Comparison and testing of various noise wall materials.

PDFTech ReportFHWA/OH-2014/8SJN 134697Noise barriersTraffic noiseNoise controlMaterials testsTraffic dataField testsWallsSound levelOhioOhio. Dept. of Transportation. Office of Statewide Planning and ResearchMcAvoy, Deborah S.Theberge, RyanOhio State University. Dept. of Civil EngineeringUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionNoise barriers are a necessary structure along the highway to protect the local residents from excessiveroad noise. There are many different materials from which noise barriers can be constructed. As of 2004, themost widely used noise barrier material was concrete which accounts for approximately 80 percent of all thenoise barriers in the United States. Other noise barrier materials include metal, plastic, wood or soil. Each ofthe materials used to construct noise barrier has advantages and disadvantages both acoustically andaesthetically.This study was done to determine which of the currently used noise barrier materials in Ohio produced thelargest noise reduction. There were seven different materials field tested across the State of Ohio; absorptiveconcrete walls, reflective concrete walls, hollow fiberglass walls, rubber-filled fiberglass walls, steel walls, clearwalls and earthen berms). The noise barriers were tested by measuring noise levels in front of the barrier,above the barrier and behind the barrier, while recording traffic data (volume, class, and lane position) andatmospheric conditions. The noise reduction results across the various barrier materials were then compared todetermine which material yielded the greatest noise reduction. The TNM parameters were set to replicate eachsite that was tested and the noise reduction results from the model were recorded. The results from the modeland the field were then compared to determine if the model is an accurate representation of the field