Hybrid model for prediction of impact noise generated at railway crossings

Abstract

A hybrid model for the prediction of impact noise at railway crossings is presented. The hybrid model combines the simulation of vertical wheel‒rail contact force in the time domain and the prediction of sound pressure level using a linear frequency-domain model. The time-domain model uses moving Green’s functions for the vehicle and track models (accounting for wheel flexibility and a discretely supported rail with space-variant beam properties) and a non-Hertzian wheel‒rail contact model. The time-domain and frequency-domain models are coupled based on the concept of an equivalent roughness spectrum. The model is demonstrated by investigating the influence of axle load, vehicle speed and wheel profile on generated impact noise levels. A negligible influence on impact noise is observed for axle loads in the interval 15–25 tonnes. On the other hand, increasing vehicle speed from 80 to 150 km/h, or comparing a nominal S1002 wheel profile with a severely hollow worn profile, result in substantially higher levels of impact noise; for the given wheel and track conditions the differences are in the order of 10 dB(A).