PERSUADE : a European project for exceptional noise reduction by means of poroelastic road surfaces

The PERSUADE (PoroElastic Road SUrface for Avoiding Damage to the Environment) project started as an EU funded project aiming at further development of the poroelastic road surface (PERS). It has been shown in previous experiments in Sweden and Japan that this experimental type of pavement, made of rubber granules and stone or sand aggregates, bound with a flexible polymer like polyurethane, is capable of reducing tire/road noise by up to 12 dB(A) for cars. This is a higher reduction than any other type of surfacing has offered. In this paper, the main problems (such as limited raveling resistance, adhesion to the sub layer and decreasing skid resistance) will be discussed as well as the strategy how the project consortium will try to solve them. The potential usefulness of the new pavement will also be discussed. The paper will include a chapter in which the economical feasibility of PERS is studied. It is obvious that this type of road surface is much more expensive than even the most costly “conventional” noise reducing pavements. Nevertheless, research carried out within the framework of PERSUADE has shown that PERS can be a cost effective noise abatement measure in certain applications, even with a limited lifetime.