INNOTRANS: A novel sound barrier branded Wavebreaker will be shown to an international audience for the first time at InnoTrans 2022.
Start-up Wavebreaker has developed a noise screen for railway applications which its promoter says can provide up to 7 dBA extra attenuation over conventional designs. This means that lower noise barriers could be built along railway lines, resulting in lower costs for noise protection.
The patent-pending noise attenuator is based on creating destructive interference, a type of passive ‘anti-noise’. Wavebreaker is mounted on top of existing lineside barriers, and the noise-reducing effect is claimed to act as if the screens were up to 2 m higher.
‘We believe that the product is right on time as noise is Europe’s second biggest environmental problem’, says Wavebreaker founder Tony Johansson. ‘We have also had a focus on the environment and sustainability throughout the product development. Wavebreaker uses at least 50% recycled material and the modular design means that it can be both reused and recycled again easily.’