Effect of Foundation Geometry and Structural Properties of Buildings on Railway-Induced Vibration: An Experimental Modeling

Abstract

This paper considers the impact of foundation geometry on the vibrations transferred to a building in the vicinity of a railway line from the aspect of choosing an appropriate foundation type. For this purpose, a 1-g scale physical model is developed that includes the main parts containing dry sandy soil, a rigid soil container, and a five-story structure with three types of foundations, i.e., single, strip and mat. Next, the effects of the floor slab frequency associated with the local bending mode, the dominant soil frequency in vertical translation, and foundation geometry on the vibration level in the building are investigated. The experimental results obtained from the impulse loading exciting the frequency range of 0–156 Hz and scaled train axle load show that the vibration level transmitted to the floors in a structure with mat foundation is the smallest. Additionally, the strip and mat foundations reduced the root mean square ratio of vertical velocity on the first floor by, respectively, almost 8% and 53% in comparison with the single foundation, confirming the superior performance of the mat foundation. When the natural frequency of the slab bending mode approaches the dominant frequency of the ground’s vertical motion, resonance amplification becomes an inevitable phenomenon.