Railway noise and vibration : mechanisms, modelling and means of control

Railways are an environmentally friendly means of transport well suited to modern society. However, noise and vibration are key obstacles to further development of the railway networks for high-speed intercity traffic, for freight and for suburban metros and light-rail. All too often noise problems are dealt with inefficiently due to lack of understanding of the problem.

This book brings together coverage of the theory of railway noise and vibration with practical applications of noise control technology at source to solve noise and vibration problems from railways. Each source of noise and vibration is described in a systematic way: rolling noise, curve squeal, bridge noise, aerodynamic noise, ground vibration and ground-borne noise, and vehicle interior noise.

Theoretical modelling approaches are introduced for each source in a tutorial fashion Practical applications of noise control technology are presented using the theoretical models Extensive examples of application to noise reduction techniques are included

Railway Noise and Vibration is a hard-working reference and will be invaluable to all who have to deal with noise and vibration from railways, whether working in the industry or in consultancy or academic research.

David Thompson is Professor of Railway Noise and Vibration at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton. He has worked in the field of railway noise since 1980, with British Rail Research in Derby, UK, and TNO Institute of Applied Physics in the Netherlands before moving to Southampton in 1996. He was responsible for developing the TWINS software for predicting rolling noise.

Author Notes

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xi
Copyright Acknowledgements	p. xiii
1 Introduction	p. 1
1.1 The need for noise and vibration control in railways	p. 1
1.2 The need for a systematic approach to noise control	p. 3
1.3 Sources of railway noise and vibration	p. 6
1.4 Structure of the book	p. 9
References	p. 10
2 Introduction to Rolling Noise	p. 11
2.1 The source of rolling noise	p. 11
2.2 Speed and roughness dependence	p. 13
2.3 Frequency content	p. 17
2.4 Is it the wheel or is it the rail?	p. 20
2.5 Overview of the generation mechanism	p. 24
References	p. 26
3 Track Vibration	p. 29
3.1 Introduction	p. 29
3.2 Simple beam models	p. 37
3.3 Beam on two-layer support	p. 51
3.4 Timoshenko beam model	p. 58
3.5 Discretely supported track models	p. 65
3.6 Rail cross-section deformation	p. 76
3.7 Sleeper vibration	p. 82
3.8 Rail pad stiffness	p. 91
References	p. 94
4 Wheel Vibration	p. 97
4.1 Introduction	p. 97
4.2 Wheel modes of vibration	p. 97
4.3 Frequency response	p. 104
4.4 Simple models for wheel mobility	p. 110
4.5 Effects of wheel rotation	p. 115
4.6 Experimental results	p. 121
4.7 Noise from bogie and vehicle superstructure	p. 123
References	p. 126
5 Wheel/Rail Interaction and Excitation by Roughness	p. 127
5.1 Introduction	p. 127
5.2 Wheel/rail interaction model	p. 128
5.3 Contact zone mobilities	p. 141
5.4 Contact filter effect	p. 148
5.5 Measurement of roughness	p. 152
5.6 Processing of roughness data	p. 158
5.7 Other excitation mechanisms	p. 164
References	p. 171
6 Sound Radiation from Wheels and Track	p. 175
6.1 Introduction	p. 175
6.2 Simple models for sound radiation	p. 177
6.3 Wheel radiation	p. 182
6.4 Rail radiation	p. 189
6.5 Sleeper radiation	p. 204
6.6 Sound pressure levels during train passage	p. 208
6.7 Validation measurements	p. 217
References	p. 221
7 Mitigation Measures for Rolling Noise	p. 223
7.1 Introduction	p. 223
7.2 Reduction of roughness	p. 227
7.3 Wheel shape and damping	p. 240
7.4 Track response and radiation	p. 254
7.5 Shielding measures	p. 266
7.6 Combinations of measures	p. 270
References	p. 275
8 Aerodynamic Noise	p. 281
8.1 Introduction	p. 281
8.2 Basic principles	p. 283
8.3 Experimental techniques	p. 290
8.4 Numerical techniques	p. 299
8.5 Reduction of aerodynamic noise	p. 300
8.6 Concluding remarks	p. 312
References	p. 312
9 Curve Squeal Noise	p. 315
9.1 Introduction	p. 315
9.2 Curving behaviour	p. 316
9.3 Creep forces	p. 319
9.4 Models for frictional excitation	p. 322
9.5 Models for squeal	p. 328
9.6 Mitigation measures for curve squeal noise	p. 335
9.7 Case study: UK Sprinter fleet	p. 338
References	p. 340
10 Impact Noise	p. 343
10.1 Introduction	p. 343
10.2 The effect of non-linearities on rolling noise	p. 344
10.3 Impact noise due to wheel flats	p. 350
10.4 Impact noise due to rail joints	p. 354
10.5 Discussion	p. 357
References	p. 358
11 Bridge Noise	p. 359
11.1 Introduction	p. 359
11.2 The excitation of bridge noise	p. 363
11.3 Power input to the bridge	p. 366
11.4 Vibration transmission and radiation of sound	p. 378
11.5 Reducing bridge noise	p. 386
11.6 Case studies	p. 391
References	p. 395
12 Low Frequency Ground Vibration	p. 399
12.1 Different types of railway-induced vibration	p. 399
12.2 Assessment of vibration	p. 400
12.3 Surface vibration propagation	p. 406
12.4 Excitation of vibration by a train	p. 416
12.5 Examples of calculated vibration from trains	p. 421
12.6 Mitigation measures	p. 429
References	p. 433
13 Ground-Borne Noise	p. 437
13.1 Introduction	p. 437
13.2 Assessment criteria	p. 438
13.3 Vibration propagation from a tunnel	p. 439
13.4 Models for ground-borne noise	p. 442
13.5 Predicting ground-borne noise for environmental assessments	p. 451
13.6 Mitigation measures: track designs for vibration isolation	p. 457
References	p. 464
14 Vehicle Interior Noise	p. 465
14.1 Introduction	p. 465
14.2 Characterizing interior noise	p. 467
14.3 Sources of interior noise	p. 470
14.4 Transmission paths	p. 477
14.5 Prediction of interior noise	p. 479
14.6 Model assessment and results	p. 479
14.7 Concluding remarks	p. 481
References	p. 482
Appendix A Measurement of Train Pass-by Noise	p. 485
Appendix B Short Glossary of Railway Terminology	p. 489
List of Symbols	p. 493
Index	p. 501

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