Noise abatement wall

• US 7,308,965 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2003
• Issued: 12/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Colas SA (Bouygues SA), Ecole polytechnique
• Original Assignee: Colas SA (Bouygues SA), Ecole polytechnique
• Inventors: Sapoval, Bernard, Filoche, Marcel, Chappat, Michel, Peyrard, Didier
• Primary Examiner(s): San Martin, Edgardo
• Application Number:
  US10/508,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20050103568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 181/210, 181/293, 181/295, 181/286, 181/285, 181/284, 521/44, 521/45
• US Class Current: 181/210
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 8/0029 with porous surfaces, e.g. concrete with porous fillers
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 8/0076 Cellular, e.g. as wall facing
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/86 slab-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/8414 with non-planar face, e.g. curved, egg-crate shaped
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/8419 Acoustical cones or the like, e.g. for anechoic chambers

Abstract

A noise-absorbing device includes a substantially flat base and embossed and/or hollow elements each including at least one recess. This base reveals with the embossed and/or hollow elements, a configuration exhibiting a fractality zone of between 1 cm and 50 cm, of fractal dimension greater than 2.5 enabling the localization of the waves over the sound frequency range, in the vicinity of the elements.

Claims

1. A sound-absorbing device, notably for roads and railways including:

a substantially flat base with two opposing sides, and

embossed elements on an upper side of the base, each embossed element including at least one recess, said embossed elements being made of a phonically absorbing material,

wherein the recess does not communicate with the side of the base opposite to the upper side and said base forms with the embossed elements a configuration exhibiting a fractality over a length range comprised between 1 cm and 50 cm, with a fractal dimension greater than 2.5 enabling the localisation of acoustic modes, in the vicinity of said embossed elements.

2. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 1, wherein the embossed elements are truncated cones.

3. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 1, wherein the embossed elements are truncated pyramids.

4. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 3, wherein the base of the truncated pyramids are rectangular.

5. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 1, wherein the recess is a hollow truncated cone whose axis is a straight line connecting an apex of the embossed elements at a centre of their base, said truncated cones being open on an upper section-side of the embossed elements.

6. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 2, wherein the recess is a hollow truncated cone having an axis parallel to the base of said embossed elements, said truncated cones (2) being open at their ends.

7. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 1, wherein a plane delineating an upper section of the embossed elements forms an angle φ

with respect to a plane running through the base of said elements.

8. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 1, wherein the embossed elements are made of concrete-wood.

9. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 1, wherein the embossed elements are covered with an absorbing material.

10. A soundabsorbing device according to claim 1, wherein the embossed elements are grouped in caissons having a flat base whereon are formed the embossed elements.

11. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 10, wherein the embossed elements are separated by hollow elements formed in the base.

12. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 11, wherein the hollow elements are truncated cones open on the upper section side of the base.

13. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 11, wherein one hollow element and two embossed elements form an elementary mesh.

14. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 13, wherein the caisson is formed of a periodic arrangement of the same elementary mesh.

15. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 10, composed of several caissons forming a wall, the caissons having their bases parallel to the surface of the wall.

16. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 15, wherein the caissons are arranged randomly with respect to one another.

17. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 16, wherein the embossed elements are truncated pyramids and the caissons are grouped in pairs to form a succession of reverted pyramids.

18. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 15, composed of several caissons forming a wall, the caissons having their bases respectively either parallel or perpendicular to the surface of the wall.

19. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 18, wherein the caissons are directed respectively towards both faces of the wall.

20. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 18, wherein the caissons are associated, from top to bottom, in the following order by designating with the letter A, a first caisson whereof the base is perpendicular to the surface of the wall and B, a second caisson whereof the base is parallel to the surface of the wall:

A B A A B A

21. A sound-absorbing device according to claim 20, wherein the caissons of type A are distributed in two categories, respectively, A₁ and A₂ perpendicular to one another.

22. A sound-absorbing device, comprising:

a substantially flat base with two opposing sides; and

a plurality of discrete embossed elements on an upper side of the base, each embossed element including at least one recess,

wherein the recess does not communicate with a side of the base opposite to the upper side and said base forms with the embossed elements a configuration exhibiting a fractality over a length range comprised between 1 cm and 50 cm, with a fractal dimension greater than 2.5 enabling the localisation of acoustic modes, in the vicinity of said embossed elements.