NUMERICAL MODELLING OF MEDIAN ROAD TRAFFIC NOISE BARRIERS

Outdoor sound propagation from road traffic is modelled by solving a boundary integral equation formulation of the wave equation using boundary element techniques in two dimensions. In the first model, the source representing a traffic stream can be considered as a coherent line source of sound. The results can then be transformed to derive a pseudo-three dimensional solution to the problem. In the second model the line source is incoherent. For receivers near the ground, the second model predicted significantly higher values of ground attenuation than the first. The first model generally produced better agreement with ground attenuation results obtained using the U.K. traffic noise prediction model. For conditions when a noise barrier was present and the ground was absorbent, the incoherent line source model generally predicted significantly higher values of attenuation than those from the barrier and ground attenuation calculated separately. Over a range of receiver positions and barrier heights a similar, but less marked effect was observed when the coherent line source model was used. On dual carriageway roads, it is possible to incorporate barriers on the central reservation as a noise control measure. These are “median” noise barriers. The incoherent line source model is used to assess the performance of median barriers in reducing noise when installed alone and also with associated roadside barriers. A sound absorbent median noise barrier 1m in height produced consistent values of insertion loss of between 1 and 2dB over the range of receiver positions and ground conditions considered. When the median barrier was used in conjunction with a roadside barrier it produced a consistent improvement in insertion loss of between 1 and 2 dB over the range of conditions considered.     

The predicted barrier effects in the proximity of tall buildings

A ray model is developed and validated for the prediction of the insertion loss of barriers that are placed in front of a tall building in high-rise cities. The model is based on the theory of geometrical acoustics for sound diffraction at the edge of a barrier and multiple reflections by the barrier and fa?ade surfaces. It is crucial to include the diffraction and multiple reflection effects in the ray model, as they play important roles in determining the overall sound pressure levels for receivers located between the fa?ade and barrier. Comparisons of the ray model with indoor experimental data and wave-based boundary element formulation show reasonably good agreement over a broad frequency range. Case studies are also presented that highlight the significance of positioning the barrier relative to the noise-sensitive receivers in order to achieve improved shielding efficiency of the barrier.     

A basic study on the sound field analysis of periodic structures by boundary integral equation method

This study deals with the development of the approximate method to analyze the sound field around equally spaced finite obstacles, using the periodic boundary condition. First, on the assumption that the equally spaced finite obstacles are the periodically arranged obstacles, the sound field is analyzed by boundary integral equation method with a Green’s function which satisfies the periodic boundary condition. Furthermore, by comparing these results and the exact solution by using the fundamental solution as Green’s function, the validity of the approximate method is also investigated. Next, in order to evaluate the applicability of the approximate method, the simple formula using some parameters, i.e., the frequency, the period, and the number of obstacles, etc., is proposed. The results of the sound field analysis applied the formula are presented.     

On acoustic radiation by a rigid object in a fluid flow

A problem of sound radiation by an absolutely rigid object, moving with respect to the surrounding fluid, is considered on the basis of the Lighthill's equation for aerodynamic sound. An integral representation of the radiated acoustic field is utilized, where the field is characterized as the sum of three fields, generated by a volume distribution of monopoles and by distributions of monopoles and dipoles on the surface of the rigid object. It is shown that, due to a discontinuity of Lighthill's stress tensor on the rigid boundary, a layer of surface divergence of hydrodynamic stresses on the boundary must be taken into account when evaluating the volume integral over Lighthill's quadrupole sources. When the contribution of the surface divergence is included in the solution of Lighthill's equation, amplitudes of the monopole and dipole sound radiated by the rigid object are shown to depend on the potential components of the normal velocity and the pressure on the rigid surface. The obtained solution is compared with Curle's solution for this problem, which establishes that the sound radiation by a rigid object is determined by the force exerted by the object upon the fluid. Both solutions are applied to two known problems of sound scattering and radiation by a rigid sphere in variable pressure and velocity fields. It is shown that predictions based on the obtained solution are equivalent to the results known from literature, whereas Curle's solution gives predictions contradicting the known results. It is also shown that the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings equation, which coincides with Curle's equation for an immoveable rigid object, does not lead to the correct predictions as well.     

Performance of a noise barrier within an enclosed space

The present study involved experimental, theoretical, and numerical analyses of the insertion loss provided by rigid noise barriers in an enclosed space. The existing classical diffuse-field theory may be unable to predict the actual sound pressure level distribution and barrier insertion loss for indoor applications. Although predictions made by the ray tracing method at high frequencies are reasonably satisfactory, the method is computer-intensive and time-consuming. We propose a new formula that incorporates the effects of diffraction theory and the reflection of sound between room surfaces. Our results indicate that the present formula provides more realistic and practical predictions of the barrier insertion loss than existing approaches.     

Performance of profiled single noise barriers covered with quadratic residue diffusers

The paper describes an investigation about the acoustic performance of noise barriers with quadratic residue diffuser (QRD) tops, and with T-, Arrow-, Cylindrical and Y-shape profiles. A 2D boundary element method (BEM) is used to calculate the barrier insertion loss. The results of rigid and with absorptive coverage are also calculated for comparisons. Using QRD on the top surface of almost all barrier models presented here is found to improve the efficiency of barriers compare with using absorptive coverage at the examined receiver positions. T-shape and Arrow-shape barriers are also found to provide better performance than other shapes of barriers. The best shape of barriers for utilising QRD among the tested models is the T-shape profile barrier. It is found that reducing the design frequency of QRD shifts the performance improvement towards lower frequency, and therefore the most efficient model for traffic noise is a barrier covered with a QRD tuned to around 400 Hz.     

A study of barriers in enclosures by a ray-tracing computer model

The theoretical study of the behaviour of barriers in enclosures is much more complicated than that of barriers in the free field. As a matter of fact, in the latter case one has to take into account the sound energy reflected at the boundary surface of the enclosure. The barrier-absorption joint effect has to be considered in defining the barrier sound attenuation. From this point of view, the barrier attenuation also depends on the enclosure shape and proportions. In this paper we suggest a numerical method, based on a ray-tracing technique, in which the concepts inherent in Keller's theory of diffraction are included. The results of some simulation examples are reported, together with some qualitative considerations which allow emphasis of the problems connected with the optimization of barrier design in enclosures.     

Numerical and experimental studies on the effects of stage risers

The acoustic effects of stage risers, especially on the sound of lower string instruments, are numerically and experimentally analyzed. To discuss the effects of the vibration of riser’s boards due to the mechanical force from an instrument, a structural-acoustical coupling approach is applied based on the mode expansion and the boundary element technique. Measurement results of the mechanical force from real instruments are used in the numerical study. The vibration of the top board of a riser affects the sound field only around the natural frequencies of the board and the cavity of the riser. In contrast, the acoustic diffraction due to the riser affects the sound field in a wide frequency range. The riser’s sideboard that faces to receiving points increases the sound pressure levels because it reflects waves diffracted at the riser’s edge to the front. To verify the numerical results, the effects of acoustic diffraction due to risers are especially investigated in detail through a scale model experiment.     

A ray model for hard parallel noise barriers in high-rise cities

A ray model is developed and validated for prediction of the insertion loss of hard parallel noise barriers placed in an urban environment either in front of a row of tall buildings or in a street canyon. The model is based on the theory of geometrical acoustics for sound diffraction at the edge of a barrier and multiple reflections by the ground, barrier and fa?ade surfaces. It is crucial to include the diffraction and multiple reflection effects in the ray model as they play important roles in determining the overall sound pressure levels for receivers located between the fa?ade and the near-side barrier. Comparisons of the ray model with a wave-based boundary element formulation show reasonably good agreement over a broad frequency range. Results of scale model experimental studies are also presented. It is demonstrated that the ray model agrees tolerably well with the scale model experimental data.     

An example of in-plant noise reduction with an acoustical barrier

Existing theories for predicting the distribution of sound intensity in rooms and the performance of acoustical barriers are applied in designing a barrier to reduce noise in an industrial environment. The combination of the theories is found to predict the sound pressure level in the barrier shadow zone reasonably well.     

Surface impedance design with ground corrugation for mitigation of large-calibre gun blast noise

The surface impedance design approach is proposed for mitigating large-calibre gun blast noise. Surrounding the blast noise, we employ a group of concentric trenches with critical depths to dampen the propagation of the acoustic wave. These trenches behave like quarter-wavelength resonators and produce acoustic soft surfaces at their openings. The sound pressure is then mitigated over these soft surfaces by destructive interference and the wave attenuates rapidly along the ground surface. To evaluate the overall acoustic performance of such a design, we develop an efficient numerical solver by treating the geometry as a body of revolution (BOR). The symmetry of the structure in the revolution direction allows the 3D boundary integral equation (BIE) for acoustic wave scattering to be reduced to a 2D integral equation by the use of Fourier series expansions. Numerical experiments show that this model can effectively suppress the acoustic wave propagation horizontally and the reduction can reach about 15 dB for large-calibre gun noise with very low-frequency components.     

Sound propagation around rigid barriers laterally confined by tall buildings

This paper focuses on the propagation of sound waves in the presence of acoustic barriers placed close to very tall buildings. The boundary element method (BEM) is used to model the acoustic barrier, while the presence of the tall buildings is taken into account by using the image source method. Different geometries are analyzed, representing the cases of a single building, two buildings forming a corner and three buildings defining a laterally confined space. The acoustic barrier is assumed to be non-absorbing, and all the buildings and the ground are modeled as infinite rigid plane surfaces. Calculations are performed in the frequency domain and time signals are then obtained by means of Inverse Fourier Transforms. The sound pressure loss provided by the acoustic barrier is computed, illustrating the importance of the lateral confinements.     

Sound propagation above an inhomogeneous plane: Boundary integral equation methods

A boundary integral equation method is used to compute the sound pressure emitted by a harmonic source above an inhomogeneous plane. First, the theoretical aspects of the problem (behaviour of the pressure around the discontinuities,…) are studied. Then, a comparison between theoretical levels and experimental levels obtained in an anechoic room is presented. It shows that the boundary integral equation (BIE) method is quite convenient for solving this kind of problem. Two interesting results are pointed out: (i) if only a prediction of maximum sound levels is needed, the attenuation is the same for a cylindrical source, a spherical source and N spherical sources, and so it is possible to transform some three-dimensional problems into two-dimensional ones; (ii) a numerical method of computation of the sound field above an inhomogeneous plane does not provide a correct prediction if each part of the plane is not accurately described by the boundary condition chosen.     

基于Burton-Miller方程的轴对称结构声学边界元方法

提出了一种求取轴对称结构任意边界条件下声辐射特性的边界元方法。采用Burton和Miller改进型公式将高阶奇异项转化为弱奇异项之和,保证声辐射参数的唯一性,且计算简单精确。将结构表面声压与振速按照旋转轴角度进行Fourier级数展开,利用级数的正交性建立各项待定系数的求解公式;然后转化格林函数的法向偏导为切向偏导,方便直接计算各项积分,并将面积分公式表示为沿结构边界的线积分和沿旋转角度的积分;进一步采用二次等参单元离散结构边界线,建立声压与振速的关系矩阵,从而确定结构声辐射参数。以脉动球源和横向振动球源为例计算,与解析解和传统边界元法结果作对比,说明该方法的有效精确性。     

Active control of radiated sound power of a smart cylindrical shell based on radiation modes

A new approach is proposed in this paper based on radiation modes to control the radiated sound pressure of a smart cylindrical shell equipped with piezoelectric sensor and actuators. The radiation modes determine the specific distribution of normal velocity of the shell that independently radiates sound to the surrounding space. In this study, the first radiation mode is controlled since it is the most effective mode in terms of the radiated power. The results indicate that most of the sound power is attenuated by controlling only this mode. The extended Hamilton’s principle, the Sanders shell theory and the assumed mode method are used to derive the equations of motion in a state space form that is suitable to design the controller. The radiated sound pressure is calculated using the simplified Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral along with a Kalman filter to observe the system states, and a modified higher harmonic control (MHHC) is designed to attenuate the sound power. A numerical simulation demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach compared to active vibration control (AVC) in attenuating the radiated sound in the low frequency domain.     

Performance of noise barriers with various edge shapes and acoustical conditions

The performances of barriers having different shapes and surface conditions were tested using the boundary element method in a well-controlled environment. The heights and widths of the barriers were standardized and the insertion losses for six receiver positions were averaged and compared. Figures displaying the results allow for straightforward barrier performance estimation. It was shown that absorbing and soft edges significantly improve the efficiency of the barrier, but configuration modifications provide only a slight improvement. The soft T-shaped barrier produces the highest performance. A 3 m high T-shaped barrier provides the same performance as a 10 m high plain barrier. The spectral efficiency was also investigated. The insertion loss spectra for the absorbing and the soft barriers exhibit a similar shape, but the rigid barrier differs from these two.     

A TWO-DIMENSIONAL TCHEBYCHEFF COLLOCATION METHOD FOR THE STUDY OF THE VIBRATION OF A BAFFLED FLUID-LOADED RECTANGULAR PLATE

The vibration and the acoustic radiation of a baffled rectangular plate in contact with a dense fluid is considered. By using Green's representation theorem, the original system of differential equations governing both the displacement and the acoustic sound pressure is transformed into a system of coupled boundary integral equations. The unknown functions (the displacement of the plate, the pressure jump at the surface of the plate and the boundary sources) are expanded as series of Tchebycheff polynomials. The new unknowns (the coefficients of the series) are calculated by using a collocation method. Some results, both theoretical and numerical, are given concerning the resolution properties of the Tchebycheff approximation. The numerical difficulties are presented, and solutions of these are proposed. Numerical examples are given.     

基于声压场描述的扩散声场多自由度互易原理研究

应用于复杂结构中频声振分析的扩散场多自由度互易原理采用位移变量描述系统,实质为弹性波场互易原理,应用于声波场时会造成模型自由度数不必要的增加。建立基于声压描述的扩散声场受挡模型,利用声辐射模态描述扩散声场中结构的表面受挡声压;据此提出基于声压描述的扩散声场多自由度互易原理,发现扩散声场中结构表面受挡声压的互谱矩阵与该结构在自由空间中振动辐射声波的声阻矩阵成正比。该互易原理与传统的单自由度互易原理表达形式相似,但适用于任意自由度结构。该互易原理可用于扩散声场中复杂结构的表面受挡声压的自谱及相关分析,仿真研究表明当边界元网格尺寸小于声波波长的1/6(线性单元)或1/3(二次单元)时,数值解与理论解完全吻合。      

Experimental and numerical study on aeroacoustic sound of axial flow fan in room air conditioner

Fan is one of the main noise sources of the room air-conditioners. Axial flow fans are widely used in the outdoor unit of split type air-conditioners. The interaction between the fan and the heat exchanger should be taken into consideration. However, only a few researches have been carried out on predicting the aeroacoustic noise because of the difficulty in obtaining detailed information of the flow field. This paper is to understand the generation mechanism of sound and to develop a prediction method for the flow field and the acoustic pressure field of the outdoor unit. Acoustic measurement is performed in a semi-anechoic chamber. Effects of each components is analyzed. Based on commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, Fluent, Fukano’s model is used to predict the overall sound pressure level of broadband noise. The predicted sound pressure levels based on original Fukano’s model are 7.66 dB and 7.42 dB lower than measurement results at 780 rpm and 684 rpm, respectively. And the errors are about 13%. However, when wake width and relative velocity are both calculated by numerical simulations and the distance to blade trailing edge is taken into consideration, the difference of sound pressure level between measurement and prediction is less than 3.4 dB and errors less than 5.5% while the distance is less than 10 mm. Thus, the distance to blade trailing edge should also be an important parameter for Fukano’s model. In comparison with experimental results, it is clearly shown that the Fukano method based on numerical simulation can provide more accuracy than the original Fukano model and numerical results are in a reliable level.     

复杂背景下钢索图像的纹理分割与边界识别

 针对复杂背景下钢索图像难以准确分割的问题,提出一种基于纹理分析的钢索图像分割与边界识别方法.采用基于模糊Hough变换的纹理方向检测方法确定钢索走向,利用边缘方向密度直方图作为纹理特征,对与钢索纹理方向相应的边缘方向赋予不同权重,抑制纹理分割中背景的干扰,对钢丝绳图像进行聚类分割,采用检测平行直线的方法确定其边界,并根据算法参量对边界进行修正.在实验中,对比了边缘方向密度直方图特征与灰度共生矩阵、局部二值模式在钢索图像纹理分割中的结果与计算时间,结果表明边缘方向密度直方图特征计算速度快、受背景干扰小,分割准确率高.本文方法无须预先训练,受背景干扰小,可以准确地识别出钢索并确定其边界,能满足钢丝绳视觉检测的要求.