The Yokohama Rubber Co. verified on January 11, 2007, the highly effective noise reduction capabilities of its "multifunctional elastic pavement". This pavement was co-developed with Nippon Road Co. as a measure to control traffic noise, and it was introduced on a trial basis to the local street in front of the city hall in Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The noise reduction effects were measured on December 19, 2006, and the noise was found to be equal to that of one-tenth the traffic volume on current asphalt pavements.
Multifunctional elastic pavement uses rubber from used tires and silica sand as aggregates, and solidifies them using polyurethane resin. The high noise mitigation effects are attributed to the high proportion of internal voids (20 to 30%) and elasticity, which reduce and absorb the noise (vibration noise) caused by tires on the roadway.
This pavement has many additional features. One of these is resistance to ice formation, as the high elasticity allows the weight of the car to break the ice into pieces. In addition, as the high proportion of voids contributes to better drainage, slip-resistance and water-splash prevention can also be expected.
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