Influence of the Acoustic Cover of the Modular Expansion Joint on the Acoustic Climate in the Bridge Structure Surroundings

Abstract

The noise generated at the interface between the wheels of vehicles and the road surface is well recognized in the literature worldwide. Many publications describe the phenomenon of reducing this kind of impact by silent road surfaces. A specific type of this noise is the sound generated by vehicles passing over the expansion joints of bridge structures. Due to the impulsive nature of this sound, it is very onerous for people living in the close vicinity of bridge structures. The passage of vehicles over expansion joints causes the formation of vibrations that are transmitted to the structural elements of bridge structures, which may cause the formation of the material sounds (especially arduous in the case of bridges with steel elements). An attempt to reduce this impact was made by making a prototype acoustic cover of the expansion joint on the selected bridge. The paper presents the results of research on the “in situ” acoustic effectiveness of this cover. Additionally, the noise was modelled in the object surroundings before and after the cover’s application. The acoustic efficiency of the cover in the whole measured frequency range was 5.3 dBA. In the narrower frequency bands (1/3 octave bands), larger sound level reductions were observed. The maximum sound levels measured under the tested dilatation were less than 10.0 dBA lower than the maximum sound levels measured under the reference dilatation.

Fault Detection of In‐Service Bridge Expansion Joint Based on Voiceprint Recognition

“…Previous research has investigated the sound produced by vehicle impact on BEJs, with a focus on understanding its generation [16] and devising methods to mitigate it for environmental conservation [17,18]. Findings suggest that the audio response of BEJs contains information about their operational status, as corroborated by experienced inspectors who have leveraged these sounds to pinpoint anomalous BEJs [19].…”

Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences: Technical Sciences

“…• Pamanikabud -two models of noise prediction: for intersection exits (acceleration) and intersection entries (deceleration or stopping traffic); prediction error ± 1.5 dB and ±0.5 dB respectively [5]. • Bohatkiewicz -two models which, apart from the basic traffic parameters, take into account the average delays (time loss by vehicles crossing the intersection) and the volume to capacity ratio at entries; prediction error: ±1.5 dB [6,7]. • Abu-Qudais and Alhiary -a model taking into account the BPN surface friction coefficient (British Pendulum Number), number and width of lanes and the distance from stop lines; prediction error ±2 dB [8,9].…”