Article
Railway rolling noise on a new type of slab track - field measurements and simulations (en)
* Presenting author
Abstract:
In comparison to ballasted tracks, slab tracks feature superior stability and lower maintenance costs but are known to lead to an increase in railway rolling noise. This increase is explained by softer rail pads resulting in a lower track decay rate and by absence of acoustic absorption from the ballast. In this paper, the acoustic performance of a new type of slab track, the 3MB originally devised in the FP7 Capacity4Rail project, is evaluated by field measurements and simulations. The 3MB consists of rails each mounted on discrete blocks on a base slab. The gap between the base slabs is filled with ballast. A demonstrator of the 3MB was installed on the iron ore line in Northern Sweden trafficked by iron ore, regular freight, and passenger trains. In May 2023, a measurement campaign was carried out to evaluate rolling noise and track acceleration due to regular traffic on the demonstrator and a reference ballasted track section. A detailed characterization of the track sections including track decay rate, track transfer functions, and rail roughness was also performed. An analysis of the measurement results supported by simulations with the previously developed time-domain model for wheel/rail noise WERAN is presented.