Experimental Study on Noise Reduction Performance of Vertical Sound Barrier in Elevated Rail Transit
With the large-scale construction of rail transit in mainland China, the noise problem caused by passing trains has become increasingly prominent. The vertical sound barrier is currently the most effective noise control measure for rail transit. However, the noise reduction performance of the vertic...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Buildings |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/10/1621 |
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| Summary: | With the large-scale construction of rail transit in mainland China, the noise problem caused by passing trains has become increasingly prominent. The vertical sound barrier is currently the most effective noise control measure for rail transit. However, the noise reduction performance of the vertical sound barrier at different train speeds remains unclear. This study focuses on the box-girder cross-sections of an elevated urban rail transit line with and without vertical sound barriers, conducting field tests during train passages. Based on the test results, the influence of train speed on noise levels at both cross-sections was investigated, the sound source characteristics were analyzed, and the noise reduction performance of the vertical sound barriers at different speeds was explored. The findings indicate the following: Regardless of the presence of sound barriers, within the speed range of 20 to 80 km/h, the linear sound pressure levels at the track-side and beam-side measurement points exhibit a strong linear correlation with speed, while the correlation is weaker at the beam-bottom measurement points. As speed increases, the wheel–rail noise increases by approximately 1.5 dB compared to the structural noise at the same speed. Vertical sound barriers significantly reduce mid-to-high-frequency noise, but in the low frequency band between 20 and 63 Hz, the noise increases, likely due to secondary structural noise radiated by the self-vibration of the barriers when trains pass. At speeds of 20, 40, 60, and 80 km/h, the insertion loss at measurement points located 7.5 m from the track centerline ranges from 6.5 to 9.0, 8.5 to 10.5, 7.5 to 9.5, and 7.5 to 10.2 dB, respectively. At 25 m from the track centerline, the insertion loss ranges from 1.5 to 2.5, 6.0 to 6.5, 5.5 to 6.0, and 5.0 to 6.0 dB, respectively. The noise reduction capability of the vertical sound barrier initially increases and then decreases with higher speeds, and the rate of reduction slows as speed increases. This research will provide a reference and basis for determining speed limits in the rail transit sections equipped with sound barriers. |
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| ISSN: | 2075-5309 |