Effect of water table level on metro-induced vibrations received by adjacent historical buildings

Abstract

One of the main concerns in development of metros in historical cities is adverse effects of train-induced vibrations on Cultural and Historical Structures (CHS). In this regard, several approaches have been developed in the literature to predict the level of railway-induced vibration received by CHSs. One of the main limitations of the proposed prediction approaches is a lack of consideration of the effect of variation of water table level on the railway-induced vibrations. To fill this gap, a comprehensive field measurement was carried out in this research in the historical city of Isfahan. Based on the data obtained from the field measurement, significant effects of variation of water table level on the Peak Particle Velocity (PPV) and Soil Transfer Function (STF) were shown. Using the result obtained from the measurement, an adjustment factor was derived to consider the effect of variation of water table level in the conventional train-induced vibration prediction approach. The accuracy and validity of the water table level adjustment factor derived in this study were evaluated through an independent comprehensive field measurement performed in a different historical city.