A parametric study on the isolation of ground‐borne noise and vibrations in a building using a coupled numerical model

Abstract

Underground traffic induced vibrations and noise in buildings are a major environmental concern in urban areas. To quantify these vibrations a numerical prediction model has been developed and validated. A coupled FE‐BE model is used to compute the incident ground vibrations due to the passage of a train in the tunnel. A dynamic soil‐structure interaction model is used to determine the vibration levels of the building. The soil‐structure interaction problem is solved by means of a 3D boundary element method for the soil coupled to a 3D finite element method for the structural part. An acoustic 3D spectral finite element method is used to predict the acoustic response. The coupled numerical model is used to quantify the efficiency of vibration and noise mitigation measures at different stages of the vibration propagation chain. Vibration isolation with a floating slab track is modeled on the source side, base isolation is incorporated in the structure model, and a box‐within‐box arrangement is considered for the isolation of re‐radiated noise in the building's rooms. The insertion gain of the three methods is compared using the model of a multi‐story portal frame office building subjected to ground‐borne vibrations from an underground railway line.