Numerical analysis of isolation of the vibration due to moving loads using pile rows

Abstract

The isolation of the vibration due to moving loads using pile rows embedded in a poroelastic half-space is investigated in this study. Based on Biot's theory and integral transform method, the free field solution for a moving load applied on the surface of a poroelastic half-space and the fundamental solution for a harmonic circular patch load applied in the poroelastic half-space are derived first. Using Muki and Sternberg's method and the fundamental solution for the circular patch load as well as the obtained free field solution for the moving load, the second kind of Fredholm integral equations in the frequency domain describing the dynamic interaction between pile rows and the poroelastic half-space is developed. Numerical solution of the frequency domain integral equations and numerical inversion of the Fourier transform yield the time domain response of the pile–soil system. Comparison of our results with some known results shows that our results are in a good agreement with existing ones. Numerical results of this study show that velocity of moving loads has an important impact on the vibration isolation effect of pile rows. The same pile row has a better vibration isolation effect for the lower speed moving loads than for the higher speed ones. Also, the optimal length of piles for higher speed moving loads is shorter than that for lower speed moving loads. Moreover, stiff pile rows tend to produce a better vibration isolation effect than flexible pile rows do.