Sound contribution of the low frequency underwater noise radiated from a suspension bridge

For river crossing bridges, the vehicle-induced vibration can be transmitted to the bridge tower and foundation system. This vibration induced low frequency underwater noise radiation can cause great harm to aquatic organisms. A river crossing suspension bridge was selected to study the sound contribution and spatial distribution of the underwater noise. A bridge-sediment coupling finite element model was developed, and the vehicle-bridge-sediment interaction analysis was conducted to investigate the dynamic response of the coupling system. An acoustic finite element model was built to predict the underwater noise radiated from the tower and sediment, and the noise contribution of these two sound sources was compared. The research shows that the noise radiated from the bridge tower and the sediment is below 6.3 Hz, and the peak frequency is around 3.15 Hz. The noise radiated from bridge tower only has a larger contribution to the total noise level in its vicinity than the sediment, especially around the water surface. In other space, the noise generated through the sediment vibration plays a dominant role in the total noise. The radiated noise from the tower has lateral directivity, and the directivity of the sediment radiation is similar to the point sound source.