Nippon Expressway's Rapid Road Noise Reduction
Share:
Brüel & Kjær's beamforming solution drives down traffic noise
UK - Tokyo-based Nippon Expressway Research Institute Company (NEXCO RI) has optimised its work on reducing environmental road noise for residents with Noise Scope - a customised beamforming tool.
Created by sound and vibration expert Brüel & Kjær, Noise Scope is a part of the company's data analysis platform PULSE, and it consists of a customised 3-metre diameter, 42-channel, seven-armed array (each arm measuring 1.5m in length) and a 48-channel PULSE IDAe frame.
Noise Scope measures sound in places affected by road noise such as residential areas, bridges, intersections, junctions, tunnels and motorway toll-booths, allowing NEXCO-RI to optimise the design and construction of highways and their facilities - in order to reduce the adverse effects of high-density traffic.
Mr. Toshikazu Osafune, Acting Division Chief, Traffic and Environmental Research Department, says: "As traffic density cannot be reduced, we need to find solutions to reduce noise at barriers, bridges and intersections. This is where Noise Scope comes in. The volume of one day's data contains so much information that it can represent between one and two weeks of post-processing."
Mr. Osafune continues: "We measure over a frequency range between 300Hz and 2 kHz. Within this range, the resolution of Noise Scope is excellent, even at distances of up to one hundred metres. We expect Brüel & Kjær to continue development so that we can measure down to 100Hz in the future. This is our aim and future goal. One great feature of the system is the ability to take a quick look in real-time to evaluate the overall noise levels and to check system integration and correct working."
More information about Brüel & Kjær's PULSE array systems is available at: www.bksv.com/beamforming
About Nippon Expressway Research Institute Company Limited
The Nippon Expressway Research Institute Company Limited (NEXCO-RI) was established on 2 April 2007, as a result of the privatisation of Japan Highway Public Corporation, which was split into the three companies on a geographical basis, to better serve the Japanese people. NEXCO RI has its headquarters and main testing facilities in Machida, Tokyo. The site includes Accelerated Corrosion Test Facilities, Accelerated Loading and Environmental Simulator, Traffic Noise Laboratory, Variable Temperature and Humidity Laboratory and a Skid Resistance Measuring Vehicle.
About Brüel & Kjær
Brüel & Kjær is a world-leading manufacturer and supplier of sound and vibration measurement systems. Brüel & Kjær helps its customers measure and manage the quality of sound and vibration in their products and in the environment. Focus areas are aerospace, space, defence, automotive, ground transportation, airport environment, urban environment, telecom, and audio. Brüel & Kjær has an unparalleled portfolio of sound and vibration equipment, and is a renowned deliverer of innovative instrumentation, including sound level meters, microphones, accelerometers, conditioning amplifiers, calibrators, noise and vibration analyzers and software. To see the full range of products and systems, please visit www.bksv.com
Brüel & Kjær also runs a variety of training courses, from basic introductions to noise and its effects, to more specialised classes teaching customers how to get the most out of their equipment.
Free, online training courses - conducted by Brüel & Kjær's expert engineers - run throughout the year. For all course registration details visit www.bksv.com/courses
Brüel & Kjær is a subsidiary of UK-based Spectris plc (www.spectris.com) which has annual sales of £1.1bn and employs around 7,500 people worldwide across its four business segments.
