Vibration and sound radiation of slab high-speed railway tracks subject to a moving harmonic load

• Published in: Journal of sound and vibration Vol. 395; pp. 160 - 186
• Main Authors: Sheng, X., Zhong, T., Li, Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 12.05.2017; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Acoustic noise; Boundary element method; Dampers; Decay rate; Fourier transforms; High speed rail; Load; Loads (forces); Mathematical analysis; Moving load; Noise; Periodic structure; Periodic structures; Predictions; Radiation; Rail transportation; Railroad ties; Railway tracks; Rolling noise; Slab railway track; Sound; Sound waves; Track dynamics; Vibration; Rolling noise; Slab railway track; Moving load; Periodic structure; Track dynamics
• ISSN: 0022-460X; 1095-8568
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsv.2017.02.024

Developments of modern rail transportation require advanced methods for analysing dynamics of a railway track as an infinitely long periodic structure. A Fourier transform-based method has been formulated for calculating the response of a conventional ballasted railway track subject to a moving harmonic load. The method is then extended to account for the track complicated by rail dampers installed between sleepers. Equations derived so far require that all the supports and attachments to the rail are coupled through the rail only. This, however, is not the case for non-ballasted slab tracks such as those used in China for high-speed and underground trains. For those tracks, in addition to the rail, fastener systems within a slab are also coupled by the slab. Therefore, the Fourier transform-based method must be further extended to give revised equations which, in consideration of noise evaluation, should be also appropriate for sound radiation prediction. This is the first task of this paper. The second task of this paper is to propose an appropriate procedure for predicting sound radiations from the track using the 2.5D acoustical boundary element method. The revised equations are then used to investigate the dynamics of a typical high-speed railway track, including dispersion curves of the track, responses of the rail and slab to a moving harmonic load, and vibration decay rate along the rail. And finally, sound radiations from this track are briefly examined using the proposed procedure. •Equations as Fourier transforms are derived for calculating the response of a non-ballasted slab track as an infinitely long periodic structure subject to a moving harmonic load.•Methods and procedures are proposed for predicting sound radiations from the track subject to a moving harmonic load.•Dispersion curves are produced for a typical high-speed slab track; responses of, vibration decay rates along, and sound radiations from, the rail and slab are calculated for a harmonic load moving at 100m/s.•A significant step towards rolling noise modelling for slab track high-speed railways.