Experimental study of the diffracted sound field around jagged edge noise barriers

Noise barriers are commonly used to protect communities from transportation noise. In the present study, three types of barriers, modeled as half planes, have been tested in the laboratory: a conventional rigid barrier with a straight top edge, a straight top edge barrier covered with sound absorbing material, and a rigid barrier with a jagged top edge. Measurements were taken not just behind the barriers, but around them on a plane perpendicular to their top edge. Measured signals were compared against theoretical predictions contributing to further validation of a theoretical model. The sound absorbing material was found to affect the diffracted field more in the front of the barrier than behind it. The diffracted field in front of a jagged edge barrier, similar to the field behind it, was found to depend on the geometry of the edge in the area where the shortest diffraction path intersects the edge profile. Last, the performance of the three barriers was compared with one another in all areas around the barrier. It was found that the jagged edge barrier provides shielding similar to the sound absorbing barrier but at a fraction of the cost.

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