• Field tests with 700 datasets capture aerodynamic behaviours of noise barriers. • Eurocode load model underestimates shape factors of Swedish trains. • Steeper train noses increase pressure amplitudes and dynamic response. • Dynamic response has multiple peaks, unlike pressure curve, which follows car gaps. • Dynamic response of barrier increases approximately with the cube of train speed. Train passages generate aerodynamic loads that induces dynamic responses in railway noise barriers and may compromise structural integrity. However, field measurements capturing both aerodynamic pressure and structural response, especially for wooden barriers, remain scarce. This study presents a field investigation of train-induced aerodynamic excitation and response in a noise barrier. A monitoring campaign collected pressure and response signals from four train types operating at speeds of 150–200 km/h. The pressure signals exhibited characteristic positive and negative transitions at the train nose and tail, with tail-wave amplitudes approximately 35%–55% of the nose-wave. Steeper noses produced higher pressure amplitudes and shorter nose-wave peak intervals, while train length showed limited influence on nose-wave pressure. Shape coefficients identified for Swedish trains ranged from 0.87 to 1.28, indicating that Eurocode models underestimate pressure by 2.75%–25.44%, however, its vertical distribution model agreed well with measurements. Spectral analysis revealed that nose-wave energy is concentrated in the 2–4 Hz range, with additional contributions in the 4–6 Hz. While pressure signals showed intermediate peaks associated with inter-car gaps, the response signals exhibited more complex fluctuations between nose and tail waves. Stress range and displacement exhibited higher sensitivity to train speed than pressure, increasing approximately with the cube of speed. Increasing speed from 155 to 200 km/h raised the load frequency by about 24%, shifting load energy to higher frequencies and enhancing dynamic amplification. Steeper noses induced larger responses due to higher load frequency contents, whereas train length had a negligible effect on dynamic response.
Liu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.