Train-Induced Vibration and Structure-Borne Noise Measurement and Prediction of Low-Rise Building

Abstract

The advancement of urban rail transit is increasingly confronted with environmental challenges related to vibration and noise. To investigate the critical issues surrounding vibration propagation and the generation of structure-borne noise, a two-story frame building was selected for on-site measurements of both vibration and its induced structure-borne noise. The collected data were analyzed in both the time and frequency domains to explore the correlation between these phenomena, leading to the proposal of a hybrid prediction method for structural noise that was subsequently compared with measured results. The findings indicate that the excitation of structure-borne noise produces significant waveforms within sound signals. The characteristic frequency of the structure-borne noise is 25–80 Hz, as well as that of the train-induced vibration. Furthermore, there exists a positive correlation between structural vibration and structure-borne noise, whereby increased levels of vibration correspond to more pronounced structure-borne noise; additionally, indoor distribution patterns of structure-borne noise are non-uniform, with corner wall areas exhibiting greater intensity than central room locations. Finally, a hybrid prediction methodology that is both semi-analytical and semi-empirical is introduced. The approach derives dynamic response predictions of the structure through analytical solutions, subsequently estimating the secondary noise within the building’s interior using a newly formulated empirical equation to facilitate rapid predictions regarding indoor building vibrations and structure-borne noises induced by subway train operations.