Scale model experiments on the insertion loss of wide and double barriers

The insertion loss of wide and double barriers is investigated through scal e model experiments. Such configurations appear in outdoor sound propagatio n problems such as highway noise reduction and community noise control. The Biot-Tolstoy-Medwin (BTM) time domain wedge formulation for multiple diffr action [J. Acoust. Sec. Am. 72, 1005-1013 (1982)] is used to predict the ac oustic response of an impulsive source. Evaluation of the insertion loss at discrete frequencies is accomplished via the fast Fourier transform (FFT). Good agreement has been found between the BTM model and experimental data for all configurations tested. (C) 2000 Acoustical Society of America. [S00 01-4966(00)03204-5].