Analysis of ground vibrations induced by high-speed train moving on pile-supported subgrade using three-dimensional FEM

Abstract

The pile-supported subgrade has been widely used in high-speed railway construction in China. To investigate the ground vibrations of such composite foundation subjected to moving loads induced by high-speed trains (HSTs), three-dimensional (3D) finite element method (FEM) models involving the pile, pile cap and cushion are established. Validation of the proposed model is conducted through comparison of model predictions with the field measurements. On this basis, ground vibrations generated by HSTs under different train speeds as well as the ground vibration attenuation with the distance away from the track centerline are investigated. In addition, the effects of piles and pile elastic modulus on ground vibrations are well studied. Results show that the pile-reinforcement of the subgrade could significantly contribute to the reduction of ground vibrations. In particular, the increase of elastic modulus of pile could lead to consistent reduction of ground vibrations. However, when the pile elastic modulus is beyond 10 GPa, this benefit of pile-reinforcement on vibration isolation can hardly be increased further.