The efficiency of tram articulations compared to vibroacoustic emissions

Human quality of life is constantly increasing, and so does the comfort of travel by various means of public transport, especially rail transport. One of the more crucial criteria for assessment of travel comfort is vibroacoustic comfort. This aspect is also substantial among rail vehicle operators and manufacturers. Sound quality evaluation is related to psychoacoustic indicators, but reducing the levels of acoustic pressure does not always correlate to increased quality of the perceived sound and improvement of human sound perception. Moreover the cause of unpleasant noise has to be taken into consideration. In many examples it is induced by specific vibrations and/or friction forces through components. The following article presents experimental research carried out in the in-situ conditions, testing the quality of work carried out by tram articulations considering vibroacoustic emissions. Several measurements were taken of vibroacoustic signals in several urban rail vehicles of the same type. Two different trams were chosen for analysis and their vibroacoustic emission levels as well as sound quality parameters were compared. One of the more crucial aspects of the research was to determine the dependency between vibrations around the area of articulations and squealing noise. The results indicate a large correlation between signals and deterioration in the work quality of the articulation in the given tram. Moreover, the authors suggest expanding on currently carried out maintenance in order to minimise inconvenient vibroacoustic phenomena during use.