Simplified prediction models for acoustic installation effects of train-mounted equipment

Acoustic models of railway vehicles in standstill and pass-by conditions can be used as part of a virtual certification process for new trains.For each piece of auxiliary equipment,the sound power measured on a test bench is combined with meas-ured or predicted transfer functions.It is important,however,to allow for installation effects due to shielding by fairings or the train body.In the current work,fast-running analytical models are developed to determine these installation effects.The model for roof-mounted sources takes account of diffraction at the corner of the train body or fairing,using a barrier model.For equipment mounted under the train,the acoustic propagation from the sides of the source is based on free-field Green’s functions.The bottom surfaces are assumed to radiate initially into a cavity under the train,which is modelled with a simple diffuse field approach.The sound emitted from the gaps at the side of the cavity is then assumed to propagate to the receivers according to free-field Green’s functions.Results show good agreement with a 2.5D boundary element model and with measurements.Modelling uncertainty and parametric uncertainty are evaluated.The largest variability occurs due to the height and impedance of the ground,especially for a low receiver.This leads to standard deviations of up to 4 dB at low frequencies.For the roof-mounted sources,uncertainty over the location of the corner used in the equivalent barrier model can also lead to large standard deviations.