Long-term Acoustical Performance of Low-noise Road Surfaces in Urban Areas in Switzerland
Invited paper
Swiss Federal Office for the Environment FOEN
Tuesday 2 june, 2015, 15:00 - 15:20
0.2 Berlin (90)
Abstract:
Acoustical measurements on more than 300 low-noise road surfaces constructed
over
the last decade in urban areas in Switzerland showed that large initial noise
reductions can be achieved. These surfaces, however, change their noise-
reducing
characteristics over their lifetime as a function of age and wear. Information
on
the long-term acoustical performance of such road surfaces is currently not
available. Such information is, however, of high importance for reliable cost-
benefit analysis which serves as a crucial input for planning and decision
making.
This article aims to fill this gap by plotting the measured acoustic
performance
of low-noise road surfaces as a function of age and traffic load. We evaluate
different statistical models to describe acoustical ageing and provide
estimates
for the long-term acoustical performance of such surfaces as a function of
time
and traffic load.