Bent Andersen

Senior Researcher
Danish Road Institute
Road Directorate
State-of-the-art of low-noise
pavements
INQUEST Workshop Bucharest, Romania,
24 May 2007

Information Network
on QUiet European
road Surface
Technology
 Road traffic noise sources

Engine noise important: -Passenger cars at low speed

-Trucks at all speeds

Tyre-road noise:
-Important passenger cars at low speed
-Dominant passenger cars at high speed
-Important trucks at high speeds
1
 Noise sources – vehicles cruising by

2
 Tyre-road noise

Tyre-road noise depends on:

•Pavement type
•Age
•Wear and tear
•Maintenance
3
 Age of pavement
83

82

81
LAmax (80 km/h)

80

79

78

77
PAC8
76
DAC12
75
DAC12o
74
0 2 4 6 8
4
Age
 SILVIA survey on pavement noise
BASt - Germany
•Measurement reports from 8 BRRC – Belgium
European Institutes from
North, East and Central CROW+DWW - Holland
Europe DRI - Denmark
•Based on 200 SPB noise
TRL - United Kingdom
measurements
•Evaluated in order to secure TUG - Poland
comparability VTI - Sweden
•Ten different pavement types
included in the analyses.

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 Pavement types included
Pavement type Designation

Dense Asphalt Concrete DAC The

Stone Mastic Asphalt
Single layer Porous Asphalt
SMA
PAC
bituminous
Double layer Porous Asphalt
Thin layers
DPAC
TSF
types
Hot Rolled Asphalt
Surface Dressing
HRA
SD
Cement
Exposed Aggregate Concrete
Burlap textured concrete
EACC
CCb
concrete
( longitudinally structured)
Porous Cement Concrete PCC
types
6
 Reference surface !
• The noise reducing effect of a given pavement is often stated
relatively to a certain reference pavement.
• Reference pavement extremely important.
• Different national traditions, recommendations or standards.
• The national reference pavements are often the pavement types
most often used.
• Denmark Dense Asphalt Concrete (DAC) with 11 mm aggregate.
• Holland Dense Asphalt Concrete (DAC) with 16 mm aggregate.
• In Harmonoise model DAC or SMA with 11 mm aggregate – both
aged at least 2 years but not at the end of its lifetime.
• This analyses absolute noise levels.

7
 SILVIA Database cars 50 km/h

Potential for Interval 18 dB

95
optimization
Cars atof50noise
km/h
reduction
90

85

80
LA max

75
71.5dB
71,2 dB
70
Danish
65 model

60

8
 SILVIA Database Cars 110 km/h
Potential for Interval 15 dB
optimization
95 of noise
reduction
90

85

80
LA max,

75

70

65

60

9
 Variance in noise for same pavement types

Important factors:
• Material distribution
• Maximum aggregate size
• Surface texture
• Aggregate shape Textur profil Reference
• Built in air void MPD = 0,4 mm
• Compaction
profil hight in mm

3
• Tear and wear 2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
,0471
00051

02381

07039

09368
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 Influence of aggregate size

73
+ 1mm on aggregate
72,5
+0.25 dB rolling noise
72
Noise LAmax

71,5

71

70,5

70

69,5

69
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Maximum aggregate size

11
 Air pumping
At the leading edge of the contact
area: air is squeezed out.
At the trailing edge: air pumped in.
Generates high frequency noise
over 1000 Hz.

Potential for reduction:

•Open surface structure
•Porous asphalt

High built in air void

Thick porous asphalt

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 Tyre vibration
The tyre hits the peaks of the
surface.
The sidewalls vibrate and
radiate noise.
Generates noise under 1500 Hz.

Potential for reduction:

•A smooth surface.
•An elastic surface.
•Small aggregate size.
•Cubic aggregate.
•Good compaction.
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 Absorption during propagation

A porous pavement absorbs noise under propagation

from vehicle to receiver

14
 Porous pavements
• First developed in Europe in 1950s and 1960s.
• Object to reduce surface water and splash and spray on high-
speed roads (traffic safety).
• It also offered acoustic benefits.
• Experiments have been carried out in many European
countries.
• Used in full scale in Japan the Netherlands (on 60 % of all
highways) and in some other countries.

15
 Porous pavement

100

90 DAC12

80 PAC8 18-22%

PAC12>22%
% Passing by weight

70

60

50

40

30

20
Material
10
distribution
0
0,01 0,1 1 10 100
Sieve size [mm]

16
 Noise reduction on highway (80 km/h)
5
Single layer PAC8 18-22%
4,5
porous
PAC8>22%
pavements 4

Relative to 3,5 PAC12>22%

Noise reduction

DAC12 3

2,5

1,5

0,5

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Age

17
 Frequency analyses
80

DAC12
75 Noise from
PAC8>22%
70 air pumping
PAC12

65
LAE

60

55 Noise
absorption/
50 engine
noise
45
Porous
pavement 40
10 100 1000 10000
Age 1 year Frequency

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 Disadvantages of porous pavements:
• Reduced durability due to more rapid aging of binder.
• The pores tend to clog, specially on
urban roads (speed 50-60 km/h),
and noise increases.
• High pressure cleaning is needed.

• Complicated winter maintenance.

Greater and more frequent salting is needed.
• Studded tyres means fast clogging.
• Not good in curves and intersections with turning vehicles.
• Routine repairs of the surface more complicated.
• More costly to construct than ordinary pavements.
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 Development of thin layers

• There is a need to develop cheaper types of noise reducing

pavements for urban roads than double layer porous
pavements.
• Pavements that in construction cost and
lifetime are competitive to “ordinary” pavement
types, and can reduce noise.

• Thin noise reducing pavements in focus:

• Only open at the upper part.
• Cavities having a depth less than the size of the aggregate.
• Smooth and very open top.

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 French experiences thin layers

Speed 90 km/h 80 km/h

Passenger Multi axle

car trucks
Type 1 2.7 dB 1.9 dB
Reference
Type 2 3.7 dB 3.1 dB
DAC10
21
 French experiences thin layers

Speed 90 km/h 80 km/h

Passenger Multi axle

car trucks

Type 1 4.2 dB 3.0 dB

Reference
Type 2 5.2 dB 4.2 dB
DAC16
22
 Conclusion

• The pavement type is very important for the noise

(Interval up to 8 -18 dB).
• The noise depends on the pavement design and material.

• Reference pavements:
• Dense Asphalt Concrete (DAC)
• Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA)
• Local variations
• Noisy pavements:
• Hot Rolled Asphalt (HRA)
• Concrete
• Surface Dressing (SD)
• Paving Stones

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 Noise reducing pavements
Highways:
• Double Layer Porous Asphalt
• Single Layer Porous Asphalt
• Thin layers
• Porous Cement Concrete

Urban roads:
• Double Layer Porous Asphalt
• Thin layers

• Need for further optimization

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