Impact of the Application of Grinding and Grooving of a Concrete Road Pavement on Noise Level in the Environment

Abstract

A growing number of cars and trucks moving around on our roads contributes to the rise of noise level to which people in their immediate vicinity are exposed. The regulations in force impose on road managers the obligation to limit road noise to the permissible level in compliance with the applicable regulations. The obligation to ensure protection against traffic noise applies equally to newly designed roads and to the existing ones which are being extended or modernized. This type of noise is generated principally by the interaction between tires and road pavement. Therefore, the design and construction of quiet pavements plays a very important role in reducing environmental noise and may in some cases be an alternative to other noise reduction methods. The article undertakes the task of assessing the impact of grinding technology and grooving technology of the existing concrete pavement on the reduction of noise propagation in the environment. The article involves the tests of road pavement made of cement concrete. The tests were carried out on the road section before and after the above-mentioned works, using the method similar to Close Proximity Method (CPX) and the noise measurement method at road edge at a distance of 10.0 m and height of 4.0 m. The obtained results were illustrated with a noise range map for the modified and standard road pavements.