Railway Noise and Vibration Research at the ISVR | Engineering

Our research aims to investigate the fundamental mechanisms behind the generation of different types of railway noise and vibration and to use this understanding to develop practical solutions.

Railway noise and vibration is an important environmental issue affecting many people who live close to railway lines. Our research covers many different aspects and, in each case, aims to investigate the fundamental mechanisms behind the generation of noise and vibration and to use this understanding to develop practical solutions.

The ISVR has been active in the area of railway noise and vibration since the 1970s and we are now play a leading role in this important field. Our research covers many different aspects and, in each case, we aim to investigate the fundamental mechanisms behind the generation of railway noise and vibration and to use this understanding to develop practical solutions.

Wheel-rail rolling noise is a broad-band source caused by vibration of the wheel and rail which are excited at their contact by irregularities (roughness) of the running surfaces. This is the dominant source of noise from railway operations. The TWINS program developed by our staff remains the state-of-the-art method of predicting rolling noise and is routinely used in the industry to assess new wheel and track designs. We regularly measure rail and wheel roughness, track decay rates and other quantities in the field. We also use scale models to investigate phenomena in more controlled conditions in the laboratory.

Ground vibration and ground-borne noise are related phenomena that affect lineside residents. Unlike airborne sound the ground varies from one location to another and may have complex wave-bearing properties. Dedicated prediction models using both analytical and numerical approaches have been developed and used to assess practical solutions.

Squeal noise, occurring as wheels traverse curves of tight radius, is a high-pitched tonal noise that is an acute cause of annoyance to those living adjacent to such a curve. It is of particular concern for urban railways and tramways which often have tight radius curves close to buildings. Mainline freight and passenger railways are also affected at tight curves in depots, sidings and stations. Our research aims to increase understanding of the fundamental mechanisms causing squeal.

Aerodynamic noise is an important source for train speeds above about 300 km/h. Research in this area includes the use of numerical techniques (Computational Fluid Dynamics and Computational Aeroacoustics) and the development of simplified semi-empirical prediction methods.

We are also active in many other areas of railway noise control, where theoretical models are used to understand, and then control, noise. These include impact noise at rail joints and switches, bridge noise and roughness growth. We are also developing models for the prediction and assessment of vehicle interior noise.

We also work closely with our colleagues in ISVR Consulting.