1208 Soha
1208 Soha
1208 Soha
International standard ISO 10844 is applicable to test tracks What’s New in the 2011 Version?
used for evaluating vehicle exterior (pass-by) noise. The objec- The significant changes from the 1994 version of the standard
tive of the standard is to provide a high degree of reproduc- to the 2011 version can be grouped into three categories: construc-
ibility between different test tracks. Toward that objective, the tion, measurement methods, and metrics and limits. In regard to
standard specifies properties of the test track to (a) ensure that construction, the updated version allows for asphalt mixtures with
noise propagation is not significantly affected by the surface, and polymer-modified binder that can be tailored for the local climate
(b) minimize the variability of tire-pavement noise generation. and environment. This allows for tracks with pavements more
There are significant changes in the methods of measuring the resistant to surface wear and extends the stability of the texture
pavement’s acoustic absorption and texture properties compared over time. In addition, the aggregate (sand and gravel) blend must
with the 1994 version of the standard. Acoustic absorption affects meet the sieving (sizing) curve specified in the standard. In the
noise propagation over the surface, and the standard now requires earlier version, the sieving curve was informative.
the two-microphone impedance tube method measured in situ. In the category of measurement methods, three new methods
Pavement texture affects tire-pavement noise generation, and the are specified:
standard now specifies laser-based profiling methods. Advantages • For quantifying texture in the megatexture to unevenness range
and benefits of the new test methods are described along with (flatness of the surface), it is specified to follow standard EN
practical techniques to help ensure valid measurements. The 13036-7,3 which employs a 3-meter straightedge and gap gage
article also explores the possibility of supplementing ISO 10844 to determine surface evenness.
measurements with standard tire-pavement noise testing using • The measurement of texture in the megatexture to macrotexture
the on-board sound intensity (OBSI) method. This additional test ranges is changed from using the volumetric patch method
provides a direct measure of the tire-pavement noise response, (sand patch method) to using a Class DE texture profilometer
which can be compared to the pavement texture being used as an defined in ISO 13473-3.4 This change represents a shift from a
indirect indicator of this response. The OBSI method also allows subjective, operator-dependent method to a more objective and
for a measure of the variability of tire-pavement noise along the modern approach.
length of the test track (spatial variability). • Acoustic absorption measurements are performed in situ with
an impedance tube conforming to ISO 13472-2.5 The prior ver-
ISO 108441 applies to test tracks used for measuring exterior sion of the 10844 standard relied on either indirectly measuring
vehicle and tire noise. It is required by ISO 362,2 which is one of the void content or a bench-top impedance tube, both involving the
main standards governing vehicle pass-by noise. The objective of removal of core samples; this is destructive to the pavement.
ISO 10844 is to control the reproducibility of noise measurements Several metrics and associated limits are updated in the new
on test tracks; i.e., reduce the variability of noise measurements on version. Objective requirements controlling surface evenness and
tracks at different sites. A new version of ISO 10844 was released smoothness (grade, cross slope, and irregularity) are added. The
in early 2011 with the intention of better achieving this objective. texture metric is also changed from mean texture depth (MTD) to
The properties of the test track that affect noise are of two types: mean profile depth (MPD). Of particular significance, however, is
• Source-related properties – those that affect the amount of noise that there are now lower and upper bounds placed on the MPD
emitted by a vehicle traveling on the track. (the older standard had a lower limit only). Finally, sound absorp-
• Path-related properties – those that affect the propagation of tion now has a requirement for each one-third-octave band from
noise to the measuring microphone. 315 to 1600 Hz and separate requirements for the drive lane and
Properties in the first group include pavement texture, which is a propagation area.
significant factor in generating tire-pavement noise. Tire-pavement Overall, the updates improve the standard with respect to better
noise is generated through tire-to-pavement contact; therefore, the control of the surface geometry, texture, and sound absorption.
standard contains requirements on the evenness of the pavement to
control bumps or dips that would change the geometry of the tire Summary of Requirements
contact patch as a vehicle moves. In addition, the sound absorption Basically, an ISO 10844 noise test track consists of a drive lane
property of the pavement affects the amount of noise generated at with propagation areas on each side. Figure 1 shows the configura-
the tire-pavement interface. tion, size, and free space radius required by the standard. Other
The second group includes the general layout and geometry of properties covered by the standard include:
the pavement over the propagation area. In addition, the sound Geometry.
absorption property of the pavement affects source-to-microphone • Step between drive lane and propagation area
propagation paths that include reflections off the pavement surface. • Gradient (longitudinal slope) and cross fall (transverse slope)
This article discusses the improvements in ISO 10844:2011 and • Irregularity (texture at wavelengths longer than 0.5 m)
our experiences applying this latest version to conformity tests Surface Properties.
of noise test tracks, the equipment needed, and conformity test • Surface texture (MPD)
process. Emphasis is placed on the new methods for measuring • Sound absorption coefficient
acoustic absorption and texture. We conclude with some suggested • Sieving curve
supplemental measurements that may help further develop our To ensure the geometry, surface texture, and absorption are ho-
understanding and control of the variability in tire-pavement mogeneous over the test track, there is a homogeneity requirement
noise from test tracks. placed on these properties. Both the average of all the samples
and 80% of the samples must meet the requirements. In addition,
Based on a paper presented at Noise-Con 2011, INCE 25th Annual Confer- the standard provides for acceptance testing (new construction)
ence, Portland, OR, July 2011. and intervals for periodic checking as the test track ages. Tables 1
Conformity Testing 10 m 3m
This section describes the measurement methods, equipment,
and procedures for checking conformity of a test track to the
standard.
Measurement Grid and Points. The first step is to define a
10 m
transverse grid with 5-meter intervals on which to base the mea-
surement points. An initial grid line is chosen randomly within
±2.5 m of the microphone line. From this first line, a transverse
10 m 10 m 10 m 10 m
grid is established at 5-meter intervals along the entire length of
P'
the drive lane (including drive-lane extensions). Figure 2 shows
an example layout of the transverse grid and measurement points. Figure 1. Overall configuration (drive lane with propagation areas on each
side) and minimum dimensions of an ISO 10844 noise test track; measure-
In the drive lane, a measurement point is located at each grid
ment microphones positioned on line P-P´.
line but on alternating sides of the centerline. The distance from
the measuring point to the centerline is randomized so that the P
points are not longitudinally aligned.
In the propagation areas on each side of the drive lane, at least
two measurement points are selected at random locations. In addi-
tion, a measurement point is selected close to the microphone line
and in front of the microphone location (between the microphone
location and drive lane centerline). This results in a total of at least
six measurement locations in the propagation areas.
Step, Gradient, and Cross-Fall. Slopes are measured using
standard surveying methods and equipment, such as a laser level
on tripod and graduated rod (see Figure 3). The elevation at key
positions is measured along each transverse grid line, at the outside 5m
boundaries of the propagation areas, at the joints between drive P'
lane and propagation areas, and at the drive-lane centerline. If
Figure 2. Transverse grid on 5-meter intervals and example locations of
there is a step between the drive lane and propagation area, then measurement points in drive lane.
the elevation on each side of the step is measured. From this set
of elevation measurements, the following is calculated:
• Gradient (longitudinal slope) of the drive lane along the center-
line and along each edge.
• Cross fall in the drive lane at all the transverse grid lines.
• Cross fall in the propagation area at the transverse grid lines that
traverse the propagation area.
• Step heights of the joints between drive lane and propagation
areas.
Elevation profiles can be plotted to visualize the general slope
of the test track (see Figure 4).
Irregularity. Irregularity is measured using the straightedge
Elevation
crophones be performed prior
to any measurements. This is (b)
done by inserting a piece of
sound-absorbing material in
the impedance tube followed
Figure 11. Measuring reference sound
by a microphone swapping
absorption.
procedure like that used in the
measurement of sound absorp-
tion of acoustic materials by
the two-microphone method of
ISO 10534-2. Figure 12 shows Distance
a piece of sound absorbing ma-
terial placed in the pavement Figure 14. Sample two-dimensional surface texture profiles with (a)
predominantly negative-directed texture and (b) predominantly positive-
fixture prior to attaching the directed texture.
impedance tube for the micro-
phone calibration step.
Figure 12. Foam used to determine The baseline sound absorp-
microphone calibration. tion is subtracted from the
measured pavement absorption to obtain the corrected sound
absorption of the pavement. Figure 13 shows sample sound
absorption results for a dense-grade asphalt pavement. Tables 1
and 2 show the maximum permissible values of corrected sound
absorption required for conformance to ISO 10844:2011 in each
one-third-octave band from 315 to 1600 Hz.
Supplemental Measurements
One objective of the ISO 10844 standard is to control the gen-
eration of tire-pavement noise from the test surface. The standard
implicitly assumes that MPD is the pavement texture quantity that
is the significant factor in tire-pavement noise generation. How-
ever, research has shown that MPD does not always correlate well
with tire-pavement noise generation and that other texture metrics
can correlate better.12-14 In addition, there is now a standardized
method for directly measuring tire-pavement noise, the on-board
sound intensity (OBSI) method. This section discusses other texture
metrics and the OBSI method as recommended supplements to the
ISO 10844 MPD measurement.
Figure 15. Photo showing position of sound intensity probes relative to
Texture Metrics. For a texture metric to predict tire-pavement vehicle tire in OBSI test procedure.
noise, the metric should quantify texture in a manner that relates
to how it interacts with a tire. Figures 14a and 14b illustrate the is predominantly negative (downward directed), while Profile
classic example of two pavement surface profiles that are upside 14b is predominantly positive (upward directed). However, MPD
down versions of each other. That is, the profile of 14b is profile does not fully capture the magnitude of positive-directed versus
14a just flipped over about a horizontal axis. It is easy to envision negative-directed textures and, therefore, is not optimum for pre-
how a tire traversing across Profile 14a will quietly roll over the dicting tire-pavement noise generation.
deep indentations, while on Profile 14b, the tall, sharp peaks will To capture positive- versus negative-directed texture charac-
excite the tire tread and generate noise. The texture of Profile 14a teristics, more fundamentally relevant metrics are available. An