Review of standards on railway noise and suggestions on directions for the development of sound absorbable high strength concrete

Abstract

This research reviewed and compared the railway noise standards of major railway countries because the control of railway noise has become more important recently. In order to satisfy demand for railway vehicles capable of higher speeds and to reduce maintenance, concrete slab track is becoming more popular due to its high rigidity compared to conventional ballasted track. However, since concrete slab track has unfavorable acoustic characteristics in terms of reflecting sound, it increases the noise level compared to ballasted track. Sound absorbable concrete slab track could be an effective solution to reduce railway noise; this research suggests the important features that need to be considered to design sound absorbable concrete slab track. In order to develop concrete with high sound absorbing capability, various measurement methods for porosity and sound absorption coefficient, and evaluation methods to represent sound absorption coefficient in a single parameter, were reviewed and analyzed. In addition, analytical sound absorption rate models were analyzed by comparison with the experimental results recently conducted by the authors. © 2018 The Korean Society for Railway.