Characterisation of High-Speed Train Vibrations in Ground Supporting Ballasted Railway Tracks

Abstract

Railway networks impose nuisances like vibration and noise onto structures and the inhabitants proximate to railway lines. Tremendous increase in number of passengers and freight carried across stations has led to faster trains with high axle loads and longer trains with added number of coaches. Passage of trains over railway tracks causes elastic rebound of the railway embankment and ground during the loading and unloading cycle of the railway track, which induces ground vibrations in the railway track foundation. These ground-borne railway vibrations propagate through the railway embankment and supporting ground onto the proximate buildings, which amplify through the height of the structure, causing severe disturbances in the buildings. This study characterises the propagation of ground vibrations generated by a high-speed train wheel travelling at the speeds from 160 to 200 km/h. The temporal variation of ground vibrations was monitored at various depths in the supporting ground and at various horizontal distances away from the track along the ground surface. Results from this study indicate that strong ground vibrations remain in the ground, even after passage of the train wheels to farther distances. Slower train speeds induce stronger ground vibrations in the areas proximate to railway lines, and faster trains generate larger ground vibrations at farther distances from the railway track. It was also ascertained that the railway embankment and supporting ground undergo severe ground motions during the passage of multiple wheels of a high-speed train.