ISO 2631 vibration analysis in Portuguese Alfa Pendular trains

Abstract

Trains are currently one of the most used transportation modes. Improving comfort is the key condition to attract more passengers. On train journeys, the comfort is highly influenced by vibration, which derives from train motion and results in whole-body vibration. This type of vibration is evaluated by the ISO 2631 standard.Following the international standard, the present study performs a ride comfort evaluation on the Alfa Pendular trains regarding the Porto Campanhã – Lisbon Oriente connection. Measurements were performed on the floor, seat surface and seatback, run on both seat classes. Regarding the ride comfort evaluation, it should be highlighted that low acceleration values were found for all journeys. Maximum discomfort peaks were obtained on the middle of train. The journeys were ranked as “little uncomfortable” or “not uncomfortable” during around 97% of its duration, concerning the seat surface evaluation. This value increased up to 99% for the seatback. It was also observed that when compared with the floor, the seat surface amplifies the total acceleration during the entire trip. This was the first study evaluating vibration comfort on Portuguese trains.