Effect of Pavement Surface Aging on Tire-Pavement Noise: A Case Study in the State of Qatar

Abstract

The acoustical performance of asphalt pavements changes with time due to combined effects of environmental conditions and various distresses induced by repeated and heavy traffic. This study examined the changes in the acoustical performance of dense graded asphalt (DGA) pavements over time in the State of Qatar. Tire-pavement noise was measured using on board sound intensity (OBSI) method. The OBSI noise measurements were conducted on DGA pavements with different age and the results were analyzed to evaluate the effect of aging on tire-pavement noise. The results demonstrated that the tire-pavement noise increased with pavement age. The frequency analysis of three road segments showed that at early stage of pavement service life, the noise level is more affected at higher frequency due to the densification and increased air pumping mechanism. At later stage of pavement service life, the noise level is more affected at lower frequency due to the change in pavement surface conditions (e.g., cracking and raveling).

Acoustic Performance Evaluation of Dense‐Graded Asphalt Pavements in Qatar

“…In general, the standard deviation of the intensity level for various sections (except F-Ring Road, which is only about 5 km in length) increases with an increase in aging of the asphalt surface, as presented in Table 3. is probably indicates localized deterioration of asphalt surfaces such as cracking, raveling, or bleeding phenomenon with aging [15,16]. e OBSI measurements for the individual pavement surface type were averaged during postprocessing of data, representing the OBSI level for that pavement type.…”