Evaluation of Benefits and Opportunities for Innovative Noise Barrier Designs

Download or read book Evaluation of Benefits and Opportunities for Innovative Noise Barrier Designs written by Dustin Watson and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The primary goal of this project was to identify innovative noise barrier designs that had the potential to be implemented in Arizona. The study initially focused on gathering existing literature on noise barrier materials and designs that were non-conventional. Literature was collected on dozens of noise barrier research projects in 12 countries around the world. Many of the barrier designs consisted of treatments to the top edge of the barrier to change or disrupt the diffraction pathway from the noise source to the receiver. The results of the previous research studies were compiled into a matrix to assist in evaluating the various barrier designs and materials. The evaluation matrix was used to score the barrier designs based on their acoustic performance, as well as economic, constructability, maintenance, and aesthetic considerations. Also, an attempt was made to identify the processes by which Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) selects and approves various barrier designs for implementation on a project. Based on the research and evaluation conducted for this study, it was recommended that two innovative barrier designs be implemented in Arizona - the T-top design with absorptive material placed on the top of the horizontal portion of the barrier and a vertical barrier with absorptive material applied to the face of the barrier. These two barrier designs have been shown in the available literature to reduce noise levels by up to 3 decibels, which could reduce overall barrier heights by as much as 5 feet compared with a conventional noise barrier of concrete or masonry block construction.