An experiment was conducted to determine the subjective equivalence of railway noise and railway-induced building vibration, and hence the relative importance of the two stimuli. Six magnitudes of whole-body, vertical (z-axis) vibration and six levels of noise were presented simultaneously to each of 30 subjects in all 36 possible paired combinations. The stimuli were reproductions of the noise and vibration recorded inside a house during the passage of a train. The subjects were asked to indicate, after each presentation, which of the two stimuli (noise and vibration) they would prefer to be reduced.A seven-point scale was employed to indicate the total annoyance produced by the two stimuli. A subjective equivalence contour was determined from the levels at which 50% of the subjects preferred the reduction of noise.
Samenvatting