Environmental noise and structural vibration measurements on a steel railway bridge

A railway steel bridge is of necessity placed near population centers and often causes significant noise and vibration at nearby residences and other sensitive types of land use. The generation of steel bridge noise and vibrations can be split into three steps. Wheel/rail interaction causes the rail to vibrate. The vibration is then transmitted through the track fastening to the bridge structure. The energy is then transmitted throughout the various structural components of the bridge causing them to vibrate and hence radiate sound. Then, along the propagation path between all sources and receivers, noise levels are attenuated by distance, intervening obstacles and other factors. And finally at each receiver, noise combines from all sources to interfere, perhaps, with receiver activities. The aim of this study is to measure and evaluate the environmental noise and the structural vibration levels generated by railway vehicles passing through the steel bridge. The measurements were carried out on the steel truss bridge in Istanbul. The results of site measurements will be used as inputs for determining the track system and any further precaution from noise and vibration point of view.