Estimating the Effect of Semi-Transparent Low-Height Road Traffic Noise Barriers with Ultra Weak Variational Formulation

The ultra weak variational formulation (UWVF) approach is used to study the effect of semi-transparent road traffic noise barriers of limited height. This numerical method is extended to simulate sound propagation through a porous medium, based on the Zwicker and Kosten phenomenological porous rigid-frame model. An efficient approach to calculate noise levels in multi-lane road traffic noise situations is presented. The UWVF method was validated successfully by comparison with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations, for the case of sound propagation near a porous, low-height, and complex shaped noise barrier, and for sound propagation above porous ground in a refracting atmosphere. An assessment is made of the shielding of various porous lowheight noise barriers for people on the pavement along the road. Porous barriers were shown to improve noise shielding when compared to geometrically identical rigid noise barriers.