The Effect of Slab Track on Wheel/Rail Rolling Noise in High Speed Railway

Abstract

The slab track of high speed railway has higher environmental noise emissions caused by a train running than the ballasted track. In order to predict and control wheel/rail rolling noise radiation due to roughness of wheel and rail running surface on slab track, a model is developed to calculate wheel/rail rolling noise of the slab track and analyze the influences of railway slab structure parameters on wheel/rail rolling noise. The results show that the rail noise occurs mainly in the middle and high frequency ranges of 500–2000Hz. The wheel noise is chiefly in the high frequency ranges of 1600–4000Hz, and the track slab noise radiates in the frequency ranges of 125–500Hz. Instantaneous noise pressure of the rail is first, the slab is second, the wheel is in between. The weights of the slab have more influence on emissions of the slab, but have little impact on noise emission of the wheel and rail. Below 500Hz, the greater weight of the slab is, the greater noise emission of the slab is, but above 500Hz,...