Integration of the efficiency of noise barrier caps in a 3D ray tracing method. Case of a T-shaped diffracting device

Road barrier diffracting caps have shown a renewed interest for several years since they give the opportunity of increasing the barrier efficiency without changing its overall height. First investigations on the efficiency of road barrier caps calculated with a boundary element method (BEM) have shown that the efficiency obtained with coherent line sources is underestimated compared to that with incoherent line sources, more representative of road traffic noise. The present work deals with the characterisation of the real performance of a T-shaped absorbing cap with road traffic noise conditions. Two different approaches are compared: on one hand calculations with the help of a BEM program able to achieve 2D and 2D simulations are made; on the other hand outdoor measurements on a test-wall using a maximum length sequence technique are carried out. The goal in the two approaches is to isolate the top edge diffracted sound field in order to determine an extrinsic value of octave band efficiency of the cap for many source-receiver pairs. These results integrated in a ray tracing prediction method enable the integration of air absorption along each ray path and give the real efficiency of such a device in the case of complex and realistic configurations for barriers of finite length.     

A review of commonly used analytical and empirical formulae for predicting sound diffracted by a thin screen

This paper reviews some useful analytical and empirical formulae that are used for the calculation of sound diffracted by a barrier. A brief historic overview of the study of spherical waves diffracted by a rigid half plane is presented also. The physical principles of sound diffraction by a thin plane are explained. The mathematical expressions are cast in a convenient form for ease of numerical implementation. Accurate analytical solutions are expressed in terms of standard mathematical functions that can be computed readily. Among the approximate solutions quoted, quite a few empirical formulations are adequate for most engineering purposes. The information presented in this paper should also be helpful for those who are interested in the study of sound diffracted by a barrier in a room or in a long industrial space.     

Thermal distribution calculation in diode pumped Nd:YAG laser rod by boundary element method

Boundary element method is used to calculate the temperature distribution by solving the heat transfer equation in a laser rod. Propagation of the pumping beam in the rod, that is assumed to be pumped longitudinally, results in a temperature gradient. Such a gradient produces radial variation of the refractive index and the rod behaves similar to a positive lens. Depending on the size of the pumping beam waist and absorption coefficient of the rod, a hot spot may form inside the rod.     

Finite element method for the two-dimensional atmospheric radiative transfer

The finite element method is applied to the solution of the two-dimensional atmospheric radiative transfer. The analysis is mainly focussed on the derivation of the cell or element equation. The Galerkin method and several hybrid methods using the integral and finite difference form of the radiative transfer equation are employed to obtain the cell equation. The assembled system of equations relating the radiances at the lower and upper boundary of the domain is solved by a direct method.     

Deriving correction functions to model the efficiency of noise barriers with complex shapes using boundary element simulations

The boundary element method (BEM) is a commonly used method to compute the insertion loss of noise barriers having arbitrary cross-sections. For large scale three-dimensional problems, however, the BEM is not feasible. On the other hand, standardized calculation methods for noise mapping are efficient, but shapes other than the straight barrier cannot be properly calculated. Attempts to merge these two approaches by using BEM to derive correction functions based on geometrical quantities such as source and target angle as well as the path length elongation between source and receiver caused by the barrier were usually focused on a small set of barrier types, dimensions, absorptive configurations, source or receiver positions. The main objective of this study is to investigate which functions based on the most common geometrical parameters are well suited for approximating the efficiency of different types of barriers, dimensions and absorptive configurations. To achieve this, numerous combinations of 7 different barrier types, different heights and widths as well as 3 different absorptive configurations were simulated using the 2D BEM for 8 different source positions. The octave-band-wise efficiency, i.e. the frequency-dependent gain in insertion loss compared to an equally high, fully reflective straight barrier was used as a basis for the correction functions. Linear as well as polynomial models were compared yielding a polynomial of third degree in the source and fourth degree in the target angle as the best model. Effects on the error using uniform sampling in the target angle instead of a uniform receiver grid as a basis for the correction functions are also investigated. Furthermore, wide-band efficiencies based on standardized traffic emission spectra are calculated showing small errors compared to single-band errors, in particular in the high-frequency range. A linear interpolation scheme is suggested to deal with barriers having dimensions not simulated in this work.     

Joint estimation of the lognormal-Rician atmospheric turbulence model by the generalized method of moments

The generalized method of moments (GMM) is introduced in the framework of estimating the lognormal-Rician parameters. This GMM approach provides a systematic procedure for finding the moment-based parameter estimators. The GMM estimator can estimate the two shaping parameters of the lognormal-Rician PDF jointly. The asymptotic performance of the GMM estimator is compared with Monte Carlo simulation results. The results show that the GMM approach can lead to estimators with satisfactory performance over a wide range of channel conditions. The proposed method can be easily applied to both noiseless and noisy environments.     

Assessing the effect of a barrier between two rooms subjected to low frequency sound using the boundary element method

The boundary element method (BEM) has been used to compute the acoustic wave propagation through a single vertical panel, which separates two rooms, made of concrete, when one of the rooms is excited by a steady-state, spatially sinusoidal, harmonic line load pressure at low frequencies. This work focuses on how the connection of the panel to the ceiling affects the acoustic insulation provided by the wall. Perfect double-fixed partitions and acoustic barrier-type structures with differently-sized gaps between the ceiling and the barrier are studied. The BEM model is formulated in the frequency domain and takes the air-solid interaction fully into account. Insulation dips are localised in the frequency domain and identified with dips associated with both the wall's natural dynamic vibration modes and with those associated with the air in the rooms. The influence of the wall's thickness on acoustic insulation is also analysed. The computed results obtained with the acoustic barrier type structure are compared with those obtained by a rigid model. The importance of the rooms' surface conditions is assessed, modelling the rooms with cork.     

用边界元法分析非均匀介质中的传输线

 从静电场边值问题的积分解出发,推导出用边界元法求解分区均匀介质填充传输线问题的矩阵表达式,给出传输线电容参数的计算公式,介绍用边界元法求解分区均匀介质填充传输线问题的基本原理和求解过程。对两类传输线的计算结果表明：用边界元法求解分区均匀介质填充传输线问题,不仅具有较高的计算精度,而且可以很方便地应用于各类复杂截面分区均匀介质填充传输线问题的工程设计与计算,边界元法是求解分区均匀介质填充传输线问题的一种有效方法。     

Position calculation of the frequency band gap in the finite photonic crystal with multiple alternations using boundary element method

In this paper, the wave transmission from finite photonic crystals with multiple alternations is investigated using boundary element method (BEM). Since that, in these structures the alternation is not in all directions of space; the investigations of the frequency band gap with desired accuracy are not practical by analytical methods. Also, the frequency dispersion of dielectric rods is an effective parameter in photonic crystals, which this effect in our calculations has been considered. Due to the high capabilities of the BEM, the transmitted wave spectrum in the photonic crystal is calculated by changing the geometrical and optical parameters of the photonic crystal and applying more alternation in its structure and the position and width of the frequency band gap is investigated. Then, it is assumed that the photonic crystal with an arbitrary angle is rotated around the axis which is perpendicular on the crystal cross section and then, it is irradiated with a plan wave. The band gap of the photonic crystals with the desired structure, desired rotation angle and multiple alternations have been solved. Very low information volume, high speed and accuracy during the calculation and useable for any desired structures are the characteristics of this method.     

海面大气边界层中聚焦光束漂移各向异性的实验研究

 利用位置敏感型光电倍增管（PSPMT）,设计了测量聚焦光束漂移的实验装置。该装置在80 mm的有效探测面内实现了2维位置信号的直接探测,空间分辨率可达1 mm,明显优于四象限探测器和阵列探测器,最高采样频率可达80 kHz,且动态范围很大,优于一般的成像器件。在近海岸海面上5 m处的大气边界层中进行了距离为1 000 m的聚焦激光传输实验。测量结果表明：聚焦光斑的质心漂移具有各向异性,水平方向光斑漂移幅度一般介于5.61 mm和14.83 mm之间,垂直方向光斑漂移幅度介于3.54 mm和7.3 mm之间,两者之比的平均值为1.69;水平方向和垂直方向的光斑漂移功率谱密度（PSD）在低频段也存在差异,垂直方向光斑漂移的PSD比水平方向光斑漂移的PSD下降速率更快。     

A method for multi-frequency calculation of boundary integral equation in acoustics based on series expansion

The paper presents a method to solve the problem of multi-frequency calculation of Helmholtz boundary integral equation in acoustics. Based on series expansion, system matrices are independent of wavenumber and become the matrix power series of wavenumber. As a result, all matrices in the matrix power series are only dependent on the structure geometry. In addition, an element transform method to calculate the singular integral and Cauchy singular integral is also discussed because the singular integral need to be solved using the method. The convergence of the series expansion method is also proved in this paper. The effectiveness of the method is confirmed by two numerical examples.     

间歇性大气湍流中光传播问题的近Gauss极限分析

间歇性是湍流的重要特征，多年来一直是湍流研究的核心内容之一.考虑大气湍流中的光传播问题，一般回避其间歇性，假设大气介电起伏满足Gauss统计.考虑大气湍流（内）间歇性 对光波传播的影响.考虑到大气介电起伏方差较小的事实，将光场统计矩方程在Gauss场附近 展开到四阶累计量，分析其近似解.进一步，以层次结构模型为基础，着重研究了光场二阶 统计矩的间歇性效应.研究表明，大气湍流间歇性对光场的影响很小. 关键词： 光波传播 大气湍流 间歇性     

A new phase-screen method for electromagnetic wave propagation in turbulent flows using large-eddy simulation

Use of large-eddy simulation (LES) data in electromagnetic wave propagation modeling is not very common because of the high computational cost involved. A new phase-screen method is proposed to model radio wave propagation, in the atmospheric turbulence, using the resolved scale refractivity obtained from LES. The proposed method offers the same level of accuracy, as the one already existing in the literature, at much cheaper cost.     

The use of in-situ test method EN 1793-6 for measuring the airborne sound insulation of noise barriers

The in situ measurement of the airborne sound insulation, as outlined in EN 1793-6:2012, is becoming a common means of quantifying the performance of road traffic noise reducing devices. Newly installed products can be tested to reveal any construction defects and periodic testing can help to identify long term weaknesses in a design. The method permits measurements to be conducted in the presence of background noise from traffic, through the use of impulse response measurement techniques, and is sensitive to sound leakage. Factors influencing the measured airborne sound insulation are discussed, with reference to measurements conducted on a range of traffic noise barriers located around Auckland, New Zealand. These include the influence of sound leakage in the form of hidden defects and visible air gaps, signal-to-noise ratio, and noise barrier height. The measurement results are found to be influenced by the presence of hidden defects and small air gaps, with larger air gaps making the choice of measurement position critical. A signal-to-noise ratio calculation method is proposed, and is used to show how the calculated airborne sound insulation varies with signal-to-noise ratio. It is shown that the measurement results are influenced by barrier height, through the need for reduced length Adrienne temporal windows to remove the diffraction components, prohibiting the direct comparison of results from noise barriers with differing heights.     

计入地面附加衰减的声屏障插入损失估算方法*

基于理论推导和计算,给出了公路声屏障声学设计中,在考虑地面附加衰减情况下计算插入损失的方法。该方法综合考虑了有限长线声源无限长声屏障绕射声衰减量、有限长线声源地面衰减量及遮蔽角对插入损失的影响。通过与《声屏障声学设计和测量规范》（HJ/T90-2004）的计算结果的对比,验证了本文所给方法的精确性及可行性,并对规范所给地面衰减修正量进行了商榷。最后,给出了当预测点位于有限长路段中央法线上时,通过计算线声源地面衰减量得到计算插入损失所需参数值,再计算插入损失的简便方法。本研究为存在地面附加衰减情况下有限长声屏障插入损失计算提供了一个新的参考方法。     

Method for estimating the impact of atmospheric turbulence on 3D angular deformations measurement

The optical method is one of the most accurate methods for the 3D angular deformations measurement. However, the measured results fluctuate around a mean value as a result of the impact of the atmospheric turbulence, and the relationship between the fluctuation and the atmospheric turbulence is unclear. In this paper, we propose an optical 3D angular deformations measurement method to analyze the optical wave propagation, and study the impact of the atmospheric turbulence. The fluctuations of the three deformation angles are calculated in different atmospheric turbulences. It is found that this optical method is not suitable for high accuracy measurement with the refractive-index structure parameter larger than 10⁻¹⁴ m^−2/3. When the widths of the crosshairs fringes are different, the impacts of the atmospheric turbulence are nearly the same. It is also found that the impact of the atmospheric turbulence can be reduced by increasing the gray value of the image.     

A multiple flux boundary element method applied to the description of surface water waves

This paper concerns a two dimensional numerical model based on a high-order boundary element method with fully nonlinear free surface boundary conditions. Multiple fluxes are applied as a method of removing the so-called “corner problem”, whereby the direction of the outward normal at geometric discontinuities is ill-defined. In the present method, both fluxes associated with differing directions of the outward normal at a corner are considered, allowing a single node to be placed at that position. This prevents any loss of information at what can be an important part of the boundary, especially if considering simulations of wave reflection and wave run-up. The method is compared to both the double node approach and the use of discontinuous elements and is shown to be a more accurate technique. The success of the method is further demonstrated by its ability to accurately simulate various problems involving wave transmission and wave-structure interactions at domain corners; the results being achieved without the need for filtering, smoothing or re-gridding of any kind.     

Measurement of airborne sound insulation of timber noise barriers: Comparison of in situ method CEN/TS 1793-5 with laboratory method EN 1793-2

Recent progress in the development of European standards has allowed the in situ testing of roadside noise barriers. CEN/TS 1793-5 describes a test method using maximum length sequences (MLS) for the characterisation of airborne sound insulation. However, many barriers are tested according to a laboratory standard, EN 1793-2, based on measurements carried out in reverberant chambers and in the case of timber barriers with a relatively low airborne sound insulation it is not clear to what extent the results of the two tests compare. The paper describes the results of tests carried out using both methods. Six samples of timber barrier were compared including single-leaf and double-leaf constructions and single-leaf constructions with an absorptive core. Very good agreement was found especially when account was taken of the valid frequency range in each test method. The results open up the possibility of routinely evaluating the performance of timber barriers at the roadside where build quality can be variable and there are concerns that the acoustic performance may not match that obtained under laboratory test conditions where typically the barrier is more carefully constructed.     

Speckle statistical properties of Gaussian beam from a semi-rough target in the atmospheric turbulence

Based on extended Huygens–Fresnel principle and Goodman model for target surface, analytic expression is developed for the mutual coherent function (MCF) of a reflected Gaussian-beam from a semi-rough target in single-pass atmospheric turbulence. Then according to the MCF we derive expression about the mean intensity and average speckle size at the receiver. The analysis indicates that the mean intensity is closely related to the ratio of root mean square (rms) height to the lateral correlation length; in addition, the speckle size is associated with turbulence strength and roughness of target. Our results agree with well-known the limiting cases of perfectly smooth and Lambertian target.     

Echo-wave scattering characteristics of the diffuse target in the slant atmospheric turbulence

The extended Huygens–Fresnel principle is utilized to make analysis of the received intensity for laser beam propagation through the atmospheric turbulence in the slant path. For a diffuse target, the effects of the turbulence on the statistical parameters such as the mutual coherence function and the mean intensity are studied in detail. The influence of the incident wave radius and the distance of the incident beam on these parameters are discussed.