IAC Acoustics Helps Progress Rail Reduce Engine Sound

Progress Rail, a Caterpillar Company, is a national provider of railroad and transit system products and services headquartered in Albertville, AL. They had an issue with locomotive engines that was two-fold: they needed noise reduction while still providing proper ventilation to the engines. They enlisted the help of IAC Acoustics to find a viable solution.

As a leading provider of acoustical louver solutions, IAC Acoustics worked with Jim Seaton, Locomotive Engineering Product Line Manager at Progress Rail’s LaGrange, IL location, to run calculations and simulations to determine the size and type of acoustic louver that would be best suited for their locomotive engines.

IAC Acoustics used CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations to help design a more natural ventilation system using their SL-4 Slimshield Louvers in conjunction with analyses performed on the impact of locomotive engine exhausts on the environment. They were able to install IAC SL-4 Slimshield Louvers, resulting in a reduction of noise to standard levels of safety.

IAC’s SL-4 Slimshield Louvers further allows the engine locomotives to run at max performance without any impediment and keeps the engines cooled with allowable airflow in and out, avoiding heat build-up.

IAC Acoustics provided a practical turnkey approach to this project. From engineering through installation, the client had a single point of contact throughout the entire process.