Noise Reduction Effect of Noise Barrier for Shinkansen Based on Y-shaped Structure

Abstract

This article discusses noise abatement techniques for the Shinkansen high-speed railway. As a number of different types of sound barriers have been developed, this article presents scale-model experimentation and a recommendation for what it finds to be the most effective configuration, which is a y-shaped barrier with absorbing materials as well as acoustic tube arrays. This proposed barrier type was then field tested on running Shinkansen trains. The models, which consisted of eight different configurations, were created and placed in an anechoic chamber and were stimulated with a sound source and monitored with a microphone. The y-shaped model was accepted for its ability to dampen low-frequency noise in particular, as most of the configurations were relatively effective at high frequencies. Although the field test was less promising than the scale model, its tendencies were in agreement.