• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.576-584
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• 2016

In this study, we measured the air tightness of a train using pressure variation in tunnels. To estimate the air tightness of a train is essential to comprehend the pressure variation of the cabin because air tightness is strongly related with ear discomfort. If we can determine the air tightness, we can predict the pressure variation of the cabin. Also, ear discomfort is a problem that can be caused in a high speed train, as well as in Korea's Great Train Express. In this study, we compared the various international standards for ear discomfort and estimated the air tightness of each vehicle based on experimental data obtained using the ITX, KTX and KTX-sancheon(honam) vehicles. The internal pressure variation of the trains is numerically calculated using the air tightness value. The results are good compared to the experimental results. Instead of flap type ventilation, in the future, continuous ventilation equipment will be needed for speed-up.