In-situ measurements on noise barriers: quality criteria

What is it about?

After some years from its first release, the CEN/TS 1793-5 European standard for in-situ measurement of sound reflection and airborne sound insulation characteristics of noise barriers has been significantly enhanced and validated in the frame of the EU funded QUIESST project. The procedure, based on impulse response measurements near the noise barrier and in the free field, is robust and easily applicable but much attention must be paid when: i) applying the signal subtraction technique to get the reflected signal component and ii) extracting the transmitted component, especially measuring highly insulating noise barriers. In both cases, it is essential to avoid a poor signal-to-noise ratio of the critical part of the impulse response. In the frame of the QUIESST project specific quality criteria, applicable on site, have been introduced in order to check and validate the result. These criteria are rigorously described here for the first time and illustrative examples are presented.

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Why is it important?

Introduces for the first time the quality criteria to validate the results of sound reflection and sound insulation measurements taken on the site where noise barriers are installed. These criteria, developed in the frame of the European project QUIESST, are included in the new European standards EN 1793-5 and EN 1793-6.