This document describes an assessment procedure for characterizing the effect of different pavement types on road traffic noise emission.
The procedure relies on the application of an established measurement method and specifies the detailed conditions for its use to enable the determination of characteristic values for the acoustic performance of road surface types with a given accuracy. Performance is characterized in absolute terms rather than with respect to a reference surface, as specifications for the latter differ from country to country and could contribute to additional uncertainty.
The procedure is intended to be suitable for the following applications:
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for the acoustic labelling (i.e. the determination of initial acoustic properties) of generic or proprietary road surface products;
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for the conformity-of-production (COP) assessment of newly laid surfaces, e.g. to assess compliance with acoustic labels and/or contract specifications, or to assess the homogeneity of the surface over its length;
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for the monitoring of the acoustic properties of road surfaces over the course of their working lifetime, so as to help inform surface maintenance/replacement policies and increase understanding of the acoustic durability of road surfaces.
The values derived from this procedure are intended to be used for the following purposes:
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to characterise the initial acoustic properties of a road surface type (the acoustic label) using a common procedure across Europe. Such an acoustic label can serve as a baseline for setting performance requirements in public procurements, COP assessments and monitoring over the working lifetime of the surface. The label enables the comparison of different road surface types in an unbiased manner;
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to verify the acoustic quality and homogeneity of a newly laid road surface;
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to determine the acoustic quality and homogeneity of a road surface at a given point during its working lifetime; the collation of sufficient data on the same surface over time enables the prediction of acoustic behaviour and can help to drive surface design/development.
In addition, the procedure described within this document also makes possible:
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the establishment of reference values for wider road surface types;
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the derivation of input parameters for road surface corrections within environmental noise calculation methods (in particular, the harmonised CNOSSOS-EU method).
