Increasing public demand for reduced traffic noise levels is generating a growing need for more and better highway noise barriers. Those using conventional materials such as wood, steel, or concrete deplete natural resources and occasionally meet public criticism with respect to aesthetics. Disposal of accumulating plastic waste is another environmental challenge. Barriers that use recycled plastic thus are not only functional but also environmentally beneficial. Such barriers are proposed in this paper. The proposed material is recycled-plastic lumber, a material extruded into standard lumber sizes used by the timber industry. This material has many advantages. It is durable and requires little maintenance, can be cut and fastened like wood, provides several aesthetic alternatives in both color and texture, is highly resistant to insects and graffiti, is readily available, and is thus inexpensive compared to custom-made plastic shapes. Being denser, it should block noise more effectively than wood sheathing of similar thickness. Wood or steel frames are proposed for structural support, with maximum span of the plastic-lumber sheathing limited to 1.22 m (4 ft). The wood or steel frames can be arranged in many configurations for aesthetic purposes and designed to satisfy optimal cost requirements. The proposed systems are competitive with current barriers with respect to initial cost and may have long-term economic benefits because of greater durability, minimal maintenance, and low life-cycle cost.


    Access

    Download

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Noise Barriers Using Recycled-Plastic Lumber


    Additional title:

    Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    1999-01-01




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Noise Barriers Using Recycled-Plastic Lumber

    Hag-Elsafi, O. / Elwell, D. J. / Glath, G. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1999


    Part 2 -- Noise - Noise Barriers Using Recycled-Plastic Lumber

    Hag-Elsafi, Osman | Online Contents | 1999




    Construction of a Full-Scale Noise Barrier with Recycled Plastic

    Roschke, Paul N. / Esche, Steven T. | Transportation Research Record | 1999