Pressure Change in Tunnel and Complaints of Aural Discomfort by Railway Passengers
Hiroaki SUZUKI Chief Researcher, Ergonomics Laboratory,
Fundamental Research Division
Katsunori AKUTSU Chief Researcher, Vehicle Noise & Vibration Laboratory, Fundamental Research Division
Naoki FUKUSHIMA Researcher, Ergonomics Laboratory, Fundamental Research Division
Kazuhiko TEZUKA Chief Engineer, Vehicle Dynamics & Truck Design Group, Vehicle Technology Development Division
Passengers feel aural discomfort due to pressure changes when trains pass a tunnel at high speeds. In Japan, as limited express trains have been running at higher speeds in recent years, aural discomfort on unsealed rolling stock has become a serious problem for narrow gauge lines. This paper discusses a guideline to the evaluation of aural discomfort due to pressure changes in passenger rooms and proposes a provisional measure for this purpose. To do this, we first briefly describe features of pressure changes in rolling stock, sealing technique
applied to Shinkansen trains and a series of tests on aural discomfort performed in Europe. We also introduce researches on aural discomfort
in recent years in Japan and propose a provisional guideline to set the limit of pressure changes at 2.0kPa or less within any 4-second period in order to prevent aural discomfort on unsealed rolling stock.