Preliminary Investigation of Vehicular Noise Associated with Superhighways

Abstract

Measurements of noise produced by freely moving vehicular traffic have been used to formulate a preliminary description of the superhighway as a noise source. The distribution of individual vehicle positions is assumed to be random at any given instant, while their relative velocities are assumed nearly constant. Under these assumptions the total acoustic power produced at locations adjoining the highway can be directly related to a statistical description of the traffic flow. The effects of flow densities of (a) passenger cars and light trucks, and (b) heavy trucks, are discussed insofar as they affect the time pattern and frequency distribution of the acoustic power produced. A description is given of the use of this characterization of traffic noise in estimating the reaction of a community to noise intrusion by the procedures outlined by Stevens, Rosenblith, and Bolt, Noise Control 1, 63 (1955).