Contribution
FEM-based framework for the simulation of acoustic noise barriers
* Presenting author
Abstract:
This contribution presents a Finite Element Method (FEM)-based framework evaluating the acoustic performance of noise reducing devices (NRDs), e.g. noise barriers, commonly used to mitigate environmental noise from road or railway traffic. The proposed framework uses FEM to simulate the acoustic properties of a representative fraction of the noise barrier, capturing relevant characteristics such as material properties, local barrier geometry, and sound frequency. The NRDs acoustically absorbing materials are characterized via impedance tube measurements with which their material parameters are fitted using suitable material models. Subsequently, we model acoustic absorbers as complex fluids. By solving the Helmholtz equation via FEM in three dimensions, the sound pressure is computed at the microphone positions defined in EN 1793-5, which is a standardized method for the in-situ measurement of the intrinsic sound reflection properties of road traffic NRDs under direct sound field conditions. This approach offers insights into optimizing noise barrier designs and materials.In this contribution, a validation of the framework against sound reflection measurements according to EN 1793-5 will be presented, using a common porous acoustic absorber mounted to a sound hard surface serving as an NRD.