Estimation of road traffic noise emissions: The influence of speed and acceleration

• Published in: Transportation research. Part D, Transport and environment Vol. 58; pp. 155 - 171
• Main Authors: Can, A., Aumond, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier India Pvt Ltd 01.01.2018; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acoustics; Engineering Sciences; ACOUSTIQUE; ACCELERATION; MODELISATION; TRAFIC ROUTIER; NOISE; VITESSE; ROAD TRAFFIC; NUISANCE
• ISSN: 1361-9209; 1879-2340
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2017.12.002

•Real traffic data serve as input to evaluate the influence of traffic representations on estimated sound power levels.•Noise emission models highly differ in terms of sensitiveness to vehicles acceleration.•Classical estimations of sound power levels introduce error under congestion as traffic sensors miss the stopped vehicles.•Adding traffic variables to better account of congestion improves the Leq estimates. This paper relies on vehicle trajectory collection on a corridor, to compare different traffic representations used for the estimation of the sound power of light vehicles and the resulting sound pressure levels. Four noise emission models are tested. The error introduced when the emissions are calculated based on speeds measured at regular intervals along the road network are quantified and explained. The current noise emission models might in particular misestimate noise levels under congestion. This bias can be reduced by introducing additional traffic variables in the modeling. In addition, significant differences within the models are highlighted, especially concerning their accounting of vehicle accelerations. Models that rely on a binary representation of acceleration regimes (a vehicle or a road segment is accelerating or not) can lead to errors in practice. Models under use in Europe have a very low sensitivity to acceleration values. These results help underlying the further required improvements of dynamic road traffic noise models.