During analysis conducted on data collected by the University of Central Florida for the
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), which was doing research to develop
reference energy mean emission levels for high-speed traffic, other interesting data trends
became apparent. One such trend was the relationship of vehicle speed and sound
emission spectra. The data base contained real-time one-third octave band data and vehicle
characteristics (eg, speed) and permitted a detailed review of sound emission spectra with …

The objective of this study was to investigate how the noise spectra generated by motor
vehicles is influenced by vehicle speed. From this, a mathematical relationship that predicts
the shift in frequency spectra, and the subsequent change in dominant frequency can be
developed. The final result would be to implement this mathematical model within the
framework of future highway traffic noise prediction models to allow for more accurate
prediction of sound levels and better design of any noise abatement measures. This is …