Relationship between temperature and road traffic noise under actual conditions of continuous vehicle flow

Abstract

This paper focuses on studying the influence of temperature on the sound pressure level of tire-road noise emission using continuous environmental noise measurements. In situ noise measurements were performed next to a primary road under free flowing traffic where tire‐road noise emission dominates, while simultaneously monitoring the air and pavement temperature. The broadband results showed a variation in noise level with temperature, with a ratio of −0.058 ± 0.007 dBA/°C for the pavement temperature and −0.161 ± 0.020 dBA/°C for the air temperature. A 1/3 octave band analysis revealed a decrease in sound level with increasing temperature in the fundamental bands of road traffic noise emission, and similar behaviour and values to that observed in the broadband analysis. The physical media in which temperature is measured appears to be important. Several implications may arise from this work in regard to reference standards for noise evaluation, calculation and measurement.