Development of a novel acoustic absorber for the cost-effective reduction of railway noise

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The importance of rail as an efficient and sustainable mode of transport has been accentuatedby the ill effects of significant growth in road transportation in recent decades. Across our UKand European cities, traffic congestion impairs efficient industry and gives rise to airpollution. When compared with carrying the same tonnage by road, rail produces significantlyless pollutants. The impetus now is to address the recent overall decline in rail transport andprovide a more efficient and environmentally friendly transport system.However, standing in the way of this notable goal is the growing awareness of the impact ofrailway noise on public health, which has resulted in pressure from line-side inhabitants,governments and health organisations for increased noise mitigation. Noise is proving to be alimiting factor for many railway network operations; introducing additional costs formitigation, demands for limits on availability/capacity, and resistance to expansion of thenetwork.The sources of noise can be broadly categorised into three groups: rolling noise, traction noise(propulsion), and aerodynamic noise. Although a holistic approach to tackling rail noise issought, it is widely recognised that rolling noise is the predominant offender in the speedrange 40-250km/hr. Existing solutions to noise are either ineffective or exorbitantly costly.Rosehill Polymers is proposing to develop and commercialise the Noise Reduction Panel(NRP) system: a cost effective easily retro-fittable noise attenuator, made from a novelrecycling manufacturing technique, exclusive to Rosehill Polymers. We expect our solution tobe very attractive to the rail network providers and make a significant contribution towardsUK and EU noise reduction targets.We plan to generate total combined revenue of €73.9million, with an associated profit ofroughly €43million. Achieving these figures will require the creation of 45 new jobs withinthe company.