The greatest disadvantage of rail vehicles is their significant environmental impact through the generation of vibrations and noise during operation. Dynamic processes occurring at the wheel-rail contact point, combined with the structural interaction of the vehicle body, constitute the broadly understood vibroacoustic activity of the vehicle. The article presents an overview of issues related to the analysis and use of vibroacoustics for assessing the operational properties of trams. Examples are used to illustrate the possibilities of acquiring and utilizing diagnostic information about the vehicle and infrastructure provided by the vibroacoustic signal generated by a light rail vehicle, such as a tram.INTRODUCTION
The necessity of moving significant passenger flows within large cities requires the commitment of substantial financial resources to ensure an adequate number of vehicles and properly prepared infrastructure. In highly urbanized areas, the most important feature of the transport process should be its efficiency. Consequently, public transport systems are developing. Current development trends in urban public transport systems indicate the significant role of the tram in the proper functioning of urban agglomerations. In cities that have tram communication, increasing amounts of money are being allocated to the purchase of new vehicles or the modernization of those already in operation. Such action is motivated by the need to renew the working stock of aging rolling stock on one hand, and on the other, by the necessity to compete with individual car transport.
Besides the undeniable advantages of trams, such as high efficiency, significant operational speed, capacity, and electric power supply with the possibility of energy recovery during braking, trams are a source of vibrations and traffic noise. The processes that occur during the rolling of a steel wheel on a steel rail are the primary sources of the mechanoacoustic impact of the vehicle on the environment and people inside the vehicle. (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine 4/2011