QUIESST

Noise Reducing Devices – NRD (barriers, claddings, covers and added devices following EN14388) play an important role in noise reduction: optimizing their global performance is of major concern towards Sustainable Surface Transport.

QUIESST merged, for the very first time and within a true holistic approach, “true” intrinsic products characteristics, whatever their materials and shapes, together with their extrinsic ones, in order to assess their actual global capacities to reduce the amount of people exposed to noise (END target). It addressed 5 main topics:

• Near /far field relationship: linking the intrinsic characteristics to the corresponding extrinsic far field effect
• In-situ measurement methods: developing methods relevant of the actual intended use, allowing long term performances control
• Comparing NRD’s performances with different test methods: building a database comparing both existing and new tests results, and providing the relevant relationship
• Optimising NRD’s global performance through a holistic approach: considering acoustic, non-acoustic and global impact optimization, multicriteria optimization strategies, and possible global performance indicators
• Sustainability: defining the relevant generic criteria and developing the first existing NRD’s overall sustainability assessment method.

The results of the research on those 5 topics were assembled in a “Guidebook to NRD optimisation” as a reference tool for noise mitigation. To obtain the Guidebook, please contact the ERF Secretariat.