ACOUSTICAL PROPERTIES OF POROUS ASPHALTS: THEORETICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

The acoustical aspects of porous road surfaces as studied in France are described in this paper. The first part discusses the advantages of porous asphalt and shows how and why, in France, two experimental approaches are carried out: thin porous layers (about 4 cm) for the interurban and urban network, and thick porous layers (40 to 50 cm) for the urban network. The second part presents a theoretical model: the absorption coefficient as a function of frequency is obtained from the layer thickness and three physical parameters representative of the porous medium. The influence of these parameters on the absorption is described. It is clearly shown that above a certain value, thickness has no influence on the absorption properties (i.e., increasing the thickness becomes acoustically useless). This is called the "superthickness" condition. In the third part, experimental results obtained in the laboratory and in situ are compared with the theoretical calculations. The influences of humidity, gaps in the grading, binder content, and number of layers are also presented. The last part deals with noise reduction as measured with rolling vehicles (pass by, coast by). Experimental programs in progress are described and some results are given. Evolution of noise level versus road aging is also discussed.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1990/1265/1265-002.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=ACOUSTICAL+PROPERTIES+OF+POROUS+ASPHALTS%3A+THEORETICAL+AND+ENVIRONMENTAL+ASPECTS&author=M.+BERENGIER&author=J.+HAMET&author=P.+Bar&publication_year=1990
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1265, Porous Asphalt Pavements: An International Perspective 1990. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • BERENGIER, M
  • HAMET, J F
  • Bar, P
• Publication Date: 1990

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 9-24
• Monograph Title: Pavement design, management, and performance: porous asphalt pavements: an international perspective 1990
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1265
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acoustic properties; Asphalt pavements; Field tests; Laboratory tests; Noise control; Pavements; Porous materials; Porous pavements; Sound absorption; Sound level; Theory; Thickness
• Old TRIS Terms: Aging; Thickness design
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials; Pavements; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces; I31: Bituminous Binders and Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00601400
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309050227
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Nov 30 1990 12:00AM