Influence of vehicle noise emission directivity on sound level distribution in a canyon street. Part II: Experimental verification

In the paper, predictions of relative sound level distribution on building façades in city-centres obtained by using the simulation PROP11 program are compared with measurements. The simulation involves the geometry of surrounding buildings, road geometry (number of lanes and their positions) and traffic structure (vehicle flow rates and their average speeds). The agreement between measurement and simulation results is tested for different directivity characteristics of an equivalent point source representing the vehicles.     

Influence of source directivity on noise levels in industrial halls: Simulation and experiments

Noise exposure of workers in industrial halls is mainly induced by noisy machines whose acoustical features are often globally known by Sound Pressure Level. The evaluation of the directivity of these noise sources can help to anticipate specific solutions for noise reduction.This study shows how the directivities of three wood-working machines have been characterized. Some characterisations have been achieved with a simple and fast acoustical intensity mapping which meets the constraints of industrial areas.When source directivity is evaluated, its influence on the noise field in industrial halls can be assessed. Some simulations and some experiments allowed the estimation of the noise field induced in workshops by both directional and omnidirectional sources. Comparison of the fields prove that the noise distribution is influenced by the source directivity if the halls are empty. As soon as the halls contain scattering objects, the directivity effect is reduced a lot and the noise field remains nearly the same far from the source whatever source used. Nevertheless, workers close to a machine are exposed to noise according to their position with respect to the machine. Exposure at the workplace can vary from 4 to 8 dB(A) according to the directivity of machines such as those measured in the trials.     

Effects of urban morphology on the traffic noise distribution through noise mapping: A comparative study between UK and China

Due to the rapid urban development and massive population increase in many eastern cities, the difference in urban density and morphology between typical western and eastern cities is becoming significant. This consequently makes the noise distribution in the eastern cities rather different from typical low density European cities. In this research, two representative cities with different urban densities, Greater Manchester in the UK and Wuhan in China, were selected, which have low and high average urban density respectively, and also have considerable differences in building form and traffic pattern. In the mean time, these two cities have similar urban scale and traffic amount. In each city, based on the urban morphological analyses considering urban land-use, building and road density, and noise source distribution, a number of typical urban areas, 500 * 500 m² each, were sampled. A noise-mapping software package was then used to generate generic noise maps, based on existing digital vector maps for terrain and building, and traffic data obtained by on-site measurements. The comparison results show that the average and minimum noise level in Greater Manchester samples is generally higher than that in Wuhan samples, while the maximum noise level in Wuhan samples is mostly higher. By developing a Matlab program, correlations have been analysed between noise distributions and the urban characteristics relating to urban density, such as the road and building coverage ratio. Overall, comparisons between these two typical cities have shown significant effects of urban morphology on the traffic noise distribution.     

Noise annoyance assessment of various urban road vehicle pass-by noises in isolation and combined with industrial noise: A laboratory study

Noise maps are diagnosis tools which represent the noise exposure situation using the energy-based index L_den (the day–evening–night level). Two major drawbacks may be attributed to noise maps: (1) energy-based indices only account for one acoustical factor (exposure level) that may give rise to annoyance; (2) combined exposures situations are left unframed.     

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.     

Influence of coloured noise on the diffusion of a quantum particle. Part I: General results

A general stochastic model for the diffusion of a quantum particle on a fluctuating lattice is considered and several exact results useful in the calculation of transport properties are given. First, we derive a new type of integral equation for the density operator using a time-dependent projection operator and disentangling the stochastic, not the deterministic part of the motion in contrast to previous treatments. The mean square displacement is then expressed by the kernel of this equation in the case of diagonal fluctuations. We obtain an equation of motion for this kernel similar in structure to equations known from Green's function theory and containing a self-energy like quantity. Finally, two general statements concerning the exact solution of correlated models are given.     

Numerical analysis and passive control of a car side window buffeting noise based on Scale-Adaptive Simulation

Flow over an open side window in a car exhibits similar characteristics as the flow over an open cavity. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation over a cavity was done as a benchmark. The unsteady flow simulation was carried out using Scale Adaptive Simulation (SAS) turbulence model. The benchmark results, frequency and sound pressure levels of feedback and resonance modes, all well matched with the experimental data. Then, with the right rear window, for example, the mechanism of the side window buffeting was investigated. The simulation results show that side window buffeting noise is generated by large scale vortices and in low frequency. Furthermore, buffeting noise characteristics under several patterns of side windows opening were also numerically investigated. As a result, rear window buffeting noise is more severe than that of front window when one window open, and combination pattern of side windows open can reduce buffeting noise. To decrease the interior noise and improve car ride comfort, four suppression measures through adding a side window weather deflector at the A-pillars, constructing a cavity at the B-pillars, combination of the front and rear windows and installing a row of square cylinder deflector at the B-pillars were also studied, respectively. In conclusion, certain noise reduction can be achieved through four passive control methods.     

Spatial statistical analysis of the effects of urban form indicators on road-traffic noise exposure of a city in South Korea

The purpose of this study is to present a statistical model which can predict the noise level of road-traffic in urban area. A spatial statistical model which can take into account spatial dependency on geographically neighboring areas is constructed from a noise map of a city in South Korea. A system of 250 m × 250 m grid cells is placed on the city of Cheongju, South Korea, and the noise level and urban form indicators are averaged over each cell. The population-weighted mean of the noise level is subsequently regressed on the average urban form by adopting the spatial autoregressive model (SAR) and the spatial error model (SEM), as well as an ordinary least squares (OLS) model. Direct and indirect impacts are analyzed for a valid interpretation of the spatial statistical models. Factors such as GSI, FSI, traffic volume, traffic speed, road area density, and the fraction of industrial area turn out to have significant impacts on the noise level.     

电-声子耦合强度对量子点系统噪声的影响

利用Lang-Firsov正则变换和Keldysh非平衡格林函数方法研究了低温下具有电子-声子相互作用的量子点系统的噪声.我们特别注意了电-声子耦合强度的变化对量子点系统噪声的影响.数值结果表明:随着电-声子耦合强度的增大,系统的噪声增大,同时微分噪声谱中会出现一系列的声子伴带峰,峰的高度和数目对电-声子耦合强度的变化非常敏感.我们也研究了系统的Fano因子,它显示系统噪声对肖特基(Schottky)公式的偏离.在高偏压区,Fano因子随着电-声子耦合强度的增大而增大.     

电-声子耦合强度对量子点系统噪声的影响

利用Lang-Firsov正则变换和Keldysh非平衡格林函数方法研究了低温下具有电子-声子相互作用的量子点系统的噪声。我们特别注意了电-声子耦合强度的变化对量子点系统噪声的影响。数值结果表明：随着电-声子耦合强度的增大,系统的噪声增大,同时微分噪声谱中会出现一系列的声子伴带峰,峰的高度和数目对电-声子耦合强度的变化非常敏感。我们也研究了系统的Fano因子,它显示系统噪声对肖特基(Schottky)公式的偏离。在高偏压区,Fano因子随着电-声子耦合强度的增大而增大。     

Influence of small-scale irregularities on the features of the overshoot effect in the temporal evolution of stimulated electromagnetic emission. Part I. Development stage

We present the results of experimental studies of the evolution of stimulated electromagnetic emission of the ionosphere (SEE) under the F-layer modification by powerful HF radio waves in a broad range of the pump wave frequencies. We compare the parameters of the overshoot effect in SEE evolution to the observations of anomalous attenuation and field-aligned scattering of radio waves. We show the overshoot effect to result from the anomalous attenuation under scattering at artificial small-scale ionospheric irregularities. We found the characteristic time scales of the overshoot effect development to decrease and its value to increase as the pump wave frequency decreases from 6 to 4 MHz; this is attributed to the observed increase of the irregularities amplitude at scales m. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 42, No. 7, pp. 619–634, July 1999.     

Influence of coloured noise on the diffusion of a quantum particle. Part II: Diffusion constant for dichotomic markovian fluctuations

In part I of this paper a new formalism for the calculation of stochastic moments in quantum mechanical particle motion has been developed. Now we use this formalism to obtain expressions for the mean square displacement within a model containing dichotomic Markovian fluctuations. A self-energy like quantity in the equation of motion for a contracted kernel or propagator determining the mean square displacement is replaced by its second order approximation in powers of the deterministic part of the Hamiltonian. This is the only approximation throughout the paper. In the one-dimensional case the contracted propagator itself is calculated. Instead, in the general case the mean square displacement is given in terms of a continued fraction. We compare our result to several previous ones and especially discuss the question of Anderson, localization in the static limit.     

A prediction theory of random level distribution based on a generalized difference type of Fokker-Planck equation and its application to environmental noise and vibration,I: Theoretical study

For generalized discrete random signals, of arbitrary correlations among arbitrarily chosen samples, and also arbitrary distribution form, the short time prediction problem, in terms of the transition probability distribution, is theoretically considered, first for discrete time interval sampling. A general expression is derived from which any signal statistics, e.g., the average, the variance, the 90% range value, and so on, can be predicted. This general expression is equivalent to the well-known Fokker-Planck equation, with continuous time sampling, in the special case of a Markovian process. Explicit algorithms for estimating moment statistics of arbitrary order are derived, by introducing the generalized difference equation of Fokker-Planck type for the probability distribution function.     

Effect of surface treatment on mode I interlaminar fracture behaviour of plain glass woven fabric composites: Part I. Report of the 2nd round-robin test results

A round-robin test programme has been carried out to characterise the mode I interlaminar fracture behaviour of E-glass woven fabric reinforced vinyl ester matrix composites. Special emphasis has been placed on the effect of silane coupling agent on the stability of interlaminar crack propagation and fracture toughness. Sixteen laboratories participated in this programme. Each laboratory was supplied with composite laminates of thicknesses of its own choice and conducted the tests according to its own procedures. The results showed that variations in interlaminar fracture toughness between laboratories were very large in spite of slight differences in the test procedures used, such as specimen dimensions, test speed and data reduction schemes. Nevertheless, the general trends were clearly identified with respect to different silane coupling agents. Other observations and the implications are discussed.     

Influence of lubricant on the motion of a body in an electromagnetic railgun accelerator. I. Electric current distribution in the accelerated body and the rails

An investigation is made of the influence of a liquid conducting film inserted in the gap between the accelerated metal projectile and the rails in a railgun accelerator on the distribution of the current density and the magnetic induction in the rails and the projectile. The film is assumed to be fairly thin, so that the variation of the magnetic induction across the film can be neglected. The problem is considered in a plane geometry. Approximate expressions are derived for the thickness of the velocity skin layer as a function of the thickness and conductivity of the film. The equations for diffusion of the magnetic field in the rails and in the projectile are integrated numerically. It is shown that the presence of a liquid conducting film can significantly suppress the velocity skin effect. Nevertheless, even when fairly thick films of fairly high resistivity are used, the nonuniformity of the electric current density distribution in the projectile still remains very high for the magnetic Reynolds numbers of practical interest. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 103–111 (July 1999)     

study of the reverse current range in a knudsen diode with surface ionization under overneutralized conditions in the presence of electron emission from the collector: Part I. Large electrode spacing

The reverse current range of a Knudsen diode with surface ionization is studied under overneutralized conditions in the presence of electron emission from the collector. The difficulty of the problem is associated with the need to consider three particle flows: ions and electrons from the emitter and electrons from the collector. This work consists of two parts. In the first part, the potential distributions and I-V characteristics for plasma regimes, where the potential distribution has a quasi-neutrality portion, are calculated. In the second, the diode with a small electrode spacing, where the near-electrode potential jumps overlap, is investigated. The asymptotic behavior of the current under high negative voltages is examined. Data obtained are compared with the classical Langmuir results for the diode with two opposing electron and ion flows.     

A simple model of ultrasound propagation in a cavitating liquid. Part I: Theory, nonlinear attenuation and traveling wave generation

The bubbles involved in sonochemistry and other applications of cavitation oscillate inertially. A correct estimation of the wave attenuation in such bubbly media requires a realistic estimation of the power dissipated by the oscillation of each bubble, by thermal diffusion in the gas and viscous friction in the liquid. Both quantities and calculated numerically for a single inertial bubble driven at 20 kHz, and are found to be several orders of magnitude larger than the linear prediction. Viscous dissipation is found to be the predominant cause of energy loss for bubbles small enough. Then, the classical nonlinear Caflish equations describing the propagation of acoustic waves in a bubbly liquid are recast and simplified conveniently. The main harmonic part of the sound field is found to fulfill a nonlinear Helmholtz equation, where the imaginary part of the squared wave number is directly correlated with the energy lost by a single bubble. For low acoustic driving, linear theory is recovered, but for larger drivings, namely above the Blake threshold, the attenuation coefficient is found to be more than 3 orders of magnitude larger then the linear prediction. A huge attenuation of the wave is thus expected in regions where inertial bubbles are present, which is confirmed by numerical simulations of the nonlinear Helmholtz equation in a 1D standing wave configuration. The expected strong attenuation is not only observed but furthermore, the examination of the phase between the pressure field and its gradient clearly demonstrates that a traveling wave appears in the medium.