http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/itsdavis_ucprc_reprintreports/rss Recent eScholarship items from Reprint Reports Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:35:38 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bz9c13f One of the most important contributors to the environmental impacts from use of highways is the energy exerted by vehicles, particularly routes that carry higher volumes of traffic. Part of this energy is consumed by response of the vehicle’s tires and suspension to pavement surface roughness and macrotexture. Another part of the energy consumed is by energy dissipation due to the structural response of the pavement itself under the moving load. This document is the theoretical and validation manual tor tBeam, standalone software for the analysis of energy dissipation in pavements under moving vehicles. tBeam was developed as part of the improvement of modeling capabilities for environmental life cycle assessment of pavements being conducted the University of California Pavement Research Center for the California Department of Transportation. The energy consumed due to structural response are controlled by the structural properties of the pavement which are dependent on the time... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3bz9c13f Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Weissman, Shmuel L. Kelly, James M. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1pr693v3 This document constitutes the user manual for tBeam, standalone software for the analysis of energy dissipation in pavements under moving vehicles. tBeam was developed as part of the improvement of modeling capabilities for environmental life cycle assessment of pavements being conducted by the University of California Pavement Research Center for the California Department of Transportation. tBeam is finite element based, employing multi-layered three-node Timoshenko beam elements resting on a viscoelastic Winkler foundation. It provides an approximation of the deflection bowl of pavements and the energy dissipated in pavement structures when subjected to loads moving at constant velocities. tBeam supports two loading options: a uniform pressure (per unit length) applied to a segment at the center of the beam, and a rolling rigid wheel. To achieve numerical efficiency the load-beam-foundation system is represented relative to a moving coordinate system attached to the moving load.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1pr693v3 Wed, 1 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Weissman, Shmuel L. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2gz3q1zv The work described in this report is adjunct to a five-year study of tire/pavement noise undertaken by the University of California Pavement Research Center for the California Department of Transportation under the Partnered Pavement Research Center program (PPRC). This part of the study was performed in cooperation with the Danish Road Institute/Road Directorate, and it examined the influence of air temperature on tire/pavement noise measurements performed on two types of tires (Aquatred and Standard Reference Test Tire [SRTT]) on different asphalt pavement surfaces using the On-board Sound Intensity (OBSI) method. Field noise measurement testing was carried out in two series: one in the Southern California desert on State Route 138 using the SRTT, and the other with data collected on a statewide selection of pavements tested with the Goodyear Aquatred tire in an earlier part of the PPRC noise study. The field measurements yielded data for deriving air temperature coefficients... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2gz3q1zv Fri, 23 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Bendtsen, Hans Lu, Qing Kohler, Erwin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7rv0p26c Noise barriers are widely used as an effective means to abate highway traffic noise. With public interest in eco-friendly and aesthetic designs for noise barriers growing, highway agencies are exerting greater efforts to provide the public with “green” noise barriers that are functionally sound as well as adaptive to the surrounding environment. This report presents a summary of green noise barrier design practices experienced by the Danish Road Institute (DRI-DK) and other European countries for the last two decades. Some example noise barrier designs are described with recommendations for more effective and innovative ones. The report contains a recommendation to use varied approaches in green noise barrier designs that are adapted to urban and rural settings. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7rv0p26c Thu, 22 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Bendtsen, Hans https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7b48253g The level of noise generated by tire/pavement interaction of a pavement section changes over time. While the general consensus is that the noise level tends to increase as the pavement ages, more scientific investigation is necessary to better understand the process of acoustic aging of pavements. For more than a decade, independent studies by Caltrans and the Danish Road Institute (DRI-DK) have included monitoring of tire/pavement noise levels on selected pavements. Using data sets collected as part of those studies, a comprehensive analysis was conducted in this study to characterize the acoustic aging properties of different types of asphalt pavements. Pavement types considered in the analysis include dense-graded asphalt concrete (DGAC), open-graded asphalt concrete (OGAC), thin open-graded asphalt layer, and porous asphalt concrete (PAC). This report presents the results of the data analysis in terms of the relative changes of tire/pavement noise over time for the respective... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7b48253g Thu, 22 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Bendtsen, Hans Lu, Qing Kohler, Erwin https://escholarship.org/uc/item/50z840xz This report presents a series of methods implemented in Denmark and other European countries for the assessment and control of the impacts of highway noise on the neighboring public. It introduces Danish guidelines for the assessment of noise impact. Also described are examples of noise abatement planning for three different cases: planning of new highways, planning of highway widening projects, and noise abatement on existing highways. Experience shows that there is no single approach that can remove all noise problems along highways. It will be necessary for more effective noise abatement to take different approaches together, including noise-reducing pavements, noise barriers, facade insulation, and proper land use strategies. Harmonized public-private partnership is also critical for successful implementation of public policy and regulations related to noise abatement. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/50z840xz Thu, 22 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Bendtsen, Hans https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9mx9g0cv The report describes a series of comparative on-board sound intensity (OBSI) tests performed on 19 different pavement sections by three different teams and vehicles using five different tires to determine variations among them for noise testing. The testing considered the tires’ rubber durometer hardness, tread depth, and accumulated mileage, and measured sound levels using the on-board sound intensity method. The results of these measurements are compared with similar testing performed earlier, and showed that the average differences measured by the teams were smaller and the maximum OBSI ranges were larger than those made in earlier testing. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9mx9g0cv Tue, 15 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Donavan, Paul R.