Calculating Ground-Borne Noise From Ground-born Vibration - A Comparison of Different Approaches

Abstract This study investigates methods of converting ground-borne vibration levels to ground-borne noise levels and examines the quality of three currently existing computation techniques. During a preliminary series of tests, the computation techniques were examined under controlled conditions, where floor vibrations were generated in a laboratory at discrete frequencies. A second test series then investigated more realistic circumstances by monitoring the transient vibrations caused by train pass-bys in a standard residential room, while simultaneous sound metering measured the radiated noise. The concurrence of noise and vibration is mostly observed in buildings subject to heavy tra c pass-bys where no direct sound from the source is immitted. A definite correlation between the two has yet to be established, as the multitude of parameters which influence emission, transmission and immission of waves e.g. train speed and load, embankment and geology, demand a more complex approach than the current methods seem to be able to o er.