Noise and Vibration Measurements for the DCTA Stadler DMU

摘要

A test program was conducted for the Stadler diesel multiple unit (DMU) rail vehicles on the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) A-Train system in Lewisville, TX. The objective of the program was to determine the wayside noise and ground-borne vibration characteristics of these vehicles for application to other transit projects. The measurements indicated that the Stadler DMU noise emissions are relatively low compared to existing standards, although some low-frequency tonal noise was observed. Compared to the U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) noise model, the A-weighted levels from the Stadler DMU at constant speed generally fell within the range predicted using the FTA DMU and rail car noise models, with increased noise during full-throttle acceleration and deceleration with regenerative braking. The vibration measurements indicated that overall ground vibration levels decreased more rapidly with distance than suggested by the FTA General Assessment model, but had a similar speed dependence. The data were combined with vibration propagation test results to calculate the Force Density Level (FDL), used in the FTA Detailed Analysis method to predict ground vibration. The FDL values for the Stadler DMU fell in between the average FTA values for commuter and light rail vehicles within the 10-80 Hz frequency range.