Experimental study on the vibration reduction characteristics of the ballasted track with rubber composite sleepers

•Study of vibration transmission and attenuation on ballasted track structure.•Dynamic response analysis of falling impact hammer on ballasted track with rubber composite and concrete sleepers.•Performance of rubber composite sleepers in attenuating low frequency vibration.•Vibration energy duration, velocity and decay rate in track components. Impact loads from trains in operation induce vibration on track structure and its surroundings, which causes track deterioration and negative environmental effects over time. In this study, the vibration reduction characteristics of the ballasted track with rubber composite sleeper were measured and compared to that of the ballasted track with concrete sleeper using full-scale in-door laboratory models. The sleepers were subjected to impact excitations through a free-falling hammer weight and the vibration responses of the track components were analysed in both time and frequency-domains. The results show that; 1. The peak acceleration and root-mean-square (RMS) distribution on the ballasted track with rubber composite sleeper are lower than that of the ballasted track with concrete sleeper. This implies better vibration attenuation capacity. 2. The time-domain analysis showed that the track with rubber composite sleeper has lower vibration acceleration energy, reduced velocity and shorter vibration duration. 3. When compared to ballasted track with concrete sleeper, the track with rubber composite sleeper reduced the overall vibration levels of the ballasted track by 1.11 dB, −2.32 dB and 1.69 dB for the sleepers, ballast and ground respectively. Consequently, the ballasted track with rubber composite sleeper has significant vibration reduction effect on the ground.