Abstract
European Environmental Agency estimates that about 120 million people in the EU (over 30% of the total population) are exposed to traffic noise above 55 Ldn dB. It is estimated that 10% of the EU population is exposed to noise associated with the rail traffic. The two main sources of traffic noise comes from vehicles engines and the noise generated in the contact between the wheel and the road. In the latter the considerable part the noise is due to phenomena occurring in a wheel tram – rail system. Therefore, the problem of reducing the noise generated by railway vehicles is the subject of many studies, both experimental and theoretical. Commonly used wheel trams so called "resilient wheels" are equipped with layer made of a resilient material, e.g. rubber, between the tread and the wheel disc. But the monobloc tram wheel is the standard design against which should be carried out the studies on reduction of noise in wheel-rail system. This paper presents the results of calculations related to eigenforms, eigenfrequencies and Frequency Response Function of a three-dimensional model of a monobloc tram wheel. The calculations were carried out using the finite element method. Vibration analysis was performed for the range to 5 kHz. Analysis carried out has shown that the wheel tread plays a more important role in the generation of high-frequency vibrations.
Highlights
Trams are reliable means of public transport and largely independent of the traffic congestion
The noise source is the running engine, the impact of aerodynamic turbulences, squealing wheels on curves or when braking, but most of all are the sound effects, called a rolling noise, which appear in the wheel-rail contact system
This range covers the vibrations associated with rolling noise and partly with wheel squeal
Summary
Trams are reliable means of public transport and largely independent of the traffic congestion,. They are one of the causes of troublesome noise. Good understanding of the noise propagation mechanism is associated with the analysis of tram wheel vibrations in the range of high frequencies. Thorough analysis of its behaviour should be helpful in deciding whether research on the new wheel design should focus on the damping of vibration in the wheel-rail system or to concentrate on a reduction of noise radiation from this system to the environment. Vibration analysis was performed for monobloc wheel in the range of approx. 5 kHz. Vibration analysis was performed for monobloc wheel in the range of approx. The mechanism of noise generation is extremely complex and for this reason the works on the analysis, which have started in the 70s of the last century, is still ongoing and they are far to be complete
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