An efficient algorithm to calculate the diffracted sound field by a sound-absorbing barrier on an impedance ground

A theoretical model and its corresponding numerical method for calculating the sound field around a sound-absorbing barrier on a ground is proposed in this study. Furthermore, an efficient algorithm is developed by combining the proposed theoretical framework with the Fourier transform to efficiently solve the numerical solutions. The accuracy of the proposed method is validated by comparing outcomes with the classical MacDonald method and with COMSOL simulations, showing highly consistent results. The algorithm achieves a remarkable improvement in computational efficiency in comparison to both the direct numerical method and the COMSOL simulations. The proposed approach is used to perform a parametric study of sound-absorbing barriers, and the results show that increasing the barrier's height and sound-absorbing ability are both effective means to attenuate the sound pressure level beyond the barrier, although the former has a more pronounced effect. The proposed approach is an efficient tool to calculate the sound field around sound-absorbing noise barriers at low frequencies with accurate phase information, which is critical for some applications, such as active noise barriers.