Study to analyze the effects of vehicles and pavement surface types on noise

The effects of vehicles and pavement surface types on noise have been investigated at the Korea Highway Corporation’s Test Road along the southbound side of the Jungbu Inland Expressway, South Korea. The study was conducted in 2005 and 2006 through field measurements at nine surface sections of asphalt concrete and Portland cement concrete pavements using eleven vehicles. For the road noise analysis, the sound power levels (PWLs) of combined noise (e.g., tire/pavement interaction noise and power-train noise together) and tire/pavement interaction noise using various vehicles were calculated based on the novel close proximity (NCPX) and pass-by methods. Then, the characteristics of the PWLs were evaluated according to surface type, vehicle type, and vehicle speed. The results show that the PWLs of vehicles are diversely affected by vehicle speed and the condition of the road surface.     

Critical speed for the dynamics of truck events on bridges with a smooth road surface

Simple numerical models of point loads are used to represent single and multiple vehicle events on two-lane bridges with a good road profile. While such models are insufficiently complex to calculate dynamic amplification accurately, they are presented here to provide an understanding of the influence of speed and distance between vehicles on the bridge dynamic response. Critical combinations of speed as a function of main bridge natural frequency and meeting point of two vehicles travelling in opposite directions are identified. It is proposed that such simple models can be used to estimate the pattern of critical speeds versus dynamic amplification of the bridge response for trucks on a relatively smooth surface. The crossing of a three-dimensional spring-dashpot truck is simulated over a bridge plate model to test this hypothesis for a range of road roughness. Further validation is carried out using the site-specific mean pattern associated to field measurements of bridge strains when traversed by a truck population. The latter is found to be closely resembled by the theoretical pattern derived from simple point load models.     

Statistical classification of road pavements using near field vehicle rolling noise measurements

Low noise surfaces have been increasingly considered as a viable and cost-effective alternative to acoustical barriers. However, road planners and administrators frequently lack information on the correlation between the type of road surface and the resulting noise emission profile. To address this problem, a method to identify and classify different types of road pavements was developed, whereby near field road noise is analyzed using statistical learning methods. The vehicle rolling sound signal near the tires and close to the road surface was acquired by two microphones in a special arrangement which implements the Close-Proximity method. A set of features, characterizing the properties of the road pavement, was extracted from the corresponding sound profiles. A feature selection method was used to automatically select those that are most relevant in predicting the type of pavement, while reducing the computational cost. A set of different types of road pavement segments were tested and the performance of the classifier was evaluated. Results of pavement classification performed during a road journey are presented on a map, together with geographical data. This procedure leads to a considerable improvement in the quality of road pavement noise data, thereby increasing the accuracy of road traffic noise prediction models.     

Study of the road surface properties that control the acoustic performance of a rubberised asphalt mixture

Simultaneously with the fact that vehicle industry has been able to lower the noise emission from driving vehicles, tire/pavement noise has become the most significant source of traffic noise. In order to reduce it, low noise surfaces are seen as a practical solution. One of these types of surfaces may be elaborated with bituminous mixtures with crumb tire rubber added to the binder in high content by a wet process. However, the generation mechanisms involved in the tire/pavement sound and the reasons of the noise attenuation achieved with these mixtures are not so clear. This study analyses the different generation mechanisms that take place in the tire/pavement sound generation in these crumb tire rubber pavements. The surface properties of the in-service pavement, which are most important in controlling the acoustic performance (texture, acoustic absorption and dynamic stiffness or mechanical impedance), have been measured for the characterization of a test track constructed with and without crumb tire rubber. After results correlation of these surface characteristics in a pavement with crumb tire rubber added by a wet process, it seems that the parameters of roughness and texture could have a relevant role in the global tire/pavement sound emission, whereas dynamic stiffness influence is relatively minor.     

Reduction of bridge dynamic amplification through adjustment of vehicle suspension damping

This paper presents a novel approach to the reduction of short-span bridge dynamic responses to heavy vehicle crossing events. The reductions are achieved through adjustment of the vehicle suspension damping coefficient just before the crossing. Given pre-calculations of the response of a vehicle-bridge system to a set of ‘unit’ road disturbances, it is shown that a single optimum damping coefficient may be determined for a given velocity and any specified road profile. This approach can facilitate implementation since the optimum damping is selected prior to the bridge and there is no need to continuously vary the damping coefficient during the crossing. The concept is numerically validated using a bridge-vehicle interaction model with several road profiles, both measured and artificially generated. The bridge-friendly damping control strategy is shown to reduce bridge dynamics across a typical range of vehicle velocities, proving most effective for road profiles that induce large vibrations in the vehicle-bridge system.     

A dynamic model for an asymmetrical vehicle/track system

A finite element model to simulate an asymmetrical vehicle/track dynamic system is proposed in this paper. This model consists of a 10-degree-of-freedom (d.o.f.) vehicle model, a track model with two rails, and an adaptive wheel/rail contact model. The surface defects of wheels and rails can be simulated with their geometry and an endless track model is adopted in the model. All time histories of forces, displacements, velocities and accelerations of all components of the vehicle and track can be obtained simultaneously. By using this model, one can study the effect that wheel/rail interaction from one side of the model has on the other. This can be done for many asymmetrical cases that are common in railway practice such as a wheel flat, wheel shelling, out-of-round wheel, fatigued rail, corrugated rail, head-crushed rail, rail joints, wheel/rail roughness, etc. Only two solutions are reported in this paper: steady state interaction and a wheel flat.     

Commercial road vehicle noise

A survey of the characteristics of the noise emitted by commercial vehicles has been made. The most important single parameter determining the noise of a modern diesel-engined vehicle is the engine speed. All of the other parameters such as load, road speed, etc., have only a secondary effect.The sources of noise on the vehicle are reviewed and it is shown how the characteristics of these sources determine the overall noise characteristics of the vehicle. It has been found that a simple model of the vehicle as a number of coincident point sources predicts the overall noise characteristics of the vehicle to ±2 dB(A). It is shown that there are two extremes of behaviour, the rolling noise controlled vehicle and the power unit noise controlled vehicle; the engine is currently the controlling noise source.Tyre noise has been investigated in some detail as comparatively little has been published previously on this source. Empirical relationships between the tyre noise and speed, tyre size and road surface roughness are given. It is concluded that tyre noise is generated by impacting between elements of the tyre tread and elements of the road surface.Modifications have been made to the engine, exhaust, intake and cooling fan of a 9 ton, 6 litre diesel engined truck which have reduced its ISO test noise level from 88 dB(A) to 80 dB(A). However, it is concluded that 80 dB(A) commercial vehicles are not yet feasible for production. In particular insufficient is known about cooling fan design.Finally cab noise has been investigated and it has been found to originate from the same source as the exterior noise, power unit airborne noise. Therefore any modifications to the power unit to reduce exterior noise will have a similar effect on interior noise. This is confirmed by the vehicle modifications mentioned above which reduced the maximum cab noise from 87 dB(A) to 79 dB(A).     

Definition of road roughness parameters for tire vibration noise control

Road roughness plays an important role in the generation of tire vibration noise. However, it is unclear which kinds of road roughness parameters should be controlled to reduce the noise. In this paper, we define the essential road roughness parameters that govern tire tread vibration and provide information on tire/road noise abatement. The detailed effects of road roughness parameters on tire tread vibration are estimated using a tire/road contact model. The results reveal that pavement asperity height itself is not an essential parameter, but asperity height unevenness, asperity radius, and asperity spacing are important for the abatement of tire vibration noise.     

Calculation of ground vibration spectra from heavy military vehicles

The demand for reliable autonomous systems capable to detect and identify heavy military vehicles becomes an important issue for UN peacekeeping forces in the current delicate political climate. A promising method of detection and identification is the one using the information extracted from ground vibration spectra generated by heavy military vehicles, often termed as their seismic signatures. This paper presents the results of the theoretical investigation of ground vibration spectra generated by heavy military vehicles, such as tanks and armed personnel carriers. A simple quarter car model is considered to identify the resulting dynamic forces applied from a vehicle to the ground. Then the obtained analytical expressions for vehicle dynamic forces are used for calculations of generated ground vibrations, predominantly Rayleigh surface waves, using Green's function method. A comparison of the obtained theoretical results with the published experimental data shows that analytical techniques based on the simplified quarter car vehicle model are capable of producing ground vibration spectra of heavy military vehicles that reproduce basic properties of experimental spectra.     

Reduction of equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure levels by porous elastic road surfaces

A porous elastic road surface (PERS) is superior to drainage asphalt pavement for reducing highway traffic noise. In earlier research and development, for example using a test track, the difference in sound power level (Lw) of cars has been regarded as the noise reduction effect since it was not possible to measure the change in equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level (Leq) for a series of vehicles on such a limited length of surface. As the result of a comparatively major test construction on a highway, have measured the noise reduction effect of PERS as the difference in Leq. First, we measured the motor vehicle Lw and Leq on each section. However, we found that the neighbouring paved sections also influenced Leq. Next, we calculated Leq according to a highway traffic noise model, using the values of Lw measured in the different paved sections. Since the calculated Leq corresponded approximately with the measured Leq, we could verify the validity of the measured Lw. We again calculated Leq, assuming that each pavement is infinitely long. We assumed the improvement of noise reduction effect of PERS was indicated through the calculated Leq. Consequently, we have found that the noise reduction effect of drainage asphalt pavement was 5-6 dB, whereas that of PERS was 7-9 dB.     

Low noise road surfaces

The results of measurements carried out at 22 main road sites surfaced with pervious bituminous materials have confirmed that the low levels of vehicle noise observed for these surfaces, when constructed under laboratory conditions and tested with single vehicle noise sources, were also achieved under normal road conditions and for random vehicles drawn from the traffic stream. The average reductions in vehicle noise obtained, when compared with conventional surfacings with the same skid resistance index, ΔBFC, were approximately 5 dB(A) for ‘light’ vehicles and 4 dB(A) for ‘heavy’ vehicles.The noise reductions obtained were not found to be dependent on the age and corresponding wear of the surface over the period 3–110 months, or to the skidding resistance of the surface, ΔBFC, over the range −22 to +23%.The results suggest that the low noise characteristics of pervious road surfaces are a result of the high acoustic absorption provided by these surfaces.     

Characterization of the road surfaces in real time

The main factor in the propagation of traffic noise is the road surface, where the vehicles generate noise due to the contact between tire and pavement, in addition to the noise produced by the engine.     

Berechnung der häufigkeitsverteilung für vom strassenverkehr emittierte geräusche

A method of calculating the level distribution of noise emitted by road traffic is described which considers the different maximum levels of passing vehicles as well as the mutual temporal distances between vehicles (time intervals) using arbitrary distributions of maximum values and time intervals. In this way disturbances of the traffic flow, e.g. such as those caused by traffic lights, can be taken into account. Concerning the velocity of vehicles, the only limitation is that a characteristic performance has to be determined during the observation time but not a constant velocity of the vehicle group under consideration. There are no restrictions with respect to road conditions (length, surface, gradient) or to the type of buildings along the road. Comparisons between measured and calculated level distributions have so far revealed differences of less than ± 1·5 dB(A) of the percentage levels.     

Monitoring road surfaces by close proximity noise of the tire/road interaction

Applied acoustics is becoming an important field for civil infrastructure and environmental assessment, and road maintenance or rehabilitation strategies. In this research LA(2)IC has developed a GPS-based measurement techniques and apparatus on a test vehicle, for monitoring the acoustical properties of different road pavement surfaces with a reference tire. A field test on PA-12 Spanish porous pavement found in Ciudad Real is developed. The test procedure, a modification based upon the close-proximity method (CPX), relies on the use of three standard microphones situated very close to the tire/road contact patch. This procedure allows the simultaneous measurement of the sound emission synchronized to a GPS receiver, which permits tracking of the position of the sound emission. Geo-referenced sound spectra for every 10 m during individual passes of the test vehicle are analyzed to determine the tire/road noise emissions from tire/PA-12 pavement interaction. Noise levels of around 102 dB(A), with a variability of approximately 0.6 dB(A), are found at a reference vehicle speed of 85 kmh. The frequency spectrum analysis over the test section shows noticeable differences for frequencies above 1 kHz, where the tire/road noise generation mechanisms are dominated by air pumping.     

有机载体对厚膜电子浆料流平性的影响

用TG-DTA16分析仪对用有机载体A及B配制的铝浆挥发等特性进行分析;采用TR101袖珍表面粗糙度仪对烧渗后的铝导电成层的表面状态进行测量。结果表明,用乙基纤维素-松油醇-二乙二醇丁醚为有机载体,浆料的流平性优异,膜层光滑无孔洞,烧成膜的表面粗糙度分别为表面轮廓的算术平均偏差Ra为0.2μm,表面轮廓的最大高度Rz为1μm。     

Disk model for wheels moving over highway bridges with rough surfaces

In most previous analyses of vehicle-bridge interaction (VBI) problems in highways involving surface roughness, the wheels of vehicles have been treated as points, referred to as the point model, and the tracks as a series of hills and valleys. The point model is unrealistic for wheels, as they are of finite size and cannot touch the bottom of valleys. In this study, each wheel will be modeled instead as a rigid disk of finite size, referred to as the disk model, neglecting the tire deformations. The VBI element will be modified accordingly for computing the vehicle and bridge responses. Numerical examples are prepared to illustrate the effect of wheel size on the dynamic responses of the bridge and passing vehicles. It is concluded that the point model tends to introduce some unrealistic high-frequency vibrations on the system responses, while underestimating the amplitude of vehicle frequency in the vehicle response. The disk model should be adopted, if the velocity and acceleration responses of the bridge and the dynamic responses of the moving vehicle are of major concern.     

Road traffic noise—The influence of the road surface and its characterization

Unacceptable errors in the prediction of traffic noise occur in some cases when the road surface is largely different from that on which the prediction model is based. The reason is that tyre/road noise has appeared to be the dominating component of the noise from free-flowing traffic and that this noise is to a substantial extent dependent on the road surface.The mechanisms for tyre/road noise generation and its relation to road characteristics are described. Relevant road surface characterization methods are suggested. The major method is the measurement of the road texture profile and subsequent spectral analysis of the profile curve. Supplementary methods concern the measurement of acoustical and mechanical impedances. It is concluded that the road surface effect on traffic noise is extremely complicated and that it is very difficult to generalize any simple relations.For free-flowing traffic it is shown that the tested road surface types and conditions may influence the traffic noise by up to 11 dB(A). This calls for a correction term for the road surface in the prediction models. Despite the complicated relations, it appears feasible—within stringent limitations—to use a table where the correction term is a variable of vehicle type, vehicle speed as well as road surface type and condition.     

Identification of damping in a bridge using a moving instrumented vehicle

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of bridges which are being instrumented and monitored on an ongoing basis. This is in part due to the introduction of bridge management systems designed to provide a high level of protection to the public and early warning if the bridge becomes unsafe. This paper investigates a novel alternative; a low-cost method consisting of the use of a vehicle fitted with accelerometers on its axles to monitor the dynamic behaviour of bridges. A simplified half-car vehicle-bridge interaction model is used in theoretical simulations to test the effectiveness of the approach in identifying the damping ratio of the bridge. The method is tested for a range of bridge spans and vehicle velocities using theoretical simulations and the influences of road roughness, initial vibratory condition of the vehicle, signal noise, modelling errors and frequency matching on the accuracy of the results are investigated.     

Relationship between triboelectric charge and contact force for two triboelectric layers

A relationship between triboelectric charge and contact force for two triboelectric layers is presented, by combining the theories of insulator contact charging and contact mechanics. Experimental verification has been successfully performed using contact-mode triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) in two cases: (a) under varying contact forces while keeping the surface roughness profile constant, and (b) under varying surface roughness profiles while keeping the contact force constant. The theory presented here can serve as an important guide in the design of triboelectric systems, particularly of a contact-mode TENG structure for specific applications and self-powered systems.