ACPA Announces Pavement Joint Noise Estimator

The American Concrete Pavement Association offers this web-driven tool available as an iPhone/iPad app.

The American Concrete Pavement Association announces its concrete pavement joint noise estimator, the latest web-driven tool created for inspectors, contractors, consultants and others who need viable tools to determine pavement characteristics quickly and efficiently.

The ACPA Joint Noise Estimator is available as an iPhone / iPad app, and can be found in Apple's iTunes store at http://itunes.apple.com/app/joint-noise-estimator-acpa/id445275692?mt=8. The estimator is also available in ACPA's web apps library at http://apps.acpa.org/apps/jointnoise.aspx.

Why is This Important?
Tire-pavement noise is said to contribute to noise pollution, particularly in densely-populated urban areas, where traffic-generated noise may disturb area residents. One contributor of traffic-generated noise is the tire-pavement interaction known as "joint slap," which occurs as vehicles travel over joints in some jointed concrete pavements.

The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) is committed to all aspects of sustainability, and along with its technology partner, the International Grooving & Grinding Association, offers many pavement restoration and repair strategies aimed at correcting joint slap and other sources of tire/pavement noise.

Still, for pavements where joint slap is a problem, evaluation is critical to addressing the noise issue. For passenger cars traveling on some pavement sections, approximately 70% to 90% of traffic-generated noise is produced by the tire-pavement interaction. Evaluation of the tire-pavement interaction in the United States is performed using On-Board Sound Intensity (OBSI) testing, pursuant to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' noise testing standard, AASHTO TP-76.

ACPA's Joint Noise Estimator tool, based on the work of Dr. Paul Donavan , was developed to allow designers to estimate the impact of various joint geometries and condition on the overall tire-pavement noise level and to provide guidance to maintenance efforts in terms of the noise benefit attainable through sealing joints. Generally speaking, wider and deeper joint openings, and closer joint spacings, increase the overall traffic generated noise level.

How It Works
The tool works by first entering data about the joint spacing (interval), width and depth. The user then enters an appropriate vehicle speed and average noise-level data associated with one of five pre-formatted texturing methods or a standard noise input in decibels (dBA).

The tool will then show three outputs: an increase in tire-pavement noise level (OBSI) due to joint configuration; a total tire-pavement noise level including the joint affected; and the total tire-pavement noise as predicted 50 ft. away.

The tool is intended for use by engineers or other personnel with some familiarity with concrete pavement joint performance. It is an ideal tool for those considering pavement restoration strategies; for those who want an

These new iPhone and iPad apps are an extension of the already popular ACPA online app library, which is available at http://apps.acpa.org/. ACPA's web and iPhone/iPad apps are intended to keep pace with the growing demand for web- and mobile device-based information. The resources include powerful design- and construction-related tools, web versions of ACPA software, and some general interest applications. Some of the applications are based on time-tested resources, while others are new or currently being developed.

The applications are available at Apple's iTunes App Store(SM) store for a nominal fee. Users of iPhones and iPads who click on the iTunes App Store link on the ACPA App Library site will be taken directly to the application purchase site in the Apple's iTunes App Store(SM) store; all other users will be directed to landing pages that describe the product and include ordering information. This and all other ACPA web apps and links to design software can be viewed at http://apps.acpa.org/.

Companies in this article
Latest