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Environmental noise and vibration characteristics of rubber-spring floating slab track

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 28, pages 13671–13689 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

The floating slab track is considered one of the most effective track structures to reduce the adverse effects of underground railway noise and vibration. This paper reports a new type of rubber-spring float track (RSFS), which adopts a well-designed rubber-spring vibration isolator and is conceptually designed as a float track structure. The dynamic performance of different track structures, namely RSFS track, fixed slab track, and transition section, were studied. Vibration response of the car body and the track structure was obtained. Internal noise from the train and external noise near the tracks were also recorded. The results show that the measured track structures can ensure the safety of train operation. Compared with the fixed plate track, the RSFS track has a good vibration isolation effect, and the RMS vibration reduction at the tunnel wall was 15.1 dB. However, it amplifies the vibration above the isolation layer and slightly increases the internal noise of the train. RSFS track structure should be evaluated comprehensively before implementation. In addition, the track stiffness has a significant impact on the vibration level of the track, thus affecting the vibration isolation effect. The noise distribution inside the train is not uniform and is not sensitive to the stiffness of the track structure. Due to the uncertainty of train-induced vibration, a probabilistic framework is needed to evaluate or predict the train-induced environmental vibrations.

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Data availability

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This study was financially supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) (CUG190637), the Office of Laboratory and Equipment Management, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) (SJ-202008), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51908139), and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, China (2018A0303130150).

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Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Wei He, Yutao Pang & Xiaomei Wang

  2. School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Chao Zou

Authors
  1. Wei He
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  2. Chao Zou
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  3. Yutao Pang
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  4. Xiaomei Wang
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Contributions

WH performed the measurement and was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. CZ analyzed and interpreted the measured vibration data. YP and XW performed the measurement. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chao Zou.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Highlights

• Dynamic performance of rubber-spring floating slab (RSFS) track, fixed slab track, and transition zone was experimentally investigated.

• Vibration characteristics of different track structures and car bodies were compared.

• Both interior noise and exterior noise were evaluated at different track structures.

• Uncertainty of train-induced vibrations is discussed.

Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues

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He, W., Zou, C., Pang, Y. et al. Environmental noise and vibration characteristics of rubber-spring floating slab track. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 13671–13689 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11627-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11627-w

Keywords

  • Rubber-spring floating slab (RSFS)
  • Underground rail transit
  • Noise
  • Vibration
  • Measurements