Railway source models for integration in the new European noise prediction method proposed in Harmonoise

The purpose of the Harmonoise European project is to provide an engineering model for the propagation of road and rail traffic noise which requires, for a better accuracy than existing models, the distinction between source output and propagation. In that context, the purpose of work package 1.2 of Harmonoise is to provide the emission data for...

Railway noise measurement method for pass-by noise, total effective roughness, transfer functions and track spatial decay

In recent years, considerable effort has been spent at a European level to establish comprehensive methods for the experimental assessment of rolling noise emission of rail-bound vehicles and tracks. This work was concentrated in the European METARAIL and STAIRRS projects. The objective of these was to improve the accuracy and the...

Durability assessment of concrete sheet piling in the 'De Betuweroute' railway line

Assessment of the durability of prestressed concrete sheet piles under the interference of CP gas pipeline system current, established that due to their low magnitude, these currents do not compromise the required 100-year service life of the structures. The sophisticated numerical modelling tools being developed, are important in assessing...

Model-based acoustic substitution source methods for assessing shielding measures applied to trains

A promising means of reducing the rolling noise from trains is local shielding in the form of vehicle-mounted shrouds combined with low trackside barriers. This is much less visually intrusive than classic lineside noise barriers. Various experimental methods have been proposed that allow the performance to be assessed under static conditions,...

Improved measurement methods for railway rolling noise

Some of the issues related to railway noise type testing are discussed and potential improvements to existing procedures are put forward. New and improved methods that also go beyond the scope of type testing are presented that help to characterize and analyze rolling noise more accurately. These methods are indirect measurement of total wheel...

Experimental determination of pass-by noise contributions from the bogies and superstructure of a freight wagon

Pass-by noise from freight trains on straight tracks is dominated by rolling noise. The main contributions are generally accepted to originate from vibrations of the track and the wheels. However, there is uncertainty about the contributions from the bogie and the wagon superstructure. This article describes experimental methods to determine...

Steady-state response of periodically supported structures to a moving load

Steady-state vibrations of periodically supported structures under a moving load are analytically investigated. The following three structures are considered: an overhead power line for a train, a long suspended bridge and a railway track. The study is based on the application of so-called `periodicity condition', which implies that the shape of...

The dynamic behaviour of rail fasteners at high frequencies

The stiffness and damping of rail fasteners, and in particular the elastomeric pads inserted between the rail and sleeper, are important parameters determining the dynamic behaviour of railway track. For noise predictions, the frequency range from about 100 Hz up to 5000 Hz is important. Laboratory measurements are described in which the...

Theoretical optimization of track components to reduce rolling noise

The control of railway rolling noise requires a reduction in wheel and track noise emission. In this paper, a parametric study of the possible minimization of the track sound power is presented. In an initial global approach, a number of potential variations in track parameters are assessed in terms of their likely effect on rolling noise. From...

Roughness on Dutch railway wheels and rails

Surface roughness on 150 railway wheels and on the rails of 30 sites in the Netherlands have been measured. Block braked wheels were found to show higher roughnesses than the rail at any site. The smoothest rail is 8 dB smoother than the smoothest wheel. It was concluded that in reducing railway rolling noise NS must start to find ways to lower...

A calculation model for the noise from steel railway bridges

The sound level of a train crossing a steel railway bridge is usually about 10 dB higher than on plain track. In the Netherlands there are many such bridges which, for practical reasons, cannot be replaced by more intrinsically quiet concrete bridges. A computational model is described for the estimation of noise levels due to a train crossing a...

Experimental validation of the twins prediction program for rolling noise. Pt.2: Results

Two extensive measurement campaigns have been carried out to validate the TWINS prediction program for rolling noise, as described in part 1 of this paper. This second part presents the experimental results of vibration and noise during train pass-bys and compares them with predictions from the TWINS program. The model is found to give quite...

On the relationship between wheel and rail surface roughness and rolling noise

Theoretical models linking rolling noise and surface roughness have been available for some 20 years. For even longer, the qualitative link has been acknowledged between the presence of visible corrugation on rail or wheel surfaces and increased noise generation. This roughness, or undulation in the surface profile, has wavelengths of most...

Rapporteur's report: Session 2

Experimental validation of the twins prediction program for rolling noise. Pt.1: description of the model and method

The C163 Expert Committee of the European Rail Research Institute (ERRI) concerned with Railway Noise, has been developing theoretical models for the generation of wheel/rail rolling noise. These models have been brought together into a software package, called TWINS ("Track-Wheel Interaction Noise Software"). This is intended as a tool with...