One of the best options for an acoustic barrier regarding performance is a timber barrier, which can be manufactured in either a reflective or absorptive manner. They are presently one of the most common noise mitigation measures against noise and generally are to said limit the component of sound passing through it by 10dBA less than if the sound wave was diffracted over the barrier. One of the main advantages of timber barriers is that...
One of the best options for an acoustic barrier regarding performance is a timber barrier, which can be manufactured in either a reflective or absorptive manner. They are presently one of the most common noise mitigation measures against noise and generally are to said limit the component of sound passing through it by 10dBA less than if the sound wave was diffracted over the barrier. One of the main advantages of timber barriers is that they are relatively lightweight. However, from a test carried out by Morgan, the rest results revealed that the acoustic performance of an average timber barrier degraded by 5-7dB after 5 years. Currently, England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN) stipulates that all types of noise barriers, including timber screens, should remain serviceable for 40 years and not require maintenance for 20 years. Another reason that can be argued that a timber barrier cannot be used an acoustic barrier for high-speed rail is the much higher aerodynamic and wind loading that the barrier will be subject to as a train passes. If a timber barrier alongside a motorway deteriorates at a rate of 5-7dB every five years, this would be much higher if the barrier was present alongside a high-speed rail line.
