Resumen de On-board sound intensity testing of PFC pavements in Texas
This paper presents results of tire/pavement noise testing performed on Texas pavements during 2006 and 2007, by means of the on-board sound intensity (OBSI) procedure. Roadside measurements with sound pressure level (SPL) meters were also performed. The pavements tested were primarily of the New Generation Open-Graded Friction Course type, also known in Texas as Permeable Friction Course (PFC), a permeable asphalt design with air voids in the area of 18 percent. There were also some tests performed on dense-graded asphalt pavements, and on concrete pavements. Because of their relatively high air void content (which increases their acoustic absorption), and sometimes the inclusion of crumb rubber in the mix (which decreases its stiffness), PFC pavements also exhibit the fortuitous side effect of reducing noise, both inside the vehicle and at the roadside. Therefore, these pavements are increasingly being studied as �quieter� pavements to verify their feasibility as an alternative to the construction of noise barriers.
