the only possibilities to control and abate traffic noise. Low noise pavements currently developed or in study should permit to reduce traffic noise by a few decibels. Results have been already found for some pavement families, but for near-field configurations only. According to the results of recent research projects on quiet road traffic in France, Germany and other European countries, the reduction potential of tyre road noise amounts to about 10 dB compared to the present situation. The acoustical properties of road surfaces play the most important role in this context. To actually realise these 10 dB on real roads it is mandatory that a change of
paradigm in road construction will take place. The physical requirements for low
noise road surfaces are well-defined. Therefore, road construction has to
migrate from a trial-and error course of action to controlled, reproducible and
well-defined laying methods. Computational models for the prediction for the
prediction of rolling noise depending on road surface properties can help to
achieve this goal.
Objectives:
The aims of the project are twofold and therefore the structure of the project mainly consists of two work-packages (WP):
- Application of models (SPERoN and HyRoNE) for the prediction of noise emissions due to the interaction of the surface texture with an average car tyre including the laying and characterisation of three experimental surfaces (Part II of this study).
- Simulation of sound propagation of those emissions - which are usually calculated or measured close to the source - over large distances in order to prove the efficiency of the optimisation at a remote receiver and presentation of an internet database with results of those calculations (Part III of the study).
Those two WPs were embraced by the supporting WPs “Consortium management” and “Dissemination”.
Methodology:
WP Validation and application of models for the prediction of rolling noise:
- This WP was intended to demonstrate the change of paradigm in road construction. Low noise road design was realised on real road pavements. The SPERoN and the HyRoNEmodels were applied as adapted tools to design new textures for low noise road surfaces. After a theoretical description of the optimised surface texture issued from the fitting calculations, some samples were built and tested in a first step in laboratory and finally in situ following the current updated experimental techniques.
WP Simulation of sound propagation:
- The main goal of this WP was to examine whether the acoustical qualities of the new texture measured in the near field of the vehicle will persist at large distances, in front of façades, or not. In order to identify this relationship, a method developed in France was used. This method requires to use accurate propagation models which can take into account both ground effects (for heterogeneous ground) and atmospheric effects which can be very important at large distances.
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