On the railway track dynamics with rail vibration absorber for noise reduction

A promising means to increase the decay rate of vibration along the rail is using a rail absorber for noise reduction. Compound track models with the tuned rail absorber are developed for investigation of the performance of the absorber on vibration reduction. Through analysis of the track dynamics with the rail absorber some guidelines are given on selection of the types and parameters for the rail absorber. It is found that a large active mass used in the absorber is beneficial to increase the decay rate of rail vibration. The effectiveness of the piecewise continuous absorber is moderate compared with the discrete absorber installed in the middle of sleeper span or at a sleeper. The most effective installation position for the discrete absorber is in the middle of sleeper span. Over high or over low loss factor of the damping material used in the absorber may degrade the performance on vibration reduction.     

A tuned damping device for reducing noise from railway track

A promising means to reduce the component of railway rolling noise radiated by the track is to increase the damping of the rail. This increases the attenuation with distance of vibrations transmitted along the rail and thereby reduces the noise radiated. To achieve this, a tuned, damped mass-spring absorber system has been designed. To cover a wide range of frequencies, multiple tuning frequencies are used along with a material with a high damping loss factor. Suitable materials have been found from extensive tests on samples and prototypes of the damper have been built and tested, both in the laboratory and in the field. Results are very promising with reductions of the track component of noise of around 6 dB being measured.     

Application of MetaRail railway noise measurement methodology: comparison of three track systems

Within the fourth RTD Framework Programme, the European Union has supported a research project dealing with the improvement of railway noise (emission) measurement methodologies. This project was called MetaRail and proposed a number of procedures and methods to decrease systematic measurement errors and to increase reproducibility. In 1999 the Austrian Federal Railways installed 1000 m of test track to explore the long-term behaviour of three different ballast track systems. This test included track stability, rail forces and ballast forces, as well as vibration transmission and noise emission. The noise study was carried out using the experience and methods developed within MetaRail. This includes rail roughness measurements as well as measurements of vertical railhead, sleeper and ballast vibration in parallel with the noise emission measurement with a single microphone at a distance of 7.5 m from the track. Using a test train with block- and disc-braked vehicles helped to control operational conditions and indicated the influence of different wheel roughness.It has been shown that the parallel recording of several vibration signals together with the noise signal makes it possible to evaluate the contributions of car body, sleeper, track and wheel sources to the overall noise emission. It must be stressed that this method is not focused as is a microphone-array. However, this methodology is far easier to apply and thus cheaper. Within this study, noise emission was allocated to the different elements to answer questions such as whether the sleeper eigenfrequency is transmitted into the rail.     

A finite element study on rail corrugation based on saturated creep force-induced self-excited vibration of a wheelset-track system

The present work proposes friction coupling at the wheel-rail interface as the mechanism for formation of rail corrugation. Stability of a wheelset-track system is studied using the finite element complex eigenvalue method. Two models for a wheelset-track system on a tight curved track and on a straight track are established. In these two models, motion of the wheelset is coupled with that of the rail by friction. Creep force at the interface is assumed to become saturated and approximately equal to friction force, which is equal to the normal contact force multiplied by dynamic coefficient of friction. The rail is supported by vertical and lateral springs and dampers at the positions of sleepers. Numerical results show that there is a strong propensity of self-excited vibration of the wheelset-track system when the friction coefficient is larger than 0.21. Some unstable frequencies fall in the range 60-1200 Hz, which correspond to frequencies of rail corrugation. Parameter sensitivity analysis shows that the dynamic coefficient of friction, spring stiffness and damping of the sleeper supports all have important influences on the rail corrugation formation. Bringing the friction coefficient below a certain level can suppress or eliminate rail corrugation.     

Evaluation of wheel dampers on an intercity train

Pass-by noise from high-speed trains is one important area that has to be handled in all new train projects. For the new line between Oslo and the Gardemoen Airport which opened in 1998, very stringent requirements were set out regarding external noise. To reach the target it was decided that the train should be equipped with wheel dampers. Two different types of wheel dampers were used on the train; a ring damper was mounted on the wheels of the driven bogies, whilst plate dampers divided into tuned absorber fins were mounted on the wheels of the trailer bogies.During the type testing of the Airport Express Train, additional measurements were performed in order to evaluate the acoustic effect of the plate wheel dampers. Two test series were performed with the same train set; first with the train in standard configuration and secondly with the wheel dampers removed from the second and third bogie. The external noise was measured at 5 and 25 m distance from the centre of the track at speeds ranging from 80 to 200 km/h. The third-octave filtered time histories were analyzed to calculate the effect of the wheel dampers. As expected, there was a significant reduction of 4-6 dB at frequencies above 2000 Hz, but there was also a reduction of 2 dB for frequencies as low as 800 Hz. This reduction was also found in the parts of the time histories when the rail should be dominating. This implies that the wheel dampers also reduce the rail noise. The total rolling noise reduction for the trailer bogie was 3 dB at 200 km/h and 1 dB at 80 km/h. From comparison with TWINS-calculated sound power levels it was estimated that the wheel noise would be reduced by 5 dB and the rail noise would be reduced by 1 dB at 200 km/h.     

On rail vehicle vibrations induced by track unevenness: Analysis of the excitation mechanism

This paper deals with the analysis of the vibrations induced on the carbody of a rail vehicle by track unevenness. Attention is focused on the excitation mechanism of the carbody vibration modes, which has a strong influence on the vehicle's comfort. At first the problem is investigated through a simple three-degree-of-freedom analytical model, and the phenomenon of the critical velocities is analysed, pointing out how both rigid and flexible carbody vibration modes can be excited to a different extent, depending on the vehicle speed, and how they combine to produce the final carbody accelerations. Then the dynamic response of a real vehicle running on irregular track is simulated through a more detailed multibody model, suitable for quantitatively reproducing its dynamic behaviour in the 0-25 Hz frequency range. The 68 degrees-of-freedom of this model correspond to 35 rigid vibration modes of the vehicle components (carbody, bogie frames and wheelsets), plus the 33 carbody flexible modes which fall into the frequency-range of interest. In the last part of the paper, the obtained numerical results are compared to the experimental data collected during on-line tests, showing how the adopted numerical model accurately simulates the dynamic behaviour of the real vehicle at the different velocities, with very good agreement. The results presented in the paper demonstrate that the excitation of the flexible modes may have a decisive effect on carbody accelerations and that introducing carbody flexibility in the vehicle model turns out to be unavoidable for properly predicting a rail vehicle comfort performance.     

Ground vibrations from heavy freight trains

Ground vibration from heavy freight trains on good quality welded track are found to have only a weak dependence on train speed above 30 km/h. At the site on which these tests were carried out a critical speed was found at which the vibration reached a peak. The frequencies of vibration produced appear to be functions of track and vehicle dimensions and the critical speed occurs at the coincidence of sleeper passage frequency and the total vehicle on track resonance frequency.     

Dynamic studies of railtrack sleepers in a track structure system

This paper discusses the dynamic response of a typical prestressed concrete railtrack sleeper due to wheel-track interaction dynamics, involving wheel and rail imperfections, under various parametric conditions. The interaction dynamics of the vehicle and track is first carried out in the time domain using MSC/NASTRAN. Using the resulting load time histories on an isolated sleeper, a detailed finite element model of the sleeper is used to analyze its dynamic behaviour. The dynamic amplification factors for deflection, ballast pressure and bending moments have been evaluated at the critical section (rail-seat and centre) for various exciting frequencies under different vehicle-track parametric conditions. The results provide a basis for improved and rational design of the sleeper.     

Measuring,modelling and optimising an embedded rail track

A finite element (FE) model and a boundary element (BE) model have been developed to predict the decay rate, vibration and noise responses of an embedded rail track. These models are validated using measured results. The optimisation of the embedded rail track is conducted using these calculated models. The results indicate that the optimised cross-section of the gutter for the embedding rail can significantly reduce the radiated noise of the embedded rail track. The embedded rail track using the I-shaped cross-section gutter reduces the radiated noise of the track by at least by 3 dB(A). Furthermore, combining the material parameter optimisation with the gutter cross-section optimisation can further reduce the radiated noise of the embedded rail track. Increasing the Young’s modulus of the rail pad in the embedded rail track with the I-shaped cross-section gutter can result in a radiated noise reduction of 4 dB(A).     

Dynamic and subjective responses of seated subjects exposed to simultaneous vertical and fore-and-aft whole-body vibration: The effect of the phase between the two single-axis components

Subjective and dynamic responses of seated subjects exposed to simultaneous vertical and fore-and-aft sinusoidal whole-body vibration were investigated. The effect of the phase difference between the vertical and the fore-and-aft vibration on the responses was of a particular interest in this study. Fifteen subjects were exposed to dual-axis vibrations at six frequencies (2.5-8 Hz) and at eight phases between the two single-axis components (0-315°). The magnitude of vibration in each axis was constant at 0.7 m s⁻² rms. Discomfort caused by vibration was measured by the method of magnitude estimation. The motion of the body were measured at the head and three locations along the spine with accelerometers attached to the body surface. The most significant effect of the phase between the two single-axis components on the discomfort was observed at 5 Hz: about 40% difference in the median discomfort estimate caused by changing the phase. The transmissibilities from vertical seat vibration to vertical motions of the spine varied from 0.5 to 2.0 by changing the phase between the two single-axis components at frequencies from 2.5 to 5 Hz. The effect of the phase observed in the dynamic response was not predicted by the superposition of the responses to each single-axis vibration. The discomfort caused by the dual-axis vibration tended to be correlated better with the combinations of the dynamic responses measured in the two axes than with the dynamic responses in a single axis.     

Numerical prediction of rail roughness growth on tangent railway tracks

Growth of railhead roughness (irregularities, waviness) is predicted through numerical simulation of dynamic train-track interaction on tangent track. The hypothesis is that wear is caused by longitudinal slip due to driven wheelsets, and that wear is proportional to the longitudinal frictional power in the contact patch. Emanating from an initial roughness spectrum corresponding to a new or a recent ground rail, an initial roughness profile is determined. Wheel-rail contact forces, creepages and wear for one wheelset passage are calculated in relation to location along a discretely supported track model. The calculated wear is scaled by a chosen number of wheelset passages, and is then added to the initial roughness profile. Field observations of rail corrugation on a Dutch track are used to validate the simulation model. Results from the simulations predict a large roughness growth rate for wavelengths around 30-40 mm. The large growth in this wavelength interval is explained by a low track receptance near the sleepers around the pinned-pinned resonance frequency, in combination with a large number of driven passenger wheelset passages at uniform speed. The agreement between simulations and field measurements is good with respect to dominating roughness wavelength and annual wear rate. Remedies for reducing roughness growth are discussed.     

Thickness vibration of piezoelectric plates of 6mm crystals with tilted six-fold axis and two-layered thick electrodes

We perform a theoretical analysis of thickness vibrations in piezoelectric plates of crystals with 6 mm symmetry. The six-fold axis is tilted with respect to the plate surfaces. The major surfaces of the plate are covered with two layers of electrodes of different metals. The equations of linear piezoelectricity are used for the crystal plate. The electrodes are modeled by the equations of elasticity. Thickness vibrations frequencies and modes as well as impedance are calculated and examined.     

An investigation into the simultaneous use of a resonator as an energy harvester and a vibration absorber

A mass–spring–damper system is at the core of both a vibration absorber and a harvester of energy from ambient vibrations. If such a device is attached to a structure that has a high impedance, then it will have very little effect on the vibrations of the structure, but it can be used to convert mechanical vibrations into electrical energy (act as an energy harvester). However, if the same device is attached to a structure that has a relatively low impedance, then the device may attenuate the vibrations as it may act as both a vibration absorber and an energy harvester simultaneously. In this paper such a device is discussed. Two situations are considered; the first is when the structure is excited with broadband random excitation and the second is when the structure is excited by a single frequency. The optimum parameters of the device for both energy harvesting and vibration attenuation are discussed for these two cases. For random excitation it is found that if the device is optimized for vibration suppression, then this is also adequate for maximizing the energy absorbed (harvested), and thus a single device can effectively suppress vibration and harvest energy at the same time. For single frequency excitation this is found not to be the case. To maximize the energy harvested, the natural frequency of the system (host structure and absorber) has to coincide with the forcing frequency, but to minimize vibration of the host structure, the natural frequency of the absorber has to coincide with the forcing frequency. In this case, therefore, a single resonator cannot effectively suppress vibration and harvest energy at the same time.     

Theoretical modeling and characteristic analysis of moving-train induced ground vibrations

An integrated train-track-subsoil dynamic interaction model of moving-train induced ground vibration is developed on the basis of vehicle dynamics, track dynamics and the Green's functions of subsoil. The model takes account of the vibrations of vehicle components, the quasi-static axle loads and the dynamic excitations between the wheels and track. The analyzed results from an example show that the ground vibration characteristics have a close relationship with train speed and soil properties; the dynamic responses excited by wheel-track irregularity have big influence on the high frequency components of ground vibration; with the increase of distance to the track, the ground acceleration has the tendency of decrease, and the relevance of acceleration curves and train excitation becomes less obvious; the intersections of moving load speed-lines and subsoil dispersion curves are some resonance frequencies that cause the amplification of ground vibrations; there exists a critical speed for moving train that is close to the minimum velocity of the Rayleigh's wave in the subsoil.     

Skirts and barriers for reduction of wayside noise from railway vehicles—an experimental investigation with application to the BR185 locomotive

An experimental investigation to determine the noise reduction efficiency of a number of combinations of vehicle mounted noise skirts and trackside low barriers has been carried out. A 1:4-scale mock-up of the German BR185 locomotive was built. Special care was taken to achieve a realistic representation of the wheel/rail sources, using rotating acoustic source wheels able to imitate the radiation from structural modes and acoustic rail ducts with independently adjustable vertical and lateral slots. The acoustic insertion loss (IL) equivalent to a full-scale microphone position at 25 m distance from the track was determined for the different source components separately. The total IL was obtained from sound power spectra calculated with the TWINS software. Results for the design speed (v=120 km/h) and a case with a lower speed (v=100 km/h) are presented to illustrate the effect of speed on the acoustic IL. The tests were performed in open-air free field conditions. The experimental procedure used in the present investigation gives detailed information on the relative contributions from different source components, which is valuable for further design studies. For the eight combinations reported here, the overall reduction achieved was in agreement with results in the literature. The IL was 2-3 dB(A) for cases with only vehicle skirts and the case with only low track barriers. The combined configurations had insertion losses of 7-13 dB(A).     

ANALYSES OF DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF VEHICLE AND TRACK COUPLING SYSTEM WITH RANDOM IRREGULARITY OF TRACK VERTICAL PROFILE

A dynamic computational model for the vehicle and track coupling system is developed by means of finite element method in this paper. In numerical implementation, the vehicle and track coupling system is divided into two parts; lower structure and upper structure. The vehicle as the upper structure in the coupling system is a whole locomotive or rolling stock with two layers of spring and damping system in which vertical and rolling motion for vehicle and bogie are involved. The lower structure in the coupling system is a railway track where rails are considered as beams with finite length rested on a double layer continuous elastic foundation. The two parts are solved independently with an iterative scheme. Coupling the vehicle system and railway track is realized through interaction forces between the wheels and the rail, where the irregularity of the track vertical profile considered as stationary ergodic Gaussian random processes and simulated by trigonometry series is included. The amplitudes of vibrations, their velocities and the accelerations generated in the vehicle and rail and the interaction forces between the vehicle and the rail due to the random irregularity of the track vertical profile and different line grades and train speeds have been analyzed numerically by this model. Analyses of system responses are performed in time and frequency domains.     

Prediction of vibrations induced by underground railway traffic in Beijing

This paper examines the problem of subway induced vibrations on line 4 of Beijing metro, which is currently under construction and is planned to pass in close proximity of the Physics Laboratory of Beijing University. The laboratory has a lot of equipment that is very sensitive to traffic induced vibrations and future operation of metro line 4 is a matter of concern. Hence, it is important to study the influence of subway induced vibrations inside the laboratory and to propose a viable solution to mitigate the vibrations. In this paper, the tunnel north of Chengfulu station is modelled using a coupled periodic FE-BE model and the free-field response due to moving trains is predicted. In addition, vibration measurements have been performed on the site of the Physics Laboratory to estimate the existing vibration levels due to road traffic. The predicted and measured vibrations are superimposed to assess the vibrations due to the combined effect of road and railway traffic in the vicinity of the Physics Laboratory. Apart from the numerical investigations, vibration measurements have also been performed on a similar site at line 1 of Beijing metro to substantiate the estimated results on metro line 4. Finally, it is studied how the vibrations can be controlled using a floating slab track, which is widely used as an effective measure of vibration isolation in tunnels. The efficiency of a 7.9 Hz floating slab track as a vibration countermeasure is assessed in this paper. This study demonstrates the applicability of the numerical model for the relevant assessment of subway induced vibrations and its use to study the performance of different track structures in the tunnel.     

Flexural vibration of perforated plates and porous elastic materials under acoustic loading

This paper presents a method of theoretical treatment of acoustic coupling due to flexural vibration of perforated plates and plates of porous elastic materials. The analytical model is developed by introducing flow continuity at the plate surface in a spatially mean sense and air-solid interaction within the plate material. To demonstrate the method of application, some fundamental acoustic problems based on a classical thin-plate theory are analyzed and discussed in relation to the interactive effect of flexural vibration and plate permeability. For acoustic radiation from a vibrating plate excited by a harmonic point-force, the attenuation effect of power radiation appears at frequencies below the critical frequency of coincidence. In the problem of sound absorption of a perforated plate or a plate of porous elastic material backed by an air layer, as permeability decreases, the effect of plate vibration increases. For perforated absorber systems including plate vibration effects, the trend of variation from ordinary theory depends on plate thickness.     

A study of the spectral characteristics of traffic noise attenuation by vegetation belts in Delhi

Traffic noise attenuation at different 1/3-octave frequencies is measured at three vegetation sites and a control site in Delhi, the capital city of India. The study indicates that attenuation generally increases with frequency. At low frequencies, maxima (between 10 and 16 dB) in relative attenuation are observed in the frequency interval between 315 and 400 Hz. Comparatively greater relative attenuation (>20 dB) is observed in the high frequency range between 10 and 12.5 kHz. A significantly higher relative attenuation of more than 24 dB is observed characteristically at 3.15 kHz at all the vegetation sites. The results indicate that vegetation belts could be used as effective barriers for traffic noise control along the roadsides.     

A full-scale test rig for railway rolling noise: simulation and measurement of dynamic wheelset-track interaction

A new outdoor rolling-noise test rig on a 25 m stretch of full-scale track will enable the study of vibrations of wheel and rail and of the pertinent noise emission under controlled conditions. The arrangement can be seen as a physical realization of the Track-Wheel Interaction Noise Software (TWINS) computer software. The track and wheel, which are not in mechanical contact, are excited in vertical and lateral directions using electrodynamic actuators. The track can be statically pre-loaded by up to 30 tonnes. The use of the rig is presently under development. The aim is that the radiated noise from separate railway components could be found as the wheel and the track can be excited both together and separately. Amplitude and phase of the applied forces are predetermined by use of an algorithm taking into account the real wheel-rail interaction properties. In that way different wheel-rail contact conditions can be simulated. Eight partners have co-operated in the development and operation of the CHARMEC/Lucchini Railway Noise Test Rig in Surahammar, Sweden.In ongoing experiments, the dynamics of both the wheel and rail have been examined in the frequency domain. For the track, comparisons have been made between data obtained from the rig and those from field measurements on a standard Swedish line. Both dynamic response and spatial decay rates have been studied. The performance of the rig has also been compared to results from TWINS and to results from the literature. Good agreement was obtained in the frequency range from 100 to 5000 Hz. Some results from preliminary measurements of noise emission will be given.