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BID LIST
Sound/Noise-Control
Walls and Barriers
New technology and designs
provide better ways to decrease the adverse impacts of highway traffic
noise.Highway traffic noise has been increasing in recent years, along
with the increase in highway traffic.
by Kerry L. Clines, Associate
Editor
The level of highway traffic noise depends on
several things — traffic volume, traffic speed, and the number of trucks in
the traffic flow. Other factors might include defective vehicles with noisy
engines or mufflers, or the presence of a steep incline causing increased
engine revving. Whatever the cause, this noise can be a serious problem for
those who live near highways.
Sound/noise-control walls and barriers are solid
obstructions built between the highway and nearby homes. Effective walls and
barriers can reduce noise levels by 10 to 15 decibels — nearly half.
These walls/barriers can be built of earth, wood,
stucco, concrete, masonry, metal, and other materials, such as SoundSorb, a
cementitious acoustic material. The walls can absorb the sound, transmit it,
reflect it back across the highway, or force it to take a longer path over
and around the barrier. And, now, these walls not only control highway
noise, they are built to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye and to blend
with their surroundings.
Let’s take a look at a few of the
sound/noise-control walls and barriers that are available today.
Wieser Concrete Products, Inc.
Stone-look noise wall
 The Concrete Noise Wall from Wieser Concrete
Products is not only an effective barrier for noise, but also very
attractive. Two different patterns are available — the stone-look pattern
and one combining the stone-look with a brush finish. Forms that use a liner
are used to create the stone-look wall panels.
Precast columns are positioned and set. Then wall
panels are stacked securely via a tongue-and-groove fastening system to
produce the desired height. The precast concrete requires no additional
maintenance, saving time and money.
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Designer Concrete Fences
Dry-stacked ledgestone design
 Fencestone, created by Designer Concrete Fences,
provides the beauty of a dry-stacked ledgestone wall without the expense.
Panels and posts have the same texture on both sides, providing a pleasing
view for both homeowners and drivers.
One of these fences was recently constructed as a
noise barrier on top of a half-mile-long berm adjacent to Interstate 75 in
Naples, Florida. The 18-foot-tall maintenance-free wall is said to reduce
traffic noise by a minimum of 34 decibels at 80 Hz.
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Faddis Concrete Products
Concrete sound-absorptive wall
 AcoustaCrete from Faddis is a durable concrete
sound-absorptive wall system designed to eliminate sound reflections from
single walls and reverberations between opposing parallel walls. The
recommended ashlar and oversize-brick patterns are rugged and durable. The
reverse side of the panel receives an impressed ashlar stone or brick
pattern and can also be made with sound-absorptive material. Acrylic
coatings provide architectural color that is durable and is an economical
anti-graffiti system.
Panels are cast 16-, 20-, and 24-feet wide. The
durable material is resistant to damage from freeze-thaw cycles and abrasion
along roadways carrying high-speed traffic.
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Prestress Engineering Corporation
Sound-absorbing noise wall
 Prestress Engineering’s Whisper Wall Sound Absorbing
Noise Wall System is composed of recycled rubber-tire chips, specialized
aggregates, additives, and cement. The mixture is compressed in forms with
specialized liners. Typical panels are 8-inches thick, consisting of 4
inches of sound absorptive material and 4 inches of structural concrete. The
recycled rubber chips in the mixture contribute to the wall’s improved sound
absorption and increased durability.
Over 7,000,000 square feet of wall has been in
service for 11 years. To date, no panels have been replaced due to
deterioration. Prolonged exposure to moisture does not affect performance or
durability, water drains freely.
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Oldcastle Precast
Precast concrete sound walls
 Oldcastle Precast manufactures precast concrete
sound walls to meet customer requirements.
The sound wall is constructed of
thick concrete free of cracks and holes; is durable and will not break down
after exposure to the elements; requires no maintenance such as painting; is
designed for quick installation; and provides an aesthetic noise barrier
that will fit into almost any environmental setting.
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Colas/Somaro/Ecole Polytechnique
High-performance noise barrier
 According to the French company Colas and its
subsidiary, Somaro, in collaboration with Ecole Polytechnique, they have
developed a new type of noise barrier for roads with an unequalled level of
sound absorption.
 Depending on the configuration used, the barrier’s
performance is, reportedly, 30 to 50% greater than that of the most
effective sound panels currently available on the market. The
high-performance wall is ideal for use near expressways, highways, and
entrances to tunnels with heavy traffic.
This new barrier has resonators with jagged or
ragged geometrical shapes to deliver better sound absorption. The cost is
competitive and the design enables it to blend easily into landscapes.
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Faddis Concrete Products
Aluminum sound-absorbing barrier
 Faddis’ AccoustaX is an ultra-lightweight aluminum
sound-absorptive noise barrier for mounting on structures such as retaining
walls and bridges. With a weight of approximately 4 pounds per square foot
and noise reduction coefficient of 1.0, it can be used on a weight-limited
structure to absorb sound and provide enough sound transmission loss to keep
sound from passing through the wall. A variety of perf patterns can be
produced, providing interesting architectural looks.
The aluminum panel surfaces of the wall are powder
coated using a new Super Durable Graffiti Resistant Aliphatic Urethane
Polyester from Dupont that is the most graffiti-resistant powder coating
available.
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Quilite International
Noise barrier with eye appeal
 The unique Quilite noise barrier, designed by
aerospace engineers, is a factory-assembled panel system of clear
polycarbonate plastic blocks enclosed in noise-trapping bezels and mounted
in a steel frame. The corrugated surface of the plastic blocks allows light,
color, and diffused images to show through, but virtually eliminates
reflected glare from sunlight and headlights.
Panels are 5-inches thick and are available in
modular sizes to produce walls over 30-feet high. Their light weight permits
easy handling. Installation is fast — a five-man crew can erect more than
5,000 square feet in a single eight-hour shift. Modular panels are easily
replaceable if damaged.
The block and bezel construction is a deterrent to
graffiti and the paint-resistant coating on the panels allows graffiti to be
easily removed with hot water from a pressure washer or mild off-the-shelf
graffiti removers.
Laboratory and field tests show that the design
reduces audible incident noise transmitted through the panels by more than
80%; reflected noise is reduced by approximately 60%.
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The Spancrete Group, Inc.
Cost-effective/low-maintenance wall
 Spancrete’s Soundcore highway noise barrier panels
make up a reflexive system that essentially causes the disruptive sounds of
traffic to expend energy, thereby lessening noise in the area. A variety of
stains, textures, and finishes are available, making them aesthetically
pleasing to residents and drivers.
Panels can span over 30 feet, requiring fewer
columns and a lower total number of components. This translates into a
reduced number of installation hours as well as an attractive sound wall.
The barrier won’t shrink, split, or spall, and requires very little
maintenance.
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Concrete Solutions,
Inc.
Sound-absorbing acoustic material
 Concrete Solutions’ SoundSorb is a unique
open-cellular cement-based acoustic material that minimizes the effects of
noise, providing a state-of-the-art sound-absorbing solution for all types
of noise.
It is a durable, free-draining, flowable, fireproof material that
can be produced in a variety of aesthetic textures and colors.
SoundSorb integrates with concrete in structural
highway noise-barrier designs. Instead of the noise/sound being reflected,
it is absorbed. The sound-absorption is so good that the wall can be about
half the thickness of a concrete wall and overall height can be reduced by
as much as 5 feet.
“Acoustical can save 20% of the whole project,” says
Boone Bucher of Concrete Solutions, Inc. “You’ve got 5 feet of vacant space
up there that cost $16 per square foot in the past. When you reduce the wall
height, the wind loads aren’t as great. Your steel doesn’t have to be as
massive, the concrete doesn’t have to be as thick, and the caissons don’t
have to be as deep. So, you’ve got some tremendous savings all the way
across the board using acoustical material.”
Bucher expects this material to be mandated by the
Federal Highway Administration soon and expects it to bring about big change
in the marketplace.
For more information on SoundSorb, visit
www.soundsorb.com.
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Reprinted from Better Roads Magazine
July 2004 |
