SpringerLink
Log in

Acoustic performance evaluation of railway boundary walls using a computational fluid dynamics-based simulation approach

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Railway noise has become a significant concern for trackside residents due to increased volume of high-speed passenger and freight train traffic. To address this, active measures, such as reducing noise at the source, and passive measures, such as installing noise barriers along the transmission path, are widely being used. In urban areas, railway boundary walls are constructed to prevent encroachments of railway lands and to avoid pedestrian trespassing of railway tracks. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of such a boundary wall for reducing noise and proposes an improved alternative through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Various noise barriers with different geometry, shape, and surface materials were simulated and validated with the field conditions based on a rectangular wall of height 2.75 m. Noise attenuation was evaluated by measuring railway noise spectra at different positions, including 0.5 m in front and behind the barrier and at the facade of the residential area. The insertion loss based on field measurements for a rectangular barrier of height 2.75 m was observed to be 5.2 dBA. The simulation results indicated a positive correlation between barrier height and insertion loss, with a maximum attenuation of 17 dBA achieved with a barrier of height 6 m. The most effective noise barrier for reducing railway noise was a T-shaped barrier with a height of 6 m and a projection length of 2 m, with an insertion loss of 22 dBA. This study recommends constructing the barrier with soft materials on its surface to reflect and absorb sound waves effectively. These findings have potential implications for urban planners and policymakers in designing effective noise barriers in residential areas near railway lines.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

References

  • Arenas C, Leiva C, Vilches LF, Cifuentes H (2013) Use of co-combustion bottom ash to design an acoustic absorbing material for highway noise barriers. Waste Manag 33:2316–2321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2013.07.008

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ashgriz N, Mostaghimi J (2002) An introduction to computational fluid dynamics. Fluid Flow Handbook 1:1–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Bunn F, Zannin T (2016) Assessment of railway noise in an urban setting. Appl Acoust 104:16–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter NL (1996) Transportation noise, sleep, and possible after-effects. Environ Int 22(1):105–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekici I, Bougdah H (2003) A review of research on environmental noise barriers. Building Acoustics 10(4):289–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EN 1793–6 (2012) Road traffic noise reducing devices – test method for determining the acoustic performance – Part 6: intrinsic characteristics – In situ values of airborne sound insulation under direct sound field conditions

  • Eriksson C, Bodin T, Selander J (2017) Burden of disease from road traffic and railway noise–a quantification of healthy life years lost in Sweden. Scand J Work Environ Health 519–525

  • Gasparoni S, Haider M, Conter M, Wehr R (2011) BEM simulations of diffraction-optimized barriers. Bound Elem Other Mesh Reduction Methods XXXIII:111–118

  • Greiner D, Aznárez JJ, Maeso O, Winter G (2010) Single- and multi-objective shape design of Y-noise barriers using evolutionary computation and boundary elements. Adv Eng Softw 41:368–378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advengsoft.2009.06.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grubeša S, Jambrošić K, Domitrović H (2012) Noise barriers with varying cross-section optimized by genetic algorithms. Appl Acoust 73:1129–1137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2012.05.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haron Z, Jamaludin J, Darus N et al (2019) A case study of acoustic efficiency of existing noise barrier in reducing road traffic noise in school area. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Institute of Physics Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  • Hasmaden F, Zorer Gedik G, Yüğrük Akdağ N (2022) An approach to the design of photovoltaic noise barriers and a case study from Istanbul, Turkey. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29:33609–33626. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-18625-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong JY, Jeon JY (2014) The effects of audio-visual factors on perceptions of environmental noise barrier performance. Landsc Urban Plan 125:28–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.02.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hothersall DC, Chandler-Wilde SN, Hajmirzae MN (1991) Efficiency of single noise barriers. J Sound Vib 146(2):303–322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ishizuka T, Fujiwara K (2004) Performance of noise barriers with various edge shapes and acoustical conditions. Appl Acoust 65:125–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2003.08.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Issakhov A, Omarova P, Abylkassymova A (2023) Determination of optimal height of barriers to reduce the amount of pollution in the viaduct settings in an idealized urban canyon: a numerical study. Environ Monit Assess 195:178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10751-z

  • Jiang J, Hanson D, Dowdell B (2015) At-source control of freight rail noise: a case study. Acoust Aust 43:233–243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40857-015-0026-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar BS, Chowdary V (2023) Use of artificial neural networks to assess train horn noise at a railway level crossing in India. Environ Monit Assess 195:426. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11021-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laxmi V, Thakre C, Vijay R (2022) Compliance of noise standards during COVID pandemic in residential and silence zone at NEERI Campus, Nagpur. J Indian Assoc Environ Manag 42(2):15–20

  • Lee HM, Luo W, **e J, Lee HP (2022) Traffic noise reduction strategy in a large city and an analysis of its effect. Appl Sci 12:12. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12126027

  • Licitra G, Fredianelli L, Petri D, Vigotti A (2016) Annoyance evaluation due to overall railway noise and vibration in Pisa urban areas. Sci Total Environ 568:1315–1325

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Niu J (2016) CFD simulation of the wind environment around an isolated high-rise building: an evaluation of SRANS, LES and DES models. Build Environ 96:91–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.11.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • May DN, Osmans MM (1980) Highway noise barriers: new shapes. J Sound Vib 71(1):73–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan PA, Hothersall DC (1997) Influence of shape and absorbing surface—a numerical study of railway noise barriers. J Sound Vib 217(3):405–417. https://doi.org/10.1006/jsvi.1998.1773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mozafari MS, Taban E, Soltani P, Faridan M, Khavanin A (2024) Sound absorption and thermal insulation performance of sustainable fruit stone panels. Appl Acoust 217:109836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2023.109836

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naderzadeh M, Monazzam MR, Nassiri P, Fard SMB (2011) Application of perforated sheets to improve the efficiency of reactive profiled noise barriers. Appl Acoust 72:393–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2011.01.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noh HM, Choi S, Hong S, Kim SW (2014) Investigation of noise sources in high-speed trains. Proc Inst Mech Eng F J Rail Rapid Transit 228:307–322. https://doi.org/10.1177/0954409712473095

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oldham DJ, Egan CA (2011) A parametric investigation of the performance of T-profiled highway noise barriers and the identification of a potential predictive approach. Appl Acoust 72:803–813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2011.04.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petri D, Licitra G, Vigotti A, Fredianelli L (2021) Effects of exposure to road, railway, airport and recreational noise on blood pressure and hypertension. Int J Environ Res Public Health 18(17):9145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pultznerová A, Šimo J, Grenčík J (2021) Possibilities of evaluating the effectiveness of noise barriers in Slovakia. Appl Sci 11:21. https://doi.org/10.3390/app112110206

  • Reiter P, Wehr R, Ziegelwanger H (2017) Simulation and measurement of noise barrier sound-reflection properties. Appl Acoust 123:133–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2017.03.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samuels S, Ancich E (2002) Recent developments in the design and performance of road traffic noise barriers. Noise & Vibration Worldwide 33(3):16–23

  • Santana HS, da Silva AGP, Lopes MGM et al (2020) Computational methodology for the development of microdevices and microreactors with ANSYS CFX. MethodsX 7:82–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2019.12.006

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shu N, Cohn LF et al (2006) Improving traffic-noise model insertion loss accuracy based on diffraction and reflection theories. J Transp Eng 133(5):281–287. https://doi.org/10.1061/ASCE0733-947X2007133:5281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song L, Gao K, Liu Q et al (2022) Acoustic performance of near-rail low-height noise barriers installed on suburban railway bridges. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29:62330–62346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20074-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sousa L, Pereira L, Montes-González D, Ramos D, Amado-Mendes P, Barrigón-Morillas GL (2023) Experimental analysis and simulation of a porous absorbing layer for noise barriers. Appl Sci 13(4):2638. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042638

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun W, Liu L, Yuan H, Su Q (2019) Influence of top shape on noise reduction effect of high-speed railway noise barrier. In: IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 493(1):012043

  • Thompson D (2008) Railway noise and vibration: mechanisms, modelling and means of control. Elsevier

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson DJ, Iglesias EL, Liu X et al (2015) Recent developments in the prediction and control of aerodynamic noise from high-speed trains. Int J Rail Transp 3:119–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Wang X (2019) Modelling and analysis of noise barrier shape effects on highway automobiles emission dispersion. Fluids 4(151):1–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Zhu X, Zhang T et al (2018) A renewable low-frequency acoustic energy harvesting noise barrier for high-speed railways using a Helmholtz resonator and a PVDF film. Appl Energy 230:52–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.08.080

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • WHO Guidelines for Noise (2017). Central Pollution control Board. Ministry of environment, forest and climate change, India

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Warangal, 506004, Telangana, India

    Boddu Sudhir Kumar & Venkaiah Chowdary

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Shri Vishnu Engineering College for Women, 534202, Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Boddu Sudhir Kumar

Authors
  1. Boddu Sudhir Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Venkaiah Chowdary
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis and investigation, and writing—original draft preparation have been done by author 1. Writing—review and editing and supervision of the work was done by author 2.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Boddu Sudhir Kumar.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kumar, B.S., Chowdary, V. Acoustic performance evaluation of railway boundary walls using a computational fluid dynamics-based simulation approach. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 24344–24359 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32722-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32722-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation