Dr Shahram Taherzadeh

A method for non-invasive sensing of soil structure and the mechanical strength of soil would permit better decisions about appropriate soil management practices. The lack of suitable methods to measure soil physical characteristics directly that are relevant to crop growth and soil environmental function (e.g. absorption of high intensity rainfall) are barriers to the development of approaches for sustainable soil management. The applicants (Attenborough and Taherzadeh) have developed a model (PFFLAGS) to predict the interaction of sound with layered soils, from sources above or within the soil that takes into account both soil mechanical and structural properties. By employing this model and a combination of acoustic measurements using probe microphones and seismic measurements using geophones it has been found to possible to obtain values of several soil parameters in reasonable agreement with independently measured values. Of course techniques using buried microphones and geophones are invasive. There remains a need to develop non-contact non-invasive acoustical techniques and to extend them to encompass the determination of moisture content. In this project we propose to investigate the conjunctive use of microphone measurements of reflection from the soil surface of sound from a point source (loudspeaker) and scanning Laser-Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) measurements of the seismic surface response to such insonification. We propose to develop the theory and practical knowledge needed to deduce permeability (a physical property of soils that depends strongly on the number and connectivity of macropores), moisture content and the internal stress in soil and to map these quantities as a function of depth. The proposed technique will serve as a prototype for subsequent engineering development of systems for automated data acquisition and processing in the field.

Noise pollution is a major environmental problem within the EU. The social costs of traffic noise have been estimated to 0.4% of total GDP. Road traffic is the dominant source, and also rail traffic noise is significant. At the same time, road and rail traffic are expected to steadily increase, and the source strength is not expected to significantly decrease within the near future. To reduce the outdoor traffic noise to a sufficiently low level for a good acoustic environment is a major challenge of high need. Here, we will focus on noise propagation abatement for the outdoor environment. Following the EU Directive on environmental noise, a series of major action have been taken in noise abatement, but the sustainability has rarely been paid attention. The main idea of our project is to optimize the use of green areas, green surfaces and other natural elements in combination with artificial elements in urban and rural environments for reducing the noise impact of road and rail traffic. The project offers a variety of powerful abatement strategies that will make a cost effective improvement by its combination of approaches concerning: ground and road surface treatments; trees, forests and tall vegetation; greening of buildings and other surfaces; and innovative barriers. The noise impact will be assessed in terms of sound levels (including spectra and time patterns) as well as perceived environment (including annoyance, well-being and other health related aspects). The main objectives of the project are: to show by full scale evaluation that the proposed abatement methods work; to deliver noise prediction methods applicable to the proposed abatements, which can also can be used in noise mapping software; to deliver assessment methods for the perceived noise environment; to deliver a good practice guide for the end-users; and to show the cost benefit, including the positive effect on urban air quality and CO2 neutrality, of the resulting noise abatement methods.

This 1 day workshop was designed by Defra in association with the Open University. It provides an opportunity for public sector officials who work in the highway and rail sectors to hear directly from some of the researchers who worked on this project about their studies and to gain an understanding of some innovative noise mitigation techniques that might be used in an effective manner while also satisfying other environmental criteria

The proposal is concerned with ways of extending the frequency range over which the periodicity-enhanced materials and surfaces reduce the transmission of sound and vibration. The methods to be investigated include use of locally resonant inclusions or roughness elements, use of multiple resonances, exploitiation of interactions and overlaps between resonances periodicity-related transmission loss and spatial variation of periodicity and other characteristics thereby producing graded systems and roughness profiles. The work will provide a basis for the design of more efficient sound and vibration absorbing devices that are lightweight yet offer high transmission loss and vibration damping properties. The resulting surface designs will include alternatives to conventional noise barriers, while allowing access and preserving line of sight, and cost-effective methods for protecting buildings against ground-borne vibrations.