Standards Development

Scope

This standard describes an assessment procedure for characterising the effect of different
pavement types on road traffic noise emission.

The procedure relies on the application of an established measurement method and specifies
the detailed conditions for its use to allow the determination of characteristic values for the
acoustic performance of road surface types with a given accuracy. Performance is characterised
in absolute terms rather than with respect to a reference surface, as specifications for the latter
differ from country to country and could contribute to additional uncertainty.

The procedure is intended to be suitable for the following applications:

• For the acoustic characterisation (i.e. the determination of initial acoustic properties) of
generic or proprietary road surface products.

• For the conformityofproduction (COP) assessment of newly laid surfaces, e.g. to assess
compliance with acoustic labels and/or contract specifications, or to assess the homogeneity of
the surface over its length.

• For the monitoring of the acoustic properties of road surfaces over the course of their
working lifetime, so as to help inform surface maintenance/replacement policies and increase
understanding of the acoustic durability of road surfaces.
The values derived from this procedure are intended to be used for the following purposes:

• To characterise the initial acoustic properties of a road surface type (the acoustic label)
using a common procedure across Europe. Such an acoustic label will serve as a baseline for
setting performance requirements in public procurements, COP assessments and monitoring
over the working lifetime of the surface. The label permits the comparison of different road
surface types in an unbiased manner.

• To verify the acoustic quality and homogeneity of a newly laid road surface.

• To determine the acoustic quality and homogeneity of a road surface at a given point
during its working lifetime; the collation of sufficient data on the same surface over time will allow
predictions of acoustic behaviour and may help to drive surface design/development.
In addition the procedure described within this document also allows:

• The establishment of reference values for wider road surface 'families' or categories of
surface types;

• Derivation of input parameters for road surface corrections within environmental noise
calculation methods (in particular, the harmonised CNOSSOSEU
method described in 2015/996/EC Directive)

Purpose

There is a need for assessing, comparing and classifying road surfaces according to their
acoustic performances across Europe. The existing standardised methods in the field only
describe the way to measure tyre/road noise emission. They are not sufficient for the stated
purpose and while some countries have developed their own classification procedures, these are
always accompanied by additional procedures.

The purpose of this standard is to provide a consensual procedure relying on the application of
an established measurement method, in order to classify, assess and monitor road surfaces in
terms of acoustic performances.