ODSURF Project: Modelling and Experimental Optimization of Low Noise Pavements

ODSURF project, funded by ADEME in France and BASt in Germany, was dedicated to the development and implementation of new low-noise road pavement technologies and new materials adapted to the urban environment. Original solutions including porous and dense structures have been conceived, implemented and tested on-site. Meanwhile, new predicting models for vibration mechanisms, air-pumping and horn effect have been developed to better characterize various physical phenomena during the rolling of a tire on a textured pavement. Besides the modelling approach, this project had a strong experimental component necessary for model validation and acoustic classification of road surfaces. Measurements were carried out on test tracks and on sites, in France and Germany, where optimized industrially designed or conventional coatings were implemented. Finally, the common database "DEUFRABASE" already developed during a previous project has been improved. It includes noise emissions produced by passenger cars and heavy vehicles traveling on a large panel of French and German road pavements for various propagation and traffic configurations. Updated at the end of the project, this database will be soon available for free on a website hosted by Ifsttar.