
READ ME File For 'Sound files supporting the PhD thesis "Modelling Railway Rolling Noise"'

Dataset DOI: 10.5258/SOTON/XXXXXX

ReadMe Author: Christopher Knuth, University of Southampton ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4995-2179

This dataset supports the thesis entitled "Modelling Railway Rolling Noise"
AWARDED BY: Univeristy of Southampton
DATE OF AWARD: TBD

DESCRIPTION OF THE DATA
This dataset includes the sound files simulated with the numerical railway rolling noise model developed during the PhD candidature. These files accompany the results shown in Chapter 8 of the thesis. 

The models used to generate these files are based on the Finite Element and Boundary Element methods developed in the thesis and implemented in MATLAB code. They are combined with analytical and semi-analytical approaches, for modelling the vibration and sound radiation from the wheel and the track for roughness excitation in the frequency domain. The whole modelling chain is outlined in Chapters 3-7 of the thesis.
The wheels are modelled as moving compact sources given their sound power and directivity while the track is modelled as an infinite waveguide excited through a force that is moving with the wheel/rail contact on the rail, as described in Chapter 8 of the thesis. The frequency domain data is processed to obtain the noise signals in the time domain by applying a random phase that accounts for the spatial variability of roughness.
Each wheel/rail contact of all wheels on both rails is treated as an uncorrelated source and signals of the wheel, the rail and the sleeper are combined to obtain the fulll rolling noise signals.

The dataset comprises the track impulse responses of the rail and the sleeper noise for rail excitation and rolling noise signals of the pass-by of one wheel or multiple wheels rolling along a single or both rails at a stationary receiver in the track side (1.5 m above the rail and 7.5 m from the nearest rail), as well as measured train noise signals used for the validation of the models. 
The sound files are stored as .wav files and any audio player (e.g. Windows Media Player) that can play .wav files can be used for listening.

This dataset contains:
A total number of 28 sound files is included which is structured in several folders as follows:

o 01_Impulse Resonses
This folder contains the impulse responses of the railway rail and sleeper in terms of sound pressure at the receiver (y=7.5m, z=1.5m) for distances of at distances x=0m,25m,50m along the rail for a vertical force applied to the rail at x=0m over a duration of.
- IR_rail_0m.wav
- IR_rail_25m.wav
- IR_rail_50m.wav
- IR_sleeper_0m.wav
- IR_sleeper_25m.wav
- IR_sleeper_50m.wav

o 02_PassBy single wheel
This folder contains the rolling noise signals simulated at the receiver (y=7.5m, z=1.5m) of a single railway wheel rolling on one rail with a speed of 160 km/h in terms of the total noise, and separated per wheel, rail, sleeper noise.
- RollingNoise_PassBy_1w_total_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_1w_wheel_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_1w_rail_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_1w_sleeper_V160.wav

o 03_PassBy single wheelset
This folder contains the simulated  rolling noise signals at the receiver (y=7.5m, z=1.5m) of a single railway wheelset (two wheels) rolling on both rail with a speed of 160 km/h in terms of the total noise, and separated per wheel, rail, sleeper noise.
- RollingNoise_PassBy_2w_total_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_2w_wheel_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_2w_rail_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_2w_sleeper_V160.wav

o 04_PassBy four wheelsets
This folder contains the simulated  rolling noise signals at the receiver (y=7.5m, z=1.5m) of four railway wheelsets (8 wheels) rolling on both rail with a speed of 160 km/h in terms of the total noise, and separated per wheel, rail, sleeper noise.
- RollingNoise_PassBy_4ws_total_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_4ws_wheel_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_4ws_rail_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_4ws_sleeper_V160.wav

o 05_PassBy Train
This folder contains the simulated rolling noise signals at the receiver (y=7.5m, z=1.5m) of four railway wheelsets (two wheels) rolling on both rail with a speed of 160 km/h and 80 km/h in terms of the total noise, and separated per wheel, rail, sleeper noise.
- RollingNoise_PassBy_16ws_total_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_16ws_wheel_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_16ws_rail_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_16ws_sleeper_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_16ws_total_V80.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_16ws_wheel_V80.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_16ws_rail_V80.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_16ws_sleeper_V80.wav
Additionally, two files of the train noise measurements for speeds of 160 km/h and 80 km/h collected during the EU project Roll2Rail in 2016 are added, which were used for the comparison with the model, i.e. the models were replicating the measurement conditions.
- RollingNoise_PassBy_Measurement_V160.wav
- RollingNoise_PassBy_Measurement_V80.wav


Date of data collection: 2025 (simulation), 2016 (measurement) 


Date that the file was created: February, 2025