Ground vibration from trains: experimental parameter characterization and validation of a numerical model

Triepaischajonsak, N., Thompson, D.J., Jones, C.J.C., Ryue, J. and Priest, J.A. (2011) Ground vibration from trains: experimental parameter characterization and validation of a numerical model. [in special issue: Special issue on rail research uk: the universities’ centre for rail systems research] Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 225 (2), 140-153. (doi:10.1177/09544097JRRT370).

Abstract

Trains running on railway tracks on the surface of the ground or in tunnels induce vibrations in the ground which propagate away from the track. These may be experienced as feelable vibration or as audible rumbling noise in the buildings nearby, both of which are difficult to control. As the properties of the ground differ widely between locations they must be characterized for a particular site in order to make reliable predictions. This article describes field measurements of the vibration at two sites with soft clay soil in Southern England. The properties of the ground material, including its layered structure, have been identified from comparisons between results of a layered ground model and measurements obtained using impact excitation. Presentation in the wavenumber-frequency domain is particularly helpful for this purpose. Measurements of vibrations from passing trains are then compared with predictions using a semianalytical model for ground vibration from trains and good agreement is found.

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Contributors

Author: D.J. Thompson

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