1 PhD Student and Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2W2, Canada, ngoudarz@ualberta.ca
2 Associate Professor of Structural Engineering, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2W2, Canada, ykorany@ualberta.ca
ABSTRACT
Noise barriers are wall panels placed on the sides of highways to block traffic noise from intruding into the adjacent residential areas. Masonry noise barriers are among the most commonly used noise barrier systems due to the availability of masonry, its ease of construction, efficient acoustic performance, and desirable aesthetics. Masonry also has sufficient capacity and durability to resist out-of-plane loads and long term exposure to weather conditions. The main criteria for the design of masonry noise barriers outlined in existing design codes and guidelines include loading, acoustic performance, durability, and aesthetics. Nowadays, a new generation of polymeric masonry units has been used in noise barrier systems to improve speed and ease of construction and acoustic performance of the barriers. The key advantage of these novel masonry units is their light weight, which makes them easy to handle on site. However, the structural design of these newer masonry noise barrier systems has not been adequately addressed in the current design codes and guidelines. Existing provisions in the design codes need to be revised to accommodate new technologies. In this paper, current requirements for the design of masonry noise barriers are reviewed and examples of novel masonry noise barrier systems are presented.
KEYWORDS: noise barriers, sound walls, polymeric units, durability
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