Technical field

The technical solution relates to a railway or tramway track with modular panels of a low noise barrier reducing noise and vibration and arranged outside the track.

Background art

Known are a wide variety of systems to reduce noise emissions and vibration from rail vehicles produced due to the contact between the wheel and the rail. These systems are most often based on the structural configuration of a track fastening system and on a high quality, i. e. smooth finish of the contact surfaces of the wheel and rail. Nevertheless, also the construction of rail vehicles as such and the construction of the railway itself is a source of noise and vibration. At high speeds of the trains noise and vibration are caused by the aerodynamic design of railway vehicles, etc.

In order to prevent the propagation of noise and vibration from the railway into the surrounding area, vertical noise barriers are most commonly used. These noise barriers are made of boards or panels placed along the railway or tramway track. Another option is using horizontal structural pads from noise and vibration absorbing materials, which fill the track space, or it is possible to use a combination of both types of measures.

One of the so far known solutions of horizontal anti-noise pads of railway tracks is represented by modular panels with interlocking edges and vertical chambers, which are made from a porous sound-absorbing material, based, e.g., on wooden fillers, wood shavings, and are cement-bonded, whereby these modular panels are on the outer sides of the railway track supplemented with low concrete prefabricated noise barriers.

Another known solution of a railway track reducing noise and vibration is disclosed in the patent No. 303 309 and consists in that the rail track, composed of a rail grid with gravel ballast or a solid railway, contains systems of inner and outer panels with at least one sound absorbing layer, a system of clamp stabilizers and a directional barrier.

Another known solution of a modular panel reducing noise and vibration from the rail track is described in the utility model No. 23316 and consists in the fact that a shielding wall, which is based on the center of the base, has a sound absorbing layer on the side facing the track and has a substantially parabolic shape, whereby the technical solution of the modular panel itself does not allow water retention and/or planting vegetation cover.

In the rail tracks leading through an urban (populated) area, which forms the so-called urban heat islands - referred to as UHI, the most commonly used conventional arrangement of a track is an arrangement composed of a grid of rails with transverse supports, sleepers, installed in the gravel ballast on the railway substructure or plain. Known are also solutions, where the rail track is solved by a solid railway without gravel ballast. In terms of the local environment both these solutions have a negative impact, as they cause an increase in local temperature both on their surface and in the surroundings, reduce air humidity, affect the direction and speeds of the wind, are a source of airborne particles or their redistributor in the given area, etc.

Environmental requirements with respect to current railway tracks in residential areas include improved retention of water on site and decreased water drainage, as well as allowing its evaporation on site. However, the known systems can meet these requirements to a limited extent, or only by spending considerable consequential costs on the maintenance of all the functions of the system, in particular the functions of the green track.

The aim of the technical solution is to eliminate or at least minimize the disadvantages of the background art, especially to allow the building of railway tracks with a continuous arrangement of the railway substructure and superstructure for maintaining the same stiffness of the track construction in the longest possible section, while reducing effectively noise and vibration levels and allowing to build the so-called green tracks with lowered costs of maintaining green areas, i.e. with improved water retention and evaporation in the track area. Principle of the technical solution

The goal of the technical solution is achieved by a railway or tramway track with a low noise barrier, whose principle consists in that a modular panel reducing noise and vibration, coming particularly from the contact of the wheel and the rail, from the chassis of vehicles or their traction motors, contains at least one non-humic layer, which absorbs water, reduces the rate of its flow and outflow and allows its evaporation. The non-humic layer is an inseparable part of the construction of the modular panel and/or is mounted additionally on its outer side, away from the rail track.

The advantage of the proposed solution is the fact that it can be used both on the tracks with a conventional railway superstructure composed of rails, transverse sleepers and gravel ballast, and on railways with a solid carriageway composed of rails and a concrete slab without gravel ballast. The solution can be in its embodiment preferably used also on railway tracks built on bridge constructions, where it can at the same time create escape routes for passengers and operating staff in case of accidents or emergencies.

The actual modular panels are formed by a wire supporting spatial structure from surface protected iron, into which are inserted individual sound ansorbing and/or acoustically reflective layers and a retention pad, which usually consists of recycled synthetic materials or a stone agglomerate or wad, whereby preferably these layers are sandwich arranged in the wire spatial structure in the vertical direction. The sandwich layered panel thus created is on the side adjacent to the railway track always provided with a sound absorbing layer, which is in a preferred embodiment accompanied by a fair-faced wall with spatial recesses to ensure sufficient noise attenuation. On the side away from the rail track the panel is most often composed of sloping structuring of the individual layers forming a cascade for planting live vegetation and/or forming a sloping surface for installing an artificial grass carpet. The individual modular panels are mutually mechanically connected by wire spirals and/or clamps.

In a preferred embodiment, the modular panels of the low noise barrier with the function of water retention are designed on the side facing the track in such a manner that the shielding wall is rounded by at least one parabolic surface, wherein the focus of the parabola preferably lies outside the track on the edge of the gravel ballast or the gravel addition of the solid railway. Such an embodiment of the shielding wall enhances the efficiency of the panel in noise and vibration attenuation.

In another preferred embodiment of the utility model, the modular panels are for increasing the overall structural stiffness provided with a rigid air soundproof plate and/or a stone layer in their inner part.

In another preferred embodiment of the utility model, so as to increase the stiffness of the bearing surface, the modular panels are in their lower part formed by a rigid plate from recycled rubber, concrete or cement composites.

In another preferred embodiment of the utility model, in order to enhance water evaporation from the retention layers, the modular panels are supplemented with at least one set of pores from air permeable materials or stone dams.

In another preferred embodiment of the utility model, the modular panels with the function of water retention comprise a core consisting of retention layers, which are supplemented and/or interspersed with fine aggregate with an admixture of humus soils and the actual surface casing of the panel is formed by a stone dam with xerophilous plants or bushes, whereby the thus formed panel creates organic space for living invertebrates and insects, such as xerophilous species of butterflies, beetles, hymenoptera, Diptera, or hydrophilic species of bugs, dragonflies, etc., including small mammals or reptiles. Using this embodiment of the utility model creates new living space within the existing environmental structuring of the townscape and, at the same time, compensates for the areas occupied by the construction or modernization of the rail track. In another preferred embodiment of the utility model, the modular panels have a sloping or cascade design so that they could be placed at the end of the sets of low noise barriers.

According to a preferred embodiment, the upper surface of the modular panels is covered with a humic layer with vegetation cover, most often with various types of grass or sedum.

In another preferred embodiment of the utility model, the upper surface of the modular panels is covered with an artificial grass carpet, mechanically attached to the surface of the individual absorbant layers and/or bonded or mechanically attached to the supporting portion of the wire structure of the modular panel.

According to one embodiment, the non-humic layer is composed of water absorbing and water permeable synthetic clumps. According to another embodiment, the non-humic layer is composed of a water permeable porous agglomerate from non-absorbent inert materials.

For improving water retention, the modular panels have a spatial recess in their bottom to hold water and/or allow water drainage from the panel.

So as to improve the bearing capacity, the modular panels contain transverse vertical stiffeners.

According to a preferred embodiment, the non-humic layer is planted with plants.

Description of the drawings

The utility model is explained with reference to figures of exemplary embodiments, which are schematically represented in the following drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic axonometric view from the front of an embodiment of a railway track with gravel ballast and with modular panels of a low noise barrier with the function of water retention and surface formed by live vegetation.

Fig. 2 represents a schematic axonometric view from the front of an embodiment of a railway track with rail noise absorbers with the function of water retention and with modular panels of a low noise barrier with the function of water retention and surface formed by live vegetation.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic axonometric view from the front of a modular panel of a low noise barrier with the function of water retention and surface formed by live vegetation. Fig. 4 shows a schematic cross-section of an embodiment of a modular panel of a low noise barrier with the function of water retention supplemented with a reinforcing inner air soundproof plate.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-section of an embodiment of a modular panel of a low noise barrier with the function of water retention supplemented with a set of pores for increasing water evaporation.

Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-section of an embodiment of a modular panel of a low noise barrier with the function of water retention with an embodiment of a shielding wall resembling a parabola in form.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic cross-section of an embodiment of a modular panel of a low noise barrier with the function of water retention with a stone dam on the surface.

Examples of embodiments of the technical solution

The technical solution will be described on several examples of embodiment, which are illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7, whereby the principle consists in the fact that at least one non-humic layer is inserted into a modular panel of a low noise barrier, whereby this layer absorbs water, reduces the rate of its flow and outflow and, at the same time, allows its evaporation. By the non-humic layer we understand a layer which does not contain soil or, more specifically, soil for growing plants.

Fig. 1 shows a railway or tramway track comprising rails 1, which are mounted in fastening systems 2 on transverse sleepers 24 forming a rail grid mounted in gravel ballast 25, which is mounted on the unmarked structure of the substructure of the track comprising a drainage system of the earth subgrade. The distance between the axes of the transverse sleepers 24 is determined by a respective regulation, most often being in the range from 600 to 800 mm.

Outside the track, along the outer sides of the rail 1, are in the direction of the track length mounted modular panels 3 of the low noise barrier with the function of water retention, whereby on the side facing the rail track is located a vertical sound absorbing layer 4 with a fair-faced wall 5 containing spatial recesses 6. The individual modular panels 3 with the function of water retention contain a specific number of, but at least one, retention and damping pad 15, whereby the individual modular panels 3 are demoted in sets outside the track and are mutually connected by means of connecting spirals or clamps 7. The set of modular panels of the low noise barrier with the function of water retention is mounted on a compacted gravel cushion 8, which may be on both sides lined with concrete curbs 9 or by unillustrated concrete prefabricated parts in the form of the letter L or T. On the side away from the rail track the modular panel is provided on its sloping surface 12 with a humic layer 10, which fills gaps in cascades 11 of the retention and damping pads 15. The sloping surface 12 is preferably planted with suitable ground cover plants or bushes 13. In an unillustrated embodiment, the sloping surface 12 may be created without a humic layer 10 and a carpet of artificial grass 14 is installed on it surface. According to a preferred embodiment, the retention and damping pads

15 are composed of a recycled wadding synthetic material, e.g., the recyclate available under the trade name STERED, which is manufactured according to SK UV 6673, where the density of the individual parts of the sandwich layering of the retention and damping pads 15 determines not only specific retention and damping capabilities of a particular embodiment of the modular panels 3, but also, in a combination with other layers and/or pads, their mechanical and damping properties, namely also from the viewpoint of damping an impact of a road vehicle.

In an unillustrated example of embodiment, the retention and damping pads 15 consist of special types of sound absorbing porous concrete made from natural crushed stone or consist of similar agglomerates based on recycled concrete or bricks.

In another unillustrated embodiment, the modular panels 3 are provided with a spatial stiffener 16.

Fig. 2 shows a railway or tramway track from Fig. 1 , modified by the fact that inside the track, i.e. between the rails, are in the direction of the track length mounted inner panels 17 of rail absorbers and outside the track, i.e. along the outer edges of the rails λ are in the direction of the track length mounted outer panels 18 of the rail absorbers. The length of the panels 17 and 18 is a multiple of the axial distance of the fastening systems 2 and is not dependent on the length of the modular panels 3. The surface of the rail noise absorbers with the function of water retention is formed by an unillustrated natural cover or artificial grass.

In another exemplary embodiment, the railway or tramway track from Fig. 1 is modified by the fact that both inside and outside the track structural and vegetation humic layers are laid on the gravel ballast 26 to be covered with natural lawn.

Fig. 3 shows a modular panel 3 with the function of water retention, where the supporting structure is formed by a wire basket 19 with retention and damping pads 15 which are inserted in it individually, most often vertically, and a sound-absorbing layer 4 with a fair-faced wall 5 containing spatial recesses 6. The bearing surface is composed of a spread footing 20, which most typically consists of recycled rubber or a shell concrete plate. The sloping surface 12 comprises pockets 21 arranged in a cascade, which are filled with a humic layer 10, which is preferably planted with ground cover or xerophilous plants or bushes 13. In an unillustrated embodiment, the sloping surface 12 is made without a humic layer 10, whereby the individual vertical layers constitute the bearing surface for the installation of a carpet from artificial grass 14, which is mechanically connected to the structure of the wire basket \B and/or bonded to it.

Fig. 4 represents a modular panel according to Fig. 3, modified by the fact that behind the sound absorbing layer 4 with an unillustrated fair-faced wall 5 containing spatial recesses 6 is inserted at least one rigid and soundproof plate forming a shielding wall 23 to increase the soundproofing qualities of the panel.

Fig. 5 shows a modular panel according to Fig. 3, modified by the fact that it contains a system of air channels 22 for increasing water evaporation from the retention and damping pads 15, whereby preferably these channels can be formed by an unillustrated stone dam. Fig. 6 represents a modular panel according to Fig. 3, modified by the fact that on the side facing the rail track a shielding wall 22 is formed, resembling a parabola in form, whereby its unillustrated focus lies outside the track and its surface can be provided with a sound absorbing layer 4 with an unillustrated fair-faced wall 5 containing spatial recesses 6.

Fig. 7 shows a modular panel according to Fig. 3, modified by the fact that on the side away from the rail track there is a sloping surface 12, which is formed by complete or partial fair-faced surface made from a stone dam 24, whereby the inner core of the modular panel 3 contains unillustrated retention and damping pads 15.

Industrial applicability

The technical solution can be preferably used for building railway and tramway tracks in town residential areas, in areas of nature reserves and on bridge constructions. Combining this solution with known rail noise absorbers or with natural grassing further increases the overall efficiency of the attenuation of noise and vibration from wheel/track contact and significantly improves water retention in the track without compromising rail operation.

List of references

1 Rail

2 Fastening rail system

3 Modular panel

4 Sound absorbing layer

5 Fair-faced wall

6 Spatial recess

7 Connecting spiral or clamp

8 Gravel cushion

9 Concrete curb

10 Humic layer

11 Cascade

12 Sloping surface

13 Ground cover plants or bushes

14 Artificial grass

15 Retention and damping pad

16 Transverse spatial stiffener

17 Inner panels

18 Outer panels

19 Wire basket

20 Spread footing

21 Pocket

22 Air channel

23 Shielding wall

24 Stone dam

25 Transverse sleeper

26 Gravel ballast