Evaluation Of The Main Factors Affecting Tire-Pavement Interaction Noise

Abstract

Traffic noise is an environmental pollution that affects many people in today’s modernized world. It disrupts the quality of life and causes annoyance, stress, sleep deprivation, and several health problems. When vehicles travel at ‘highway speed’ in expressways, tire-pavement interaction is considered to be the leading source of traffic noise. Researchers and transportation agencies around the world have focused on designing quieter pavement surfaces as a cost-effective solution to reduce tire-pavement interaction noise and overall traffic noise. Nevertheless, many developing countries are still behindhand in this area. In this study, On-Board Sound Intensity (OBSI) experiments were conducted to identify and quantify the main factors affecting tire-pavement interaction noise. The study found that that tire-pavement interaction noise is increasing 13.4 ln [dB(A) per km/h] due to the effect of driving speed and 0.362 [dB(A) per year] due to the effect of aging in dense graded asphalt concrete (DGAC). Furthermore, an ambient temperature adjustment factor of -0.04 [dB(A)/°C] was recommended for Qatar’s environmental conditions. Moreover, NMAS was found to be the governing factor for tire-pavement interaction noise on dense graded asphalt Concrete (DGAC) surfaces. Finally, a prediction model for tire-pavement interaction noise was developed based on the pavement characteristics. This model can be used to design and construct quieter pavements in the state of Qatar as it accounts the environmental conditions and local construction materials.