Assessment of the Performance of Sonic Crystal Noise Barriers for the Mitigation of Construction Noise

Construction sites are common noise sources in major cities. Excessive noise can cause stress and health impacts. Sonic crystals have been reported as noise barriers for the mitigation of traffic and environmental noise. This presentation aims to explore the innovative use of sonic crystal structures as noise barriers that will encompass the noisy equipment parts such as an excavator, a BC cutter, or a piling machine. The proposed sonic crystal noise barrier is in the form of multiple arrays of tubular columns with suitable spacing to target noise reduction for the frequency range of interest. In addition, other features such as noise absorbing materials and Helmholtz resonators can be incorporated into the tubular structures. The space and openings through the periodic tubular structures ensure a balance of natural ventilation for the heat dissipating from the machine as well as some visuals of the enclosed component for safety inspection. The noise profiles of various typical construction machines are first presented, followed by the finite element modelling and analysis of some proposed designs and the assessment of their acoustic performance for noise attenuation, including the benchmarking of the performance with some existing solutions.