Evaluating riding comfort of railway vehicles
1. Elements of riding comfort of railway vehicles
A wide range of elements determine riding comfort: in addition to vibration and impact of the vehicles, space inside vehicles, comfort of seats, load factor, noise, ventilation, temperature, humidity, wind speed, lighting, color, shapes and texture of parts, and other aspects of the interior design. Of these, the elements with the greatest impact on passengers are now vibration and impact of the vehicles: the lateral, vertical, and longitudinal acceleration felt by passengers.
2. Vibration of vehicles that is the key to riding comfort
Lateral, vertical, and longitudinal accelerations that determine riding comfort include vibration acceleration, steady lateral acceleration, and jerk. But the sensation of acceleration felt by passengers varies according to its direction, degree, and quality, and also according to the physical condition of passengers. The duration of vibration acceleration that is felt by passengers also has a big impact.
3. Riding comfort standards
- Riding quality coefficent
Riding comfort is evaluated by setting a riding quality coefficient according to the degrees and the frequencies of lateral, vertical, and longitudinal vibration acceleration of vehicles. (Figure 1) - Riding quality level:
Riding comfort is evaluated by correcting the measured car body vibration acceleration using the frequency weighting curve (Figure 2), and obtaining the riding quality level LT (dB) based on the effective values of vibration acceleration. (Figure 3)
Figure 1. Riding Comfort Evaluation Chart
Figure 2. Frequency Weighting Curve
Figure 3. Riding Quality Level and Vibration Category
