Optimisation of ground attenuation for moving sound sources

In an earlier study, Attenborough and Li [Attenborough K, Li, KM. Ground effect for A-weighted noise in the presence of turbulence and refraction. J Acoust Soc Am 102:1997;1013–22] derived a closed form analytical formula to calculate optimum ground parameters for reducing the A-weighted noise due to a stationary point source. This paper extends this earlier study by deriving an expression to calculate the sound field due to a source moving at a constant speed above a ground surface. An A-weighted mean-square sound pressure has been derived that enables one to estimate the sound exposure levels of a moving source. Numerical calculations for a realistic range of speeds show the influence of the source motion on the noise levels. Although the predicted effects on the ground attenuation are moderate, they are significant at a relatively low Mach number. In addition, the sensitivity to the atmospheric turbulence and the geometrical parameters tends to be altered by the source motion. On the other hand, it is demonstrated that the optimum ground parameters are similar for stationary and moving sources.