Towards a model for electric vehicle noise emission in the European prediction method CNOSSOS-EU

The CNOSSOS-EU method is recommended in Europe for environmental noise prediction. In regards to road traffic, it includes vehicle noise emission models implicitly referring to internal combustion vehicles. The development of electrically driven vehicles calls for the future consideration of these vehicles in prediction models. On the basis of experimental data, the study reported in this paper proposes a noise emission model for extending CNOSSOS-EU to light electric vehicles. Correction terms to be applied to the propulsion noise component are determined. Investigations on a sample of tyres with good rolling resistance performance, which is a main tyre selection criterion on these vehicles, indicated that no correction is required for the rolling noise component. Differences between the noise emission from conventional vehicles and electric vehicles are discussed for several road surfaces. Owing to the limited vehicle sample as well as transitional statements, this new model for electric vehicles running at constant speed over 20 km/h should be considered as a first step towards the definition of this vehicle technology in CNOSSOS-EU.     

Honking noise corrections for traffic noise prediction models in heterogeneous traffic conditions like India

In developing countries like India, the nature of the composition of traffic is heterogeneous. A heterogeneous traffic flow consists of vehicles that have different sizes, speeds, vehicle spacing and operating characteristics. As a result of the widely varying speeds, vehicular dimensions, lack of lane disciplines, honking becomes inevitable. In addition, it changes the urban soundscape of developing countries. In heterogeneous traffic conditions, horn events increase noise level (L_den) by 0.5–13 dB(A) as compared to homogenous traffic conditions. Therefore, the traffic prediction models that are used for homogenous traffic conditions are not applicable in heterogeneous traffic conditions. To increase the accuracy of noise prediction models, in depth understanding of heterogeneous traffic noise is required. Understanding the real traffic noise characteristics requires quantification of some of the basic traffic flow characteristics such as speed, flow, Level Of Service (LOS) and density. In a given roadway, the noise level changes with density and LOS on the road. In this paper, a new factor for horn correction is introduced with respect of Level Of Service (LOS). The horn correction values can be incorporated in traffic noise models such as CRTN, FHWA, and RLS 90, while evaluating heterogeneous traffic conditions.     

Blind separation to improve classification of traffic noise

In order to apply noise mapping to traffic noise prediction, a knowledge of several information about traffic characteristics is required to predict the noise levels emitted by the roads involved. In the European case, the CNOSSOS-EU calculation method for traffic-noise level prediction is now under discussion, to be agreed in response to the European Directive relating to the Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise (2002/49/EC). In this application context, standard ISO 1996-2:2007 Determination of Environmental Noise Levels, in its Section 6.2, specifically mentions that during L_eq measurements of road traffic noise the number of vehicle pass-bys shall be counted during the measurement time interval. This information is often not available in many roads, so it is typically registered by means of casual counts, often through manual procedures. Besides, if the measurement result is converted to other traffic conditions, a categorization of the vehicles involved is also required. Some additional information, such as the traffic density and the average speed, should be registered if a calculation method is used to build a noise map.In this paper a new automatic classification system of traffic noise covering these requirements is presented. The portable system processes a two channel audio recording to provide information of the average speed and the number of vehicles, which are classified in six categories during the measurement period. After several evaluations of the possibilities to get a good classification of the noise emission of a road from audio recordings, it is shown that increasing the within-class separation, as well as introducing a novel BSS–PCA-based classifier, the precision achieved in the final results is substantially improved.     

Influence of the automotive Start/Stop system on noise emission: Experimental study

One of the most common environmental impacts of road transportation is the traffic noise. Linked to this, Start/Stop is a technology which has demonstrated to save fuel by powering off the engine when the vehicle is stopped, such as in front of a traffic light, and restarting the engine instantly when the driver pushes back the pedal brake to proceed. The technology helps also to reduce the CO₂ emission, playing a key role in a way to accomplish stringent emission norms for vehicle manufacturer. However, we are not sure whether it reduces the noise emission and how much? Thus, the main aim of this work is to assess the engine noise emissions of a vehicle incorporating a Start/Stop system in urban traffic, and compare it with those radiated by the mean traffic stream. Experimental results demonstrate that there are no contributions of the Start/Stop system to reduce meaningfully the engine noise in urban traffic.     

Estimating traffic noise for inclined roads with freely flowing traffic

Traffic noise measurements on the kerbs of 19 independent inclined trunk roads with freely flowing traffic within the residential areas of Hong Kong are carried out in the present investigation. The performance of the existing noise prediction models in predicting traffic noise from inclined roads is evaluated. By regression analysis and simple physical consideration of the traffic noise production mechanisms, formulae for the prediction of the L_A10, L_A50, L_A90 and L_Aeq are developed or re-calibrated. Results suggest tyre noise has the major contribution to the overall noise environment when the source is an inclined trunk road. Also, the road gradient is found to have a higher contribution to the traffic noise than assumed in the existing models, but becomes unimportant when the background noise level L_A90 is concerned.     

A road traffic noise pattern simulation model that includes distributions of vehicle sound power levels

Annoyance, sleep disturbance and other health effects of road traffic noise exposure may be related to both level and number of noise events caused by traffic, not just to energy equivalent measures of exposure. Dynamic traffic noise prediction models that include instantaneous vehicle noise emissions can be used to estimate either of these measures. However, current state-of-the-art vehicle noise emission models typically consider a single emission law for each vehicle category, whereas measurements show that the variation in noise emission between vehicles within the same category can be considerable. It is essential that the influence of vehicles that are producing significantly more (or less) noise than the average vehicle are taken into account in modeling in order to correctly predict the levels and frequency of occurrence of road traffic noise events, and in particular to calculate indicators that characterize these noise events. Here, an approach for predicting instantaneous sound levels caused by road traffic is presented, which takes into account measured distributions of sound power levels produced by individual vehicles. For the setting of a receiver adjacent to a dual-lane road carrying free flow traffic, the effect of this approach on estimated percentile levels and sound event indicators is investigated.     

Predicted effects of a speed bump on light vehicle noise

A speed bump reduces traffic noise levels during the deceleration phase and increases them during the acceleration phase. The net effect of a speed bump on noise from a light vehicle is assessed by means of the concept of noise energy density, S. This is a function of the instantaneous distance between the vehicle and the bump, S(x). To determine the function S(x) explicitly, five measurements of the sound exposure level, for each vehicle, are needed. It is assumed that the noise from each vehicle is generated by a single non-directional point source and propagates without vertical-surface reflections. An example prediction is presented based on measurements of sound exposure levels due to passenger cars.     

The impact of urban noise on primary schools. Perceptive evaluation and objective assessment

This paper aims to assess the impact of environmental noise in the vicinity of primary schools and to analyze its influence in the workplace and in student performance through perceptions and objective evaluation. The subjective evaluation consisted of the application of questionnaires to students and teachers, and the objective assessment consisted of measuring in situ noise levels. The survey covered nine classes located in three primary schools. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used for data processing and to draw conclusions. Additionally, the relationship of the difference between environmental and background noise levels of each classroom and students with difficulties in hearing the teacher’s voice was examined. Noise levels in front of the school, the schoolyard, and the most noise-exposed classrooms (occupied and unoccupied) were measured. Indoor noise levels were much higher than World Health Organization (WHO) recommended values: L_Aeq,30min averaged 70.5 dB(A) in occupied classrooms, and 38.6 dB(A) in unoccupied ones. Measurements of indoor and outdoor noise suggest that noise from the outside (road, schoolyard) affects the background noise level in classrooms but in varying degrees. It was concluded that the façades most exposed to road traffic noise are subjected to values higher than 55.0 dB(A), and noise levels inside the classrooms are mainly due to the schoolyard, students, and the road traffic. The difference between background (L_A95,30min) and the equivalent noise levels (L_Aeq,30min) in occupied classrooms was 19.2 dB(A), which shows that students’ activities are a significant source of classroom noise.     

Assessing methodologies for calculating road traffic noise levels in Ireland - Converting CRTN indicators to the EU indicators (Lden, Lnight)

To comply with the EU Noise Directive 2002/49/EC, Member States are required to produce strategic noise maps for designated areas, including mapping road traffic noise from major roads. These maps must be presented using the EU indicators L_den and L_night. However, the most common noise indicator used in Ireland at present is the L_A10,18h indicator arising from the use of the Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN) prediction method. Therefore, a relationship needs to be established between L_A10,18h and L_den and L_night, separately. In addition to noise mapping these indicators are used for noise abatement purposes, so the proposed relationship must be accurate and robust. In 2002, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) published a paper describing mathematical procedures that could be used to convert values of L_A10 to L_den and L_night. These procedures were then adopted for use in Ireland. This paper examines the suitability of the TRL conversion methods 1 and 3 for use under Irish road conditions. Method 2 was not considered in this study, as it was a methodology not applicable in an Irish scenario. Studies concluded that where hourly traffic data are available, the conversion methodology outlined in TRL Method 1 is robust and reproducible. However, in the absence of hourly traffic data where daily traffic counts are used, the relevant conversion procedures produce variable results for both L_den and L_night when applied to Irish road conditions. To reduce the variability, new conversion procedures were developed, specifically for Irish road conditions.     

Dynamic noise modeling at roundabouts

Modeling spatial and temporal noise variations at roundabouts is a tedious task. Indeed, noise levels are strongly influenced by the complex vehicle interactions taking place at the entries. An accurate modeling of the merging process and its impact on vehicle kinematics, waiting time at the yield signs and queue length dynamics is therefore required. Analytical noise prediction models disregard those impacts since they are based on average flow demand patterns and pre-defined kinematic profiles. The only way to capture all traffic dynamics impacts on noise levels is to combine a traffic simulation tool with noise emission laws and a sound propagation model. Yet, such existing dynamic noise prediction packages fail in representing vehicle interactions when the roundabout is congested and are difficult to calibrate due to their numerous parameters. A new traffic simulation tool, specifically developed for roundabouts, is therefore proposed in this paper. It has few easy-to-calibrate parameters and can be readily combined with noise emission and propagation laws. The obtained noise package is able to produce relevant dynamic noise contour maps which can support noise emission assessment of local traffic management policies. Results are validated against empirical data collected on a French suburban roundabout on two different peak periods.     

Community responses to road traffic noise in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam is a developing country in southeast Asia, and its environment has been seriously affected by industrialization and urbanization. In large cities like Hanoi (northern Vietnam) and Ho Chi Minh City (southern Vietnam), noise emission from road traffic has been found to be a serious concern among general public. In 2005 and 2007, two large-scale socio-acoustic surveys of community response to road traffic noise were conducted to investigate human reactions to road traffic noise in these cities; the sample sizes were 1503 people in Hanoi and 1471 in Ho Chi Minh City. The noise exposure levels (L_den) were 70–83 dB in Hanoi and 75–83 dB in Ho Chi Minh City. Noise annoyance was estimated using standardized annoyance scales. For both cities, dose–response relationships were established between L_den and the percentage of highly annoyed respondents. Compared to annoyance responses of European people, Vietnamese were less annoyed by road traffic noise by about 5 dB. Hanoi respondents seemed to be more annoyed by noise than Ho Chi Minh City respondents. Conversation and sleep disturbances were not as serious as expected in either city. Furthermore, window orientation in the home was found to affect activity disturbances.     

Prediction of noise changes due to traffic speed control

The effects of vehicle speed variation on road traffic noise are analyzed. The steady speed motion is replaced by deceleration, cruise, and acceleration. Because of a relatively loud acceleration noise, such a speed variation results not only in the noise decrease zones, but in the noise increase zones as well. The location of these zones depends slightly upon the ground covering (grass, concrete, etc.). Conversely, their boundaries change dramatically with the parameters describing noise emission during deceleration, cruise, and acceleration. For example, the Japanese and Polish models of noise emission have been applied. The critical length L(*) of the cruise segment of the road is introduced: for L>L(*) the sound energy decline (due to speed reduction) compensates the sound energy growth (due to acceleration). The results obtained could be useful for road administrators.     

Investigation of the dose-response relationship for road traffic noise in Assiut, Egypt

A field study has been carried out in urban Assiut city, Egypt. The goals of this study are: (1) to carry out measurements to evaluate road traffic noise levels, (2) to determine if these levels exceeds permissible levels, (3) to examine people’s attitudes towards road traffic noise, (4) to ascertain the relationship between road traffic noise levels and degree of annoyance. The measurements indicate that traffic noise noise levels are higher than those set by Egyptian noise standards and policy to protect public health and welfare in residential areas: equivalent continuous A - weighted sound pressure levels (L_A eq) = 80 dB and higher were recorded, while maximum permissible level is 65 dB. There is a strong relationship between road traffic noise levels and percentage of highly annoyed respondents. Higher road traffic noise levels mean that the percentage of respondents who feel highly annoyed is also increased.     

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.     

Motorway noise modelling based on perpendicular propagation analysis of traffic noise

A model for motorway traffic noise has been obtained from measurements along the the Bangkok-Chonburi motorway. The model’s parameters include traffic volume and combination, the average spot speed of each type of vehicle and the physical conditions of the motorway in terms of right-of-way width, number of lanes, lane width, shoulder width, and median width for both of the main carriageways and frontage roads. The noise level that is generated by each type of vehicle has been analyzed according to the propagation in the direction perpendicular to the center line of motorway’s carriageway. The total traffic noise is then analyzed from traffic volume of all vehicle types on both sides of carriageways and frontage roads. The basic noise levels used in the motorway traffic noise model are modified according to the effective ground effect along the propagation path. The final result of this study is that a motorway traffic noise model based on the perpendicular propagation analysis technique performs well in a statistical goodness-of-fit test against the field data, and therefore, can be used effectively in traffic noise prediction for related or similar motorway projects.     

公路交通噪声频率特征及等效频率研究

为了确定不同车型在不同行车速度下的噪声频率分布特性及等效频率值,更加准确的对交通噪声的影响进行评估,本文对单车稳态辐射噪声的频率特性进行了现场测定,并对不同类型车辆的频率特性数据进行了分析。结果表明,不同类型车辆车速与频带声压级之间的相关性随频带中心频率的变化而变化。FHWA模型对公路交通噪声中介于500 Hz～2000 Hz频段的噪声有较好的预测效果,而对低于500 Hz和高于2000 Hz的交通噪声的预测精度较差。车辆类型不同,车辆产生噪声的中心频率、声能量集中分布的频率范围以及等效频率均不相同。     

Techniques for the investigation of road traffic noise in regions of restricted flow by the use of digital computer simulation methods

Computer methods of calculating and predicting the noise from road traffic operating in restricted flow conditions are discussed. A method of calculating the noise from road traffic as a function of the manoeuvring parameters by means of a Monte Carlo digital computer simulation model is briefly described. The model is used in deriving correction contours for single streams of traffic which enable free flow L₁₀ levels to be modified to allow for a flow restriction. Flow restrictions of the type encountered at traffic signals, priority intersections and pelican crossings are considered. The contours cover a stretch of road 600 m long and a distance of 60 m from the kerb line and in general show a reduction in L₁₀ level in transferring from the free to the restricted flow situation. A method of applying the contours as a modification of the United Kingdom Department of the Environment prediction method for L₁₀ is proposed and compared with experimental results. Computer simulation models of complete road intersections are discussed. Two types of intersection controls are considered, the traffic signal control and the roundabout. The results of the two types of simulation are compared and the L₁₀ level adjacent to the accelerating traffic streams is generally found to be greater than that adjacent to decelerating streams. Experimental results for both types of intersection are compared with simulation runs in which the observed traffic parameters are used.     

Evaluation and analysis of the environmental noise of Messina, Italy

In this paper, the results of a study on the environmental noise pollution of the city of Messina (Italy) are presented. The investigation has included a preliminary classification of the territory in six acoustically homogeneous areas according to Italian noise regulations. On the basis of the resultant acoustic zoning 35 sites were selected for an experimental survey. This last has been carried out by extensive measurements of the main indexes for noise pollution (L_eq, L₁, L₁₀, L₅₀, L₉₀, L₉₉) and of the traffic flow and composition. Results indicate that: (a) main roads of Messina are overloaded by traffic flow during day-time period and that in all the examined sites daily average sound levels due to road traffic exceed environmental standards by about 10 dBA; (b) environmental noise exhibits a certain degree of spatial variance resulting primarily from the peculiar geo-morphological structure of the town and from the transport infrastructure and (c) more than 25% of residents should be highly disturbed by road traffic noise.