Analysis of the acoustic characteristics and optimization potential of road surfaces - One focus within the project "Quiet Road Traffic 3"

Paper in proceeding, 2012

The development of silent road surfaces demands a detailed analysis of the tire/road interaction mechanisms basically determining the noise radiation of flowing traffic. Such an analysis is of significant importance to identify and characterize the relevant effects which affect the acoustic properties of the pavements. This paper reviews the approaches pursued within the interdisciplinary research project "Quiet Road Traffic 3" including an adequate expansion of the SPERoN model for the quantitative prediction of the tire/road noise. A variety of novel materials and road constructions is investigated to validate the model, to design optimized pavements, and to explore their application potential. The practical use of the results will be finally checked by implementing and monitoring test tracks. The research activities cover asphalt as well as concrete construction techniques and focus in particular on measures to reduce the noise nuisance in agglomerations. In total, the approaches within the project "Quiet Road Traffic 3" are intended to lower the road traffic noise level by 4 to 6 dB(A) as compared to the current state of the art.