Measured and predicted acoustic performance of vertically louvred noise barriers

The paper describes model testing of the acoustic performance of vertically louvred and the corresponding predicted performance using a modified Boundary Element Method (BEM) program. The program was developed in a previous phase of the Transport Research Laboratoryʹs research into the performance of modified barriers. Measurements on 1/20th scale model barriers were carried out in a semi-anechoic chamber designed primarily for scale model experiments to investigate outdoor sound propagation under controlled conditions. It was concluded from measurements in the scale model facility that the modified BEM code provided an adequate description of the leakage of sound through louvred barriers. The program was subsequently used to examine the performance of various designs of barrier in order to identify likely cost effective designs.