DEUFRABASE: A Simple Tool for the Evaluation of the Noise Impact of Pavements in Typical Road Geometries

Abstract

Traffic noise is considered by people as one of the most important sources of environmental discomfort. A way to limit the traffic noise is to reduce the noise emission, for example, by using specific low noise pavements, particularly in suburban areas. However, in real situations, it can be difficult to evaluate the impact of a given pavement, because it depends, for example, on the road geometry, the meteorological conditions, or the distance of the receiver position. Finally it can be difficult to select the most appropriate pavement for a given noise reduction objective. In this paper, a simple method is proposed to evaluate the noise impact of a pavement, in typical road geometries and environmental conditions. The proposed approach uses two databases, the first one based on measurements of emission spectra of road vehicles on several typical pavements, the second one made of pre-calculations of noise propagation for typical road configurations. Finally, the method is implemented in an interactive web tool, called DEUFRABASE, which allows one to obtain a fast estimation of the L Aeq (1 h or 24 h) and L den noise levels for various pavements and road configurations, as functions of the traffic flow and composition. By comparing the method with measurements, it is showed that the tool, although based on a restricted number of pavements and on several simplifications, can predict the noise impact of typical road configurations, with an acceptable error, most often less than 2 dB.In a practical point of view, the choice of a specific road pavement, in order to reach a given noise reduction at a given position (i.e., at a building facade for example), is not trivial, because it depends mainly on the road configuration, the traffic flow and composition, the nature of the soils around the road, the distance of the observation point, the meteorological conditions. . . The use of complex numerical methods (such as the boundary element method or the parabolic equation), although possible, is difficult to implement by road professionals, preferring faster and more functional tools, as close as possible to a practitioner's real needs.The present paper deals with this objective by proposing a simple and fast method to evaluate the noise impact of a given road pavement, in terms of regulatory environmental noise indicators, such as the day-evening-night A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level proposed in the European Directive 2002/49/EC, relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise [3]. The proposed approach is based on the coupling of two databases, one for describing the noise emission from several typical road pavements, and the other for applying the attenuation due to the noise propagation between the sound source and the receiver, for several road geometries and environments.At this stage, it is important to specify that, since the subject of the study concerns the noise impact of road surfaces, the proposed methodology focuses on typical traffic flow of suburban areas, and in particular, con...

Preface: New Solutions Mitigating Environmental Noise Pollution

“…In any case, selecting the most appropriate pavement for a given noise reduction objective can be a difficult task. Thus, Bérengier et al [20] proposed a simple method to evaluate the noise impact of a pavement in typical road geometries and environmental conditions. The approach relies on a database of measurements of emission spectra of road vehicles on several typical pavements and on a database made of pre-calculations of noise propagation for typical road configurations.…”