Pervious Concrete Acoustics and Tire–Pavement Interaction Noise Prediction

Abstract

Pervious Portland cement concrete (PPCC) exhibits certain characteristics that include efficient stormwater capture, reduced splash and spray, enhanced surface friction, and urban heat island mitigation owing to its high porosity compared with traditional concrete. Additionally, it presents a potential solution for mitigating tire–pavement interaction noise (TPIN) by addressing noise at its source. The distinct surface and internal structural characteristics of PPCC necessitate specialized consideration to accurately model its sound absorption mechanism. This study aims to refine a prediction model previously developed for traditional concrete to enhance its applicability for PPCC. The model, which initially accounted for a range of concrete textures, was adjusted to accommodate salient texture configurations and implied air pressure relief mechanisms characteristic of pervious concrete pervious concrete better. To achieve this, field data from the Minnesota Road Research Project (MnROAD) were employed, specifically from Cell 39 located on the low volume road (LVR), which features a pervious concrete overlay. Measurements including on-board sound intensity (OBSI), circular track meter (CTM) surface texture, international roughness index (IRI), and temperature were analyzed. The results indicated that the original model for non-previous pavements was inadequate for predicting TPIN in PPCC. This paper introduced two key adjustments for the air compression relief mechanism through turbulence factor, and correction for the flow regime as a function of porosity levels to model PPCC acoustic prediction. These modifications improved the model’s accuracy. Model exhibited infinitesimal p-value (<<0.05) and R² improved from 0.06 to 0.77.