Abstract

In the frame of the SOPRANOISE project (funded by CEDR in the Transnational Road Research Programme 2018) work package 2 focused first on providing theoretical and practical background information on measurement of the acoustic performance of noise barriers due to a state-of-the-art regarding correlations and possible trends between diffuse (EN 1793-1, EN 1793-2) and direct sound field methods (EN 1793-5, EN 1793-6). After that, the objective of this research was to extend and update the database of the European noise barrier market developed during the QUIESST project, including more detailed analyses on single-number ratings as well as third-octave band measurement results. The data collected and the analysis performed show relevant facts and figures about acoustic performances of noise barriers measured under diffuse and direct sound field conditions, together with a better understanding of the respective significance, similarities and differences of these standardized methods, improving data analysis and correlations between these methods. This paper gives a general overview of the data collected, summarising the main results of the statistical analyses performed. Overall results and comparisons between results of measurements performed under diffuse and under direct sound field conditions are shown. Finally, conclusions and possible outlook of the research are presented.