• Wind and Structures
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.171-189
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• 2016

An adjustable, louver-type wind barrier was introduced in this study for improving the running safety and ride comfort of train on the bridge under the undesirable wind environment. The aerodynamic characteristics of both train and bridge due to this novel wind barrier was systematically investigated based on the wind tunnel tests. It is suggested that rotation angles of the adjustable blade of the louver-type wind barrier should be controlled within $90^{\circ}$ to achieve an effective solution in terms of the overall aerodynamic performance of the train. Compared to the traditional grid-type wind barrier, the louver-type wind barrier generally presents better aerodynamic performance. Specifically, the larger decrease of the lift force and overturn moment of the train and the smaller increase of the drag force and torsional moment of the bridge resulting from the louver-type wind barrier were highlighted. Finally, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique was applied to explore the underlying mechanism of aerodynamic control using the proposed wind barrier.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.522-532
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• 2015

In the present study, a tunnel type soundproof wall with partial opening is proposed to reduce the environmental noise caused by railway vehicles traveling on bridges, which affects residents of high-rise apartment buildings; the study also attempts to minimize load due to wind and the weight of the wall. Applying the principles of computational fluid dynamics and structural mechanics, and the ray tracing method, a reduction in noise as well as of the overall weight of the soundproof walls is estimated. Analysis results show that the proposed soundproof wall with a partial opening weighs less, while reducing the wind loading by up to 30%. To prevent direct propagation of sound through openings in the wall, an acoustic louver, which is a type of silencer, could be considered for the opening. In order to achieve a similar noise effect with existing insulation material, the fluid flow and the insulation effect of the acoustic louver are analyzed. As the considered opening is in the range of 30~40% of the total length of the soundproof wall, the noise effect and wind load are reduced by 10dB and 25% respectively. Consequently, opening some part of tunnel type soundproof walls and installing louvers on the wall openings can have the effects of weight-reduction and reduced wind load. If a partial opening is applied with proper sound material application, a gain of an additional 5~10dB of noise reduction can be achieved.