Absorptive acoustic barriers for pickleball sound mitigation

Principal investigator: Haijun Liu

University: Temple University

Industry partner: Lasermation, Inc.

As pickleball recently became the fastest-growing sport in the US and many other countries, there has been increased tension between the pickleball players and residents living near the court due to the persistent and annoying sound. It is particularly acute in urban environments like the City of Philadelphia. The current solution of retrofitting pickleball courts using reflector-type rubber sheets is limited in reducing the reflected and diffused sound. To address this limitation, this proposal aims to develop absorptive acoustic barriers for pickleball sound mitigation that can not only have low sound transmission as in the existing commercial products but also high sound absorption. Our approach is to target the narrow band of pickleball sound with specially designed resonant structures for maximum absorption. The installation of this new type of acoustic barrier will create a less echoey playing field, reduce the propagation distance of pickleball noise, and build a harmonious community.