Design of Wood Highway Sound Barriers


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As new and existing U.S. residential areas and high volume highways continue to intermingle, traffic noise abatement procedures continue to be important. This study investigated the acoustic effectiveness, public acceptance, and structural requirements of various designs and types of sound barriers. In addition, the acoustic effectiveness of a prototype sound barrier is reported. Results are presented on the acoustic effectiveness from in situ measurements of one cement bonded composite panel barrier and four precast concrete, two plywood, two glued-laminated, and three post and panel barriers. The research on public acceptance of sound barriers focused on the perception of visual compatibility. Based on results from semantic-differential and individual ratings, wood and concrete barrier designs were perceived to have favored gbsruralgcs qualities. Data collected during the research on acoustic effectiveness and public acceptance were used to develop structural requirements and construction details for a prototype wood sound barrier. The prototype wood sound barrier provided insertion losses of 15 dB or greater, exceeding the 10-dB acceptable performance for a highway sound barrier.




Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges


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Federal-aid Policy Guide


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Bridge Safety


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Research Paper FPL-RP


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Guidelines for Evaluating the Performance of Highway Sound Barriers


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Prepared by the Highway Innovative Technology Evaluation Center, a CERF Service Center. This report presents the HITEC evaluation plan for U.S. Gypsum's Sight and Sound Screen. The Sight and Sound Screen is a post-and-panel wall system designed to act as a sight and sound barrier for highways and as a privacy system for residential and commercial property owners. The HITEC evaluation will measure the performance of the barrier against the criteria presented in this report, which reflect the needs of the highway community. Although this evaluation plan was tailored to one product, as a service to state and local transportation officials the report was expanded to provide guidelines that can be adapted for use with other types of sound wall systems.




Bridge Engineering Handbook


Book Description

An international team of experts has joined forces to produce the Bridge Engineering Handbook. They address all facets-the planning, design, inspection, construction, and maintenance of a variety of bridge structures-creating a must-have resource for every bridge engineer. This unique, comprehensive reference provides the means to review standard practices and keep abreast of new developments and state-of-the-art practices. Comprising 67 chapters in seven sections, the authors present: Fundamentals: Provides the basic concepts and theory of bridge engineering Superstructure Design: Discusses all types of bridges Substructure Design: Addresses columns, piers, abutments, and foundations Seismic Design: Presents the latest in seismic bridge design Construction and Maintenance: Focuses on the practical issues of bridge structures Special Topics: Offers new and important information and unique solutions Worldwide Practice: Summarizes bridge engineering practices around the world. Discover virtually all you need to know about any type of bridge: Reinforced, Segmental, and Prestressed Concrete Steel beam and plate girder Steel box girder Orthotropic deck Horizontally curved Truss Arch Suspension Cable-stayed Timber Movable Floating Railroad Special attention is given to rehabilitation, retrofit, and maintenance, and the Bridge Engineering Handbook offers over 1,600 tables, charts, and illustrations in ready-to-use format. An abundance of worked-out examples give readers step-by-step design procedures and the section on Worldwide Practice provides a broad and valuable perspective on the "big picture" of bridge engineering.