Acoustic Performance Evaluation of Dense-Graded Asphalt Pavements in Qatar

There is pressing and growing demand from the public to design and construct roads with a low noise level. This paper investigated the acoustic performance of asphalt pavements in the State of Qatar to assist transport authorities in designing and constructing quieter pavements. In this study, a field-testing setup was assembled to measure the tire-pavement noise of dense-graded asphalt (DGA) pavements at the source using the on-board sound intensity (OBSI) method. The repeatability and reproducibility of test results demonstrated that the assembled OBSI test setup could measure the sound intensity with excellent repeatability and reproducibility. The measured noise level of existing pavements varied from 101.8 dBA to 106.2 dBA depending on the age of pavement sections. Measured noise levels of pavements in Qatar were higher than typical DGA pavements in Europe and the US. Test results also demonstrated that the acoustic performance of pavements in Qatar deteriorates faster compared to those in the US and Europe. The findings of this study demonstrate that there is a need to consider alternative asphalt mixture designs in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf. The results also showed a good correlation between the mean texture depth of studied pavement sections and noise level, especially at the low-frequency range.