Ground-Borne Vibration Generated by High-Speed Trains on the Pile-Supported Subgrade Reinforced by Geogrid

Abstract

The pile-supported subgrade reinforced by geogrid is widely applied in the construction of high-speed railway in China. To investigate the ground-borne vibration of such composite foundations subjected to moving loads induced by high-speed trains, a train-track-ground dynamic analysis model involving the pile, pile cap and cushion, was developed based on the three-dimensional (3D) finite element method (FEM). Based on the field data for a practical composite subgrade project at the east side of Suzhou Railway Station of Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway, the numerical model was established and verified accordingly with the in situ measured results. Comparison studies were conducted on the vibrations for the composite foundation and unreinforced foundation. Results show that acceleration of ground-borne vibration is reduced effectively in composite subgrade because of the existence of cushion and piles, and the vibration attenuates increasingly quickly as the distance from the track center increases.