[Back]

P. Reiter, R. Wehr, H. Ziegelwanger:
"Simulation and measurement of noise barrier sound-reflection properties";
Applied Acoustics, 123 (2017), 133 - 142.

Noise barriers are a widely used technical measure to reduce noise immission from road and rail transport.
The simulation-based prediction of intrinsic acoustic properties allows a cost-efficient product optimization
in the course of the development process. The computational determination of the reflection
index requires the simulation of the internal structure of a noise barrier by the finite-element method
(FEM). The frequency range of interest and the mathematical modeling depth of the simulation result
in a high computational effort which can be reduced by taking advantage of the periodic structure of a
noise barrier. A periodic FEM model allows the simulation of fine geometric structures and different
materials in noise barriers, e.g., perforated plates and porous absorbers. In this study, we compared
and evaluated three methods for determining the acoustic properties of noise barriers, i.e., the acoustic
measurement, analytical calculation, and FEM simulation. The analytical calculation was the most efficient
method although this method was not able to reproduce results from the acoustic measurement
above 2000 Hz. The numerical calculation by a periodic FEM was efficient and reproduced results from
the acoustic measurement more accurately.

Computational acoustics Noise barriers Finite element method In-situ sound reflection