Estimation of the acoustic screening effect of parked vehicles on urban streets by a BEM 3D model

In situ measurements are usually used for the validation of strategic noise maps in accordance with that indicated by the Good Practice Guide. In this regard, the differences registered between the values of the sound levels measured in a city and those calculated using software may be due to several factors (incorrect estimation of vehicle speed, presence of sources not considered in the simulations, etc.). An aspect to consider in this line are the obstacles present in urban environments, which generate different effects in the propagation of sound from the source (road traffic) to the receiver microphones. In this paper, a study is carried out by means of numerical calculation in three dimensions with the Boundary Elements Method (BEM) of the acoustic shielding effect generated by vehicles parked on the sides of urban streets. Variations in the configuration of the parking lines are made to estimate the impact of these obstacles not usually considered in noise mapping.