Excessive traffic noise is one of the most common complaints among American residents.Millions of people are affected by constant traffic noise in their own home.In fact,traffic noise impacts more people than any other environmental noise source.Traffic noise can affect the ability to work,learn,rest,relax,sleep,etc.Excessive noise can lead to mental and physical health problems.If your home is near a major road or you are experiencing problems with traffic noise,you may be able to limit the impact on yourself and your family.There are basically four options for controlling traffic noise:constructing (or increasing the height of) a barrier wall,increasing the isolation quality of the home,masking the noise,or controlling the noise directly at the source.Barrier WallsConstructing or increasing the height of a barrier wall could result in a noticeable decrease in traffic noise.However,certain guidelines must be met in order for the wall to be effective:MaterialThe wall must be solid with no penetrations in order to be effective.Any penetration,opening or gate can degrade the effectiveness of the barrier.Concrete walls are preferred,but other types of walls can also be effective.A barrier does not have to be a wall,it could also be a large earthen berm.A common misconception is that typical landscaping or vegetation can act as an effective barrier for traffic noise.Unless the vegetation is 100' thick and very dense,it will provide very little if any noise reduction.DistanceTypically,a barrier is more effective the closer it is to the source or to the receiver.Noise barriers are generally only effective for homes within 300 ft.of the roadway.Height The noise from automobile traffic is primarily from the tires on the pavement.This noise source is at 0' above the ground.Noise from large trucks is typically engine and exhaust noise and is approximately 8' above the ground.In order to be effective,a barrier wall must at least block the line of sight from the noise source to the receiver.Although a 6' high wall can help to reduce auto traffic noise,it will do little if anything for heavy truck traffic.On the same note,if a home is on a hill or elevated above the roadway,a 6' high wall may not be adequate in blocking the line of sight,even for auto traffic.Increasing the height of an existing wall by 1-2 ft.may make a difference depending on the line of sight issues mentioned above.However,if the wall already blocks the line of sight,increasing the height of the wall by a couple of feet will not provide a noticeable reduction.In fact,the Department of Transportation states the general rule of thumb:each 1 ft.of height added to a wall,above the height that breaks the line of sight between the source (traffic) and receiver (residence),reduces the noise level by ½ decibel (see table below).Isolation QualityTraffic noise can also be controlled at the receiver by increasing the isolation quality of the home.Noise is transmitted primarily through the weakest points.Almost always,the weakest points in the home would be the windows.Depending upon the isolation quality of the current windows,upgrading the window assemblies could provide at least some relief.Replacing the windows will not help dramatically if you already have decent windows.Window isolation quality is expressed as a Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating.The higher the rating,the better the isolation quality of the window.A typical single pane window has an STC rating of 22-25.A typical dual pane window has an STC of 27-32.(See table below).Specialty windows with higher STC ratings are also available.In existing residences it could be very costly to replace the majority of the windows.Another option that may be less expensive and could produce even better results is to add a window insert in addition to your existing windows.The window insert is placed inside your existing window sill.Please note that it is important to upgrade the windows that are both parallel and perpendicular to the roadway.It is almost never worthwhile to do anything to the exterior wall of the home,particularly if there is a window(s) in the wall.If the noise does not appear to be transmitting through the windows seek the help of a professional for further options.Contact us for a referral database of acoustical consultants.MaskingNoise can also be masked at the receiver.Sound masking can be implemented outside or inside your home.This can be accomplished by an electronic sound masking system playing white noise/pink noise through noise generators.Other options include,indoor and outdoor water features,fans,or recordings of soothing sounds.However,this is sometimes perceived as adding more noise to a noisy environment.To learn more about masking systems,click here.Control At The SourceAs a resident you may not be able to control traffic noise at the source,but there are ways of limiting problems with traffic noise in the design of future roadways.Traffic noise increases with higher speed limits and with shorter distances from the road to the home.Recessing the roadway can reduce the noise impact.Use of quiet pavement such as rubberized asphalt can also reduce the impact by 4-5 decibels (see table below).Unlike conventional asphalt,rubberized asphalt maintains its noise reduction properties over several years.过度的交通噪声是一个在美国的居民最常见的投诉。数以百万计的人在自己家中不断的交通噪音的影响。事实上,交通噪声的影响比任何其他环境噪声源的更多的人。交通噪声会影响工作能力,学习,休息,放松,睡眠,etc.excessive噪声可导致精神和身体的健康问题。如果你家附近的主要道路或你遇到了交通噪声的问题,你可以限制你自己和你的家庭产生的影响。控制交通噪声的方法基本上有四种:(或增加屏障墙的高度),增加家庭的隔离质量,掩蔽噪声,或控制源的噪声。隔离墙修建或增加一道屏障墙的高度,可能会导致交通噪声明显下降,但必须满足一定的指导原则:材料墙壁必须坚固以不渗透是有效的。任何渗透,启门可以降低有效性的障碍。混凝土墙是首选,但其他类型的墙也可以有效阻挡不需要一堵墙,它也可能是一个大土护堤。常见误解是典型的园林绿化或植被可以作为交通噪声的有效屏障。除非植被100厚、非常密集,这将提供很小如果任何降噪。距离通常,一个障碍是更有效的接近它的源或接收器。声屏障通常是唯一有效的院内300英尺的巷道。高度汽车交通噪声主要来自路面上的轮胎,噪声来源于地面0,大卡车噪声通常是发动机和排气噪声,约为8,在地面上,障碍墙必须至少阻挡视线从噪声源到接收器,虽然6的高墙可以帮助减少汽车交通噪声,但如果有任何重型卡车交通,如果一个家是在一座山或高架之上,6高的墙壁可能不足以挡住视线。1-2 ft.may增加现有围墙高度有所作为取决于视力问题上述线。然而,如果墙体已经阻碍了视线,由一对夫妇的脚增加墙的高度,将不提供显着减少。事实上,交通运输部国家经验一般规则:每1英尺的高度加上墙,打破之间的源的视线高度(交通)和接收器(住宅),由½分贝降低噪音水平(见下表)。分离质量通过提高家庭的隔离度,也可以控制交通噪声,噪声主要是通过最薄弱的点,家中最薄弱的点是窗口,根据当前窗口的隔离质量,升级窗口组件可以提供至少一些缓解。如果你已经有了体面的窗口,将无法帮助。窗口隔离质量表示为一个声音传输等级(STC)的评级,评级越高,更好的窗口的分离质量。一个典型的单窗格窗口有一个22-25 STC评级。一个典型的双窗格窗口具有27-32 STC。(见下表)。专业高隔音窗也可用。在现有的住宅中,可以更换大部分的窗户是非常昂贵的,另一个选择可能更便宜,甚至可以产生更好的结果是添加一个窗口插入除了您现有的窗口,窗口插入放置在您现有的窗口窗台。请注意,升级的窗口是平行和垂直于道路,这几乎是不值得做任何事情的外墙,特别是如果有一个窗口(在墙上),如果噪音不被发送通过窗口寻求帮助的专业人士进一步的选择。掩蔽噪音也可以在接收端被屏蔽,在你的家里可能会有声音掩蔽,这可以通过噪声发生器播放白噪声/粉红噪声来完成,其他选择包括,风扇,或录音,但是,这有时被认为是在嘈杂环境中增加更多的噪音。源控制作为一个居民,你可能无法控制交通噪声的来源,但也有道路交通噪声的限制问题,在未来的道路设计,