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MagLev Trains Annoyingly Loud
crem_d_genes writes "You might hear that whistle blowing from that train coming 'round the bend, but tapes of the sounds produced by magnetically levitated and normal trains produced a result that was something of a surprise: Most people rated maglev trains as more disturbing than standard intercity trains. It had been previously known that the two types were about equally loud, but this study analyzed people's reactions to them. Since the effects on the environment will be part of the feasibilty studies for future development, acoustical engineers will have some new challenges. Some participants in the study said the sound made them 'feel insecure, some found it startling, and disliked the occasional shrill sound the maglevs produced.' The researcher postulated that unfamiliarity with the noise might be part of the problem."
Does anyone know of links to audio samples of a maglev? I've never heard one and some rudimentary googling didn't turn them up.
The quality of the noise source is as important as its intensity (i.e. decibels). Some noise patterns are just plain annoying. For instance, in noise studies, helicopters are considered more annoying and have lower acceptable decibel thresholds; the old Hueys are a prime example.
Can anyone explain this to me about um... "traditional" train sound, because I've always wondered: Why are they so loud at night? I know trains run through the city here regularly, and I can't hear the train whistles where I live during the day, even though I know they still toot them, but at night I can here the trains that have got to be at least ten miles from here. Why is that?
I would be curious if the sound of these kinds of trains carried in the same way. Normal train whistles aren't really unpleasant, but I wouldn't want to be listening to screeching noises from several miles away while I was trying to sleep. (The fact that I usually sleep during the day is irrelevant. =P)
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Of course, if it works too well it'll sound like someone's letting the air out of every tire in the block...
The sound of a regular train (been a while since I've heard one) is rythmic, higher pitch clicking. I would guess that the maglev might be more lower frequency. Also, one might wonder if there's a sound beyond the range of human awareness that might be contributing to the feeling that the maglevs are "louder" or more annoying.
I dunno ... you tend to feel louder high pitched sounds in your ears, whereas the lower ones you might feel more in your body.
The author of this post would like to point out that unlike other posts, this one was more stream of thought, and less composed than his previous ones. In other words, he's talking out of his ass.
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"Conventional" trains make noises ranging from low rumbles (slower trains) to what resembles gigantic versions of the "fwooooooooosh" of a racecar passing you (Acela and other modern high-speed trains). But loud, high-pitched sounds coming from a piece of machinery (e.g. a train) could make people think the machine is out of control.
;) ) and crush the hapless onlooker...
High-pitched mechanical sounds carry a connotation of machinery operating "out of control", or running faster than it should. I'll put it this way. If you walked into, say, a widget factory, and heard the machines cranking away with a low rumble, wouldn't you feel more comfortable than if they were generating a constant high-pitched whining? In which scenario would you fear, deep down in your gut, that one of those machines is about to go haywire, break down, and shoot a cog in your general direction? This is regardless of the actual speed of the machinery. Low sounds are just less unnerving in this case. (Or so I feel...)
Perhaps the sound of a maglev operating at 150mph would be more unnerving than that of an Acela train operating at 150mph since the nature of the maglev sounds would make it "sound like" it's more likely than the Acela to disrail (even though, as a maglev, it already is 'disrailed' in a sense
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Where once upon a time new technologies were just introduced, we now run the risk of getting them bludgeoned to death by special-interest groups and environmental impact statements. There is no reason why in time maglev sounds should not become a familiar part of the soundscape, barely noticed if at all, and a realisation that people might be uncomfortable with something just because it is new may help us determine whether something really is damaging or if it's just a baseless case of NIMBY (as opposed to "it really is damaging, so get it the fuck away from me") when people oppose something new.
(aplogies if this is incoherent... it's been three hours since my last coffee)
I wonder if it's perhaps as simple as our built-in responses to shrill sounds.
Primates tend to make more shrill prolonged sounds when in distress. We are likely hard wired to go on alert when we hear distressed sounds from another primate. That would explain uneasy feelings and rating the sound as more intrusive and objectionable than a rumble and clicking sound which would be fairly meaningless to the lower parts of the brain.
It's a two fold problem that will likely call for psychologists and neurologists to determine what is so distressing and annoying about the sound, and then accoustic engineers to figure out how to alter the sound so that it no longer has that characteristic.
Nothing more than a hypothesis here, but quite testable.
Edison marched men with lightbulbs on their heads through a parade in New York . . . this scared the willy's out of many people because they associated light with fire and thought that these mens' heads were on fire . . .
As new technology becomes familiar, these things become less disturbing and finally commonplace. I assume that the same would happen with sound from mag-lev's . . .
Interestingly (to me, at least) cattle are now apparently spooked if a steam locomotive goes by. They just aren't used to them anymore.
The duration of a train traveling at 60 mph is more annoying than a Maglev train of equal length travling 250 mph, simply because you have to put up with it longer.
Sure the sound is annoying, but if it is gone in 15 seconds as opposed to 1 minute, I think people would get used to it.
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Looking at some of the pictures of Maglev Trains, the track resembled a concreet trough, rather than the conventional flat rail/roadway track. This would cause the air (and sound) movements to be altered and possibly create a different sound
You're so right. For example, I have a new technique for extracting gold -- GOLD, I tells ya! -- from common sewage. It involves simply blasting a stream of "quicksilver" through the municipal sewer once a night. The quicksilver bonds with the fluxion and good humors in gold that's suspended in the water as a result of toothbrushes rubbing it free from people's fillings. That scraping, rushing noise may be excruciating for you at first, but you'll adjust.
What, you mean I should have to prove that it works and that you're not going to die of mercury poisoning as a result of my new process? C'mon... once upon a time, I could just have introduced it without all these environmental "special interests" getting in the way. What kind of a world do we live in?? You're stifling my innovation. And here I was going to generously offer to sponsor a public park for your kids with my earnings.
Seriously, don't you think there's a balance to be struck here? Doesn't seem to me like asking the question "Maglev trains are perceived as having a more disturbing sound -- Why?" is a sign that ingenuity is dead. Personally I like living in a world where airports need to think about the noise produced by their traffic patterns. If we figure out what quality these trains might have that makes their sounds more irritating, we can decide whether to do something about it and how much it'd cost. No harm done.
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I have to say, I live in the city right next to an Acela track, and it's one of the most amazing things I've seen. The tracks in question have MBTA (commuter rail) trains, Acela express trains, and T (above-ground) subway cars pass by on a regular basis.
The loudest and most annoying are the dilapidated orange line subway cars, which are very old and make a lot of clicks and clacks and screeches. The commuter rail is definitely louder, but it is uch more pleasant - a bassy rumbling, depending ont he speed, maybe more ominous if you don't know what it is. The Acela is QUIET in comparison - it seems as if the only thing you can hear (not true, of course, but comparatively) is the air being so violently pushed around as it whooshes by. And it's so quick (when not even at full speed in the city) that it's almost tantalizing, making you wish you could see it for a little longer. It's almost like an arrow shot from a bow, it sneaks up on you as you can't hear the rumbling as it approaches, and then it's gone by so fast you're almost not sure if you really heard it in the first place.
as in the sound they make is used to instill fear and such. There are some real interesting uses of noise.
:)
Of course what helicopters sound like in movies is usually different than in real life. Friends of mine can tell you what chopper is coming just by the sound from the blades.
That being said, instead of masking the sound of the train perhaps they can tune it to sound more pleasant
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Anyone who lives in the Bay Area and is a Mr. Bungle fan recognize the similarity between the BART trains in the east bay and the sound of nitrogen bubbles a-popping in "The Bends"? It's easily the most painful song I've ever heard (and sadly missing from the iTunes store, or I'd provide a link).
I suspect that the "bends" sound at the end of the song is actually just a sample of the BART trains which has been digitally tweaked a bit. Seems like a somewhat telling relationship about the nerve-grating qualities of the sound of trains.
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(Pulse Width Modulation, PWM) of the power to the electromagnets. That frequency can be changed, within limits. I've been on mag-levs at Kings Island (Ohio) years ago, they are a bit annoying.
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Noise of any type is a result of some inefficiency somewhere. Be it the air displacement from poorly developed skins and attachments or transforming the electricity with inexpensive components. I'm sure they can isolate the offending noise and design it out of the equation. Still did not get a good answer on here as to what exactly was causing the noise. Although there is some good speculation.
I'm thinking 100 years ago the sound of a steam engine freaked out the locals, their farm animals, etc. I think that the speculation about "it's just unfamiliar" is probably dead on.