Reducing railway-induced ground-borne vibration by using open trenches and soft-filled barriers
Reducing railway-induced ground-borne vibration by using open trenches and soft-filled barriers
A trench can act as a barrier to ground vibration and is a potential mitigation measure for low frequency vibration induced by surface railways. However, to be effective at very low frequencies the depth required becomes impractical. Nevertheless, for soil with a layered structure in the top few metres, if a trench can be arranged to cut through the upper, soft layer of soil, it can be effective in reducing the most important components of vibration from the trains. This study considers the possibility of using such a realistically feasible solution. Barriers containing a soft fill material are also considered. The study uses coupled finite element / boundary element models expressed in terms of the axial wavenumber. It is found to be important to include the track in the model as this determines how the load is distributed at the soil’s surface which significantly affects the insertion loss of the barrier. Calculations are presented for a range of typical layered grounds in which the depth of the upper soil layer is varied. Variations in the width and depth of the trench or barrier are also considered. The results show that, in all ground conditions considered, the notional rectangular open trench performs best. The depth is the most important parameter whereas the width has only a small influence on its performance. More practical arrangements are also considered in which the sides of the trench are angled or a retaining structure is used. Barriers consisting of a soft fill material are shown to be much less effective than an open trench but still have some potential benefit. It is found that the stiffness of the barrier material and not its impedance is the most important material parameter.
45-49
Thompson, D.
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Jiang, J.
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Toward, M.G.R
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Hussein, M.F.M.
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Ntotsios, E.
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Dickmans, A.
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Coulier, P.
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Lombaert, G.
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Degrande, G.
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1 September 2016
Thompson, D.
bca37fd3-d692-4779-b663-5916b01edae5
Jiang, J.
0386a615-0f81-4824-a5a1-dea2b2735a4a
Toward, M.G.R
1d10e993-e6ef-449d-bccb-1f8198169bee
Hussein, M.F.M.
97e17881-e5e7-45a4-8765-00065c2277ce
Ntotsios, E.
877c3350-0497-4471-aa97-c101df72e05e
Dickmans, A.
39cf3775-746d-4a91-bc77-f807958bf2fb
Coulier, P.
93733f1d-0868-4f2f-87ed-96c003647ec4
Lombaert, G.
4e069245-6ec6-40fe-a767-46eabf4dcc2b
Degrande, G.
c79408b0-fe8a-4b0c-a2e2-347ccd2e052a
Thompson, D., Jiang, J., Toward, M.G.R, Hussein, M.F.M., Ntotsios, E., Dickmans, A., Coulier, P., Lombaert, G. and Degrande, G.
(2016)
Reducing railway-induced ground-borne vibration by using open trenches and soft-filled barriers.
Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 88, .
(doi:10.1016/j.soildyn.2016.05.009).
Abstract
A trench can act as a barrier to ground vibration and is a potential mitigation measure for low frequency vibration induced by surface railways. However, to be effective at very low frequencies the depth required becomes impractical. Nevertheless, for soil with a layered structure in the top few metres, if a trench can be arranged to cut through the upper, soft layer of soil, it can be effective in reducing the most important components of vibration from the trains. This study considers the possibility of using such a realistically feasible solution. Barriers containing a soft fill material are also considered. The study uses coupled finite element / boundary element models expressed in terms of the axial wavenumber. It is found to be important to include the track in the model as this determines how the load is distributed at the soil’s surface which significantly affects the insertion loss of the barrier. Calculations are presented for a range of typical layered grounds in which the depth of the upper soil layer is varied. Variations in the width and depth of the trench or barrier are also considered. The results show that, in all ground conditions considered, the notional rectangular open trench performs best. The depth is the most important parameter whereas the width has only a small influence on its performance. More practical arrangements are also considered in which the sides of the trench are angled or a retaining structure is used. Barriers consisting of a soft fill material are shown to be much less effective than an open trench but still have some potential benefit. It is found that the stiffness of the barrier material and not its impedance is the most important material parameter.
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Open Trench accepted 19 MAY
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Accepted/In Press date: 16 May 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 28 May 2016
Published date: 1 September 2016
Organisations:
Dynamics Group
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 394804
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/394804
ISSN: 0267-7261
PURE UUID: 45c8a9c7-2adf-43a7-8880-049e11cc8f9a
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Date deposited: 24 May 2016 10:46
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:35
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Contributors
Author:
J. Jiang
Author:
M.G.R Toward
Author:
M.F.M. Hussein
Author:
A. Dickmans
Author:
P. Coulier
Author:
G. Lombaert
Author:
G. Degrande
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