Isolation of residential buildings from ground vibration from railroad

Abstract

For residential developments near railroad tracks, ground vibration due to train movement is often a concern. Although there are usually no code requirements for vibration levels, ground vibration levels are often compared to the criteria recommended by the FTA; these criteria are sometimes explicitly included as part of the Conditions of Approval or other governing documents required for the development of the site. These criteria are often exceeded when the development is in proximity to the tracks, but experience has provided limited practical applications for reducing the vibration. Some of the methods suggested include isolating the building on elastomeric bearings, digging a wave barrier trench, increasing the mass of the foundation, and stiffening the joist structure. However, these measures have been rarely employed, and little data are available on the objective effects of the mitigation, correlated with the benefit to occupants. Despite this, such methods are sometimes required on a project without analysis of efficacy or even an understanding of the anticipated result. The authors have compiled the results of recent measurements on several buildings that employed some these measures, and discuss the benefits of the mitigation measures and their application to building construction strategy.