Further development of the poroelastic road surface within the new Polish project SEPOR

Road surfaces have a direct impact on noise generated by rolling tyres, the main and dominant source of noise of moving vehicles. Road surface texture, porosity and stiffness/elasticity govern the pavement contribution to tyre/road noise the most. An experimental PoroElastic Road Surface (PERS) is a wearing course with a high content of interconnected voids (pores) and with an elastic behavior due to the use of small particles of rubber as the main aggregate. It was already proved, that using that type of pavement, a road traffic noise reduction up to 12 dB can be achieved. The new project SEPOR founded by the Polish National Centre for Research and Development has started in 2018 aiming in further development of poroelastic road surface. Its main goal is to enhance durability of PERS by optimization of mix composition, improvement of the production process, increasing the interlayer bonding strength and to optimize noise reduction and skid resistance. Experimental test sections will be constructed within a trafficked road and tested for noise, rolling resistance, skid resistance and fire suppression properties. The paper presents the results of noise and rolling resistance measurements performed on a pilot small-scale test section of PERS built on a construction yard.