Chapter 4 - Environmental vibration during high-speed railway operation

Abstract

The ground vibration caused by the operation of high-speed railway not only affects the living and working environment of residents along the line causing pollution to the vibration environment but also affects the safety of buildings along the line and the manufacture and normal use of precision instruments. The current railway environmental vibration prediction method in China mainly adopts the model prediction method and analogy prediction method. This chapter described the calculation procedure of mode prediction method. Moreover, a field test of tri-axial ground vibration is conducted at a bridge section and embankment section of Chengdu–Chongqing high-speed railway. The variation characteristics of the total weighted vibration and unweighted vibration with distance are analyzed and the relationship between the total weighted vibration expressed in decibels and Z vibration level is compared. The field test reveals that the total unweighted vibration value reflects the total energy of the tri-axial vibration of the ground, and the total weighted vibration value reflects the subjective feeling of the human body to the tri-axial composite vibration intensity of the ground. When considering the ground vibration energy propagation caused by high-speed railway operation, the total unweighted vibration value is a more objective and comprehensive evaluation indicator than Z vibration level, whereas the Z vibration level can be used to replace the total weighted vibration when evaluating the environmental impact of high-speed railway operation vibration.