Analysis and control of bridge expansion joint croaking noise

Authors

  • Clair W. Wakefield Wakefield Amusties Ltd., 301 - 2250 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria, BC V8R 1G5, Canada
  • Duane E. Marriner Wakefield Amusties Ltd., 301 - 2250 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria, BC V8R 1G5, Canada

Keywords:

Debris, Geotextiles, Bridge expansion joints, Expansion and contraction, Large Bridges, Long-term solutions, Neoprene rubber, Seismic event, Tire-pavement interaction

Abstract

Large bridges require expansion joints to accommodate thermal expansion and contraction as well as movements induced by seismic events. Virtually all expansion joints create additional noise over and above that due to normal tire-pavement interaction. Researchers in Japan investigated modular expansion joint noise and created a full-size replica of a modular expansion joint in a test compound. They postulated that the croaking noise was created when pulses of air are injected into the joint cavities by tires rolling over the gaps between lamella beams. To provide a long-term solution to the joint noise issue, the joint cavities were first filled with geotextile material and then 'capped' with strips of 6 mm thick solid neoprene rubber, The caps, which were bonded to the flanges of the lamella beams keep the geotextile material in place and exclude water and debris from the joint.

Additional Files

Published

2011-09-01

How to Cite

1.
Wakefield CW, Marriner DE. Analysis and control of bridge expansion joint croaking noise. Canadian Acoustics [Internet]. 2011 Sep. 1 [cited 2024 Apr. 18];39(3):138-9. Available from: https://jcaa.caa-aca.ca/index.php/jcaa/article/view/2449

Issue

Section

Proceedings of the Acoustics Week in Canada