NTL Record

Title Noise Test-Corrugated Rails Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: Letter Report
Record ID 47228
Personal Name
Creator
Rickley, Edward J.; Rice, Norman E.; Brian, Martin J.
Source 49p. in various pagings
Corporate Creator John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
Corporate
Contributor
United States. Department of Transportation. Urban Mass Transportation Administration
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Urban Mass Transportation Administration
Publication Date 19811231
Language English
Abstract Noise and ground-borne vibration level measurements were made on a section of the Huntington subway route of the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA). Measurements were made before, in between, and after a WMATA sponsored rail grinding operation to eliminate corrugations from a section of rails between Foggy Bottom and Rosslyn subway stations. In-car acoustic measurements showed a 12-19 db noise reduction as a result of the rail grinding operations. This large amount of noise reduction was achieved partly because the rail test section between Foggy Bottom and Rosslyn subway stations had particularly rough rail corrugations before grinding resulting in high in-car noise levels compared to other parts of the WMATA system. The large reduction in levels probably would not be realized in other parts of the system where the rails were not as badly corrugated. The largest noise reduction took place when the field side of the rails were ground. No significant reduction was noted in the ground-borne vibration levels measured at the surface on NW I street as a result of rail grinding operations.
Rosap ID dot:9799
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/9799
TRT Terms Pavement corrugations; Defects; Deformation; Railroad rails; Vibration tests; Vibration; Acoustic measuring instruments; Railroad facilities; Noise; Rail grinding; Rapid transit cars
General Subjects Ground-borne vibration; Rail grinding
Classification AGR - IMPACTS - Environment;
NTL - PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - Transit Energy and Environment;
NTL - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT - Transit Energy and Environment;
NTL - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT - Environment Impacts
Geographical
Coverage
Washington (District of Columbia)
Report Number DOT-TSC-UM-149-LR2
Availability Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/47000/47200/47228/DOT-TSC-UM-149-LR2.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository