Abstract
There is pressing and growing demand from the public to design and construct roads with a low noise level. This paper investigated the acoustic performance of asphalt pavements in the State of Qatar to assist transport authorities in designing and constructing quieter pavements. In this study, a field-testing setup was assembled to measure the tire-pavement noise of dense-graded asphalt (DGA) pavements at the source using the on-board sound intensity (OBSI) method. The repeatability and reproducibility of test results demonstrated that the assembled OBSI test setup could measure the sound intensity with excellent repeatability and reproducibility. The measured noise level of existing pavements varied from 101.8 dBA to 106.2 dBA depending on the age of pavement sections. Measured noise levels of pavements in Qatar were higher than typical DGA pavements in Europe and the US. Test results also demonstrated that the acoustic performance of pavements in Qatar deteriorates faster compared to those in the US and Europe. The findings of this study demonstrate that there is a need to consider alternative asphalt mixture designs in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf. The results also showed a good correlation between the mean texture depth of studied pavement sections and noise level, especially at the low-frequency range.
Highlights
More people are exposed to noise pollution in modern days than any other type of pollution; it possesses a significant environmental challenge for people’s well-being, especially those living close to high vicinity [1]
A microphone calibrator, model: GRAS type 42AB, was used for calibration of the microphone. e testing rig was supplied by AVEC Inc., which is made of aluminum and stainless steel and has a precise microphone and preamplifier mounting option according to AASHTO T 360–16 standard [7]. is testing system’s major components included a 4-channel analyzer manufactured by National Instrument, AVEC on-board sound intensity (OBSI) software, and a semirugged laptop computer
OBSI noise measurements were performed on the selected pavement sections, and these sections were selected according to AASHTO T 360–16 [7] guidelines. e measured noise level was used to study the acoustic performance of dense-graded asphalt (DGA) pavements in Qatar
Summary
More people are exposed to noise pollution in modern days than any other type of pollution; it possesses a significant environmental challenge for people’s well-being, especially those living close to high vicinity [1]. Noise pollution due to traffic is the dominant source of environmental noise as a result of an increasing number of vehicles on the highways. Noise barrier walls are generally placed along the roadway to reduce traffic noise. Sound tends to diffract over and around barriers, reduces the effectiveness of the wall [2]. Vehicles on the highway generate noise through three sources: propulsion (i.e., engine, fan, exhaust, transmission, etc.), aerodynamics, and tire-pavement interaction. Propulsion is the leading source of noise at very low speeds, while aerodynamics is the dominant noise source at very high speeds. As vehicle speed approaches around 30 mph, almost 50% of traffic noise is generated due to tire-pavement interaction [1], while the vehicle is traveling at freeway speeds, tire-pavement interaction is the dominant source (i.e., almost 80%) of traffic noise
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