Effect of elastic rubber mats on the reduction of vibration and noise in high-speed elevated railway systems

Abstract

In the development of a high-speed railway system, controlling the vibration and noise caused by the system plays an important issue, since the vibration and noise have an influence on the surrounding environment. This study describes the field experiment conducted in September 2015 on the Chengdu–Dujiangyan high-speed railway system where elastic rubber mats – the only countermeasure that is currently applied to reduce vibration and noise in high-speed elevated railway systems in China – were installed in September 2010. The effects of mats under the tracks on noise and vibration were evaluated and analyzed systematically compared to the tracks without mats in the following three aspects: vertical wheel–rail forces; vibration characteristics of the track system, bridge, and ground in combination with the environmental noise characteristics in several frequency domains; and the ride comfort and the interior noise of the vehicle. The results indicate that mats have a negligible effect on the vertical wheel–rail forces, ride comfort, and the interior noise of the vehicle. However, even though they significantly reduce the vibration of the base slab, bridge, and the ground below the mats, vibration of the rails and track slabs above the mats is increased, especially at low frequencies. Mats can also effectively reduce the bridge-borne noise but have little influence on the far-field noise. Furthermore, their control effect on environmental noise and vibration was evaluated in September 2010 and September 2015, showing that mats could effectively minimize the environmental vibration and bridge-borne noise after five years of practical operation, although their control effect declined as their stiffness increased.