Mitigation of high-speed trains vibrations by expanded polystyrene blocks in railway embankments

Abstract

The vibrations induced by the passage of high-speed trains (HSTs) are considered a crucial issue in the field of environmental and geotechnical engineering. Several wave barriers have been investigated to reduce the detrimental effects of HST-induced vibrations. This study is focused on the potential implementation of an innovative mitigation technique to alleviate the developed vibrations. In particular, the use of expanded polystyrene (EPS) blocks as partial fill material of embankment slopes was examined. The efficiency of the proposed mitigation technique was numerically investigated. More specifically, a 3D soil-track model was developed to study the cross-section of a railway track, embankment, and the underlying soil layers. The passage of the HST, Thalys, was simulated using a moving load method, and the soil response was calculated at several distances from the track. Several parameters influenced the effectiveness of the examined mitigation measure. Therefore, to ensure an optimal design, a robust procedure is necessary which considers the impact of these factors. Hence, the implementation of EPS blocks on several embankments with different geometry, in terms of height and slope angle, was investigated.