SonRoad18 – Road noise calculation becomes more precise

Grolimund+Partner carries out first projects with SonRaod18

G+P develops its own software for noise calculation. We were able to integrate the new model SonRoad18 into it immediately after the algorithm was published and have been testing it for several years. We are currently carrying out the first major road noise projects with SonRoad18. In doing so, we are gathering the necessary experience to make the best use of the new calculation capabilities. Our goal: a reliable forecast of potential noise reduction.

StL-86+: A good model... from the last century

In the 1980s, the pioneers of noise abatement in Switzerland accomplished the feat of inventing a simple method for calculating and evaluating the noise of a road that has reached 40 years of age. The simplicity of the StL-86+ model made it possible to protect a large number of people with the help of large public investments.

SonRoad18: The new Swiss standard

New acoustic knowledge and computer developments have changed the situation. Today, it is possible to distinguish between engine noise and driving noise. This is how the improvement due to electric vehicles can be described. The different types of vehicles can be considered separately: Motorcycles, buses, cars, vans, trucks, each with its own speed. A shift in traffic, a lower speed, the expected development of the electric vehicle fleet: all these improvements can now be calculated in terms of how they affect the noise perceived by residents.

SonRoad18-compatible noise measurements

An accurate model means that more input data is needed and more calculation parameters need to be defined to match reality. This also applies to noise measurements with sound level meters, where the measurement methodology has to be adapted to the new requirements of SonRoad18: the classification of vehicles into 10 categories. G+P performed such measurements and compared them with the results of SonRoad18 models on different road types. The goal was to calibrate the model with contrasting measurements and to evaluate the sensitivity of the model to the new parameters.

Better communicate the effectiveness of speed reductions

Speed reduction is an important urban issue of the future that features in all debates, and every road project now addresses this issue. SonRoad18 provides a reliable calculation of the expected noise reduction, whether in combination with a new sound-absorbing road surface or not. An indispensable tool for promoting noise abatement measures.

If you would like more information about SonRoad18, please contact our technical experts in the Outdoor Noise team.