Simulation and measurement of noise barrier sound-reflection properties

Abstract 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.

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