Aluminium noise barrieres and added devices: a case study using the European standard for in-situ measurements

Traffic noise is one of the main environmental problems within Europe. Noise reducing devices are the most used solution to noise abatement along roads and railways. In order to verify the acoustic performance in real life conditions and to control the long-term performance of these devices, the Working Group 6 of the Technical Committee 226 of the European Committee for Standardization developed the so called Adrienne method. This measurement method was introduced in 2003 with the technical specifications CEN/TS 1793-5 dealing with in-situ sound absorption and sound insulation and with CEN/TS 1793-4 dealing with in-situ sound diffraction. The present paper describes an Austrian study, carried out in 2005 and 2006 by arsenal research for the company Forster Metallbau GmbH. The main focus of this work was the characterization of new products concerning sound absorption and sound insulation using the Adrienne method. This research examines the acoustic behavior of aluminum cassettes, alternately equipped with reference barriers, partially non flat tilted elements, added devices on the top of the barrier, transparent insertions and digital prints on the barrier surface.