Rail System Noise and Vibration Control

Control of noise and vibration emitted by steel wheel and rail transportation systems has a long history of designs and techniques, some of which were dismal failures and some which worked very well. Many of the early efforts had a valid technical base for the design, however, there were also many based on intuition or ideas with great expectations, but which had no real technical basis. In the last four decades the technology and materials used for rail noise and vibration control, particularly for the control of groundborne vibration from rail systems, has developed and benefited from thoughtful technical analyses and application of simple engineering principles. These also were not always successful in all respects but provided for a continuing development of the technology with ever-improving success and performance. Included in this presentation are a review of the development of rail noise and vibration control systems, including the lightweight, undamped concrete floating slab track for reduction of groundborne noise and vibration, and of the development of structurally integrated sound barriers with absorption materials for control of airborne sound. The presentation includes anecdotes and discussion of some of the unexpected results from new design installations, an outline of design progress and application extensions, and review of the concepts and designs which are successful and currently in use by rail systems located in many different parts of the world.