CONTROL OF WHEEL/RAIL NOISE AND VIBRATION

An analytical model of the generation of wheel/rail noise has been developed and validated through an extensive series of field tests carried out at the Transportation Test Center using the State of the Art Car. A sensitivity analysis has been performed using the analytical model. That analysis showed that wheel/rail noise is relatively insensitive to changes in most system parameter values, except wheel and rail roughness, contact area and contact stiffness. The surface finish produced by most wheel truing and rail grinding machines has been measured. A belt grinder used by the Toronto Transit Commission for wheel truing and a rail grinding block car used by the Chicago Transit Authority to grind rails were found to produce the quietest surface finishes giving an estimated 12 dBA of noise reduction when compared with typical rapid transit wheels and rails in revenue service. A scale model of a new concept wheel employing a resilient tread has been built and tested. Noise reductions of up to 8 dBA were achieved with tread stresses in the manageable range.

• Corporate Authors:

  Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Incorporated

  50 Moulton Street
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02138

  Urban Mass Transportation Administration

  Office of Technical Assistance & Safety, 400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • REMINGTON, P J
  • Dixon, N R
  • Kurzweil, L G
  • MENGE, C W
  • STAHR, J D
  • WITTIG, L E
• Publication Date: 1983-4

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 348 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Car wheels (Railroads); Damping (Physics); Force; Light rail vehicles; Noise; Noise control; Rail grinding; Railroad rails; Railroads; Rapid transit cars; Wheels
• Identifier Terms: State of the Art Car (Rapid transit car)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Noise reduction
• Old TRIS Terms: Resilient wheel; Wheel truing
• Subject Areas: Environment; Public Transportation; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00377072
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-MA-06-0099-82-5Final Rpt., HS-035 244, DOT-TSC-UMTA-82-57
• Contract Numbers: DOT-TSC-1768
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 30 1984 12:00AM