Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Sustainable Sonic Crystal Barriers Based on Timber Logs

The acoustic attenuation properties of sonic crystals have been studied in the last decades in different fields of interest. Matching the so-called band gap, in which very high attenuation is obtained, with the dominant noise frequencies in order to obtain tailor-made solutions for certain applications is an appealing concept, which makes these structures an interesting alternative to existing ones. This work presents the results of the research performed at the Civil Eng. Dept. of the University of Coimbra in this field, developing the idea of sonic crystals as a traffic noise mitigation solution. The studied concept corresponds to a highly sustainable solution, in which the structural elements are made of timber logs obtained from forest thinning operations. Here, we summarize the main steps of the conducted researches, both experimental and numerical, and document the first results measured on an experimental site using a full-scale prototype, produced using the proposed solution.