A review of structure-borne noise from elevated rail structures

Abstract

In the general case, noise from elevated rail systems consists of direct and reverberant airborne noise radiated from wheels and rails, noise from on-train sources, aerodynamic noise, and structure-borne noise reradiated from the viaduct or bridge structure. This paper presents a method of predicting structure-borne noise radiating from viaducts due to rail operations. The structure-borne noise is calculated by first determining the dynamic force input to the elevated structure at the rail attachment points due to excitation from wheel-rail roughness. Vibration transfer between structural elements, such as parapets and structural webs is estimated using Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA), which is also used to calculate the sound power radiating from the structure. The prediction of receiver sound pressure levels is carried out using simple noise propagation models that account for the geometric relationships between structural elements and receiver locations.